Find a LGBTQ Sensitive Healthcare Provider.

There are many important things to consider when choosing a healthcare provider. Finding a provider that matches your style is one of the most important aspects of finding a healthcare provider. Possibly the most important aspect of finding a healthcare provider is finding one with whom you are comfortable. To aid you in this process, Safeguards has compiled a list of questions you may want to ask yourself and your healthcare provider when choosing a new practitioner.

• What type of provider are you looking for: a medical doctor, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, a nurse practitioner, or a practitioner of alternative medicine?
• Do you have a gender preference for your practitioner?
• Do you want a large practice where you see many different providers, or do you want a small practice where you would one see one or two?
• Do you want a practice with hospital affiliation?
• Does your provider have experience with the health concerns of LGBT populations?
• Does your provider have experience with the health concerns of people of color?
• Does your provider know about non-medical services such as mental-health or social services?
• Is your provider responsive to your questions?
• Do you want a provider who asks you a lot of questions?
• Are there any LGBT or people of color working in your provider’s office?
• Are there any people who are bilingual working in your provider’s office?
• What insurance programs does your provider accept, and do they have a flexible payment plan?
• How does your provider maintain patient confidentiality?
• Is your provider willing to work with your other health care providers? (This is important, if you choose to see alternative healthcare providers such as an acupuncturist or a massage therapist.)
• Do you know your rights as a patient?

The SafeGuards Project has developed an online searchable database of healthcare professionals in the Philadelphia area that have responded to a SafeGuards LGBTQ Provider Survey. Inclusion in this database is not a statement of the provider’s sexual orientation and does not constitute a recommendation by SafeGuards. This section of our website is currently being REVISED.

May 18th, 2006 | Patients, Health Care Access .