Hello!
We are excited to bring you the second edition of our rebooted Trans Health Program Newsletter! In this space, we aim to keep you informed, supported, and empowered with the latest resources, updates, and news related to trans and gender diverse health. Whether you’re navigating medical care, mental health, or seeking information about your rights and access to services, we are here for you every step of the way.
We know this is a distressing time. Fenway is working at the community, state, and federal levels to anticipate and plan for any policy or law changes that may limit or restrict access to care. Fenway plans to take any and all steps to protect our patients and keep care unchanged for you and others. Please let us know if you need community or supportive resources, or if you would like to be connected to a Patient Advocate in our Trans Health Program.
Our goal is to share a helpful and accessible information so that trans and gender diverse folks can make informed decisions about their health and safety. In this issue you’ll find a message from leadership, more FAQs, and events happening this week and month.
Warmly,
Trans Health Program Team
If you would like to receive this newsletter, visit our supporter hub and add “Gender Affirming Care” to your interests.
Fenway Health Leadership Message
As we anticipate potential changes in our political landscape, I want to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to providing comprehensive, affirming healthcare to all who need it. Our Executive Team and Leadership Committee are actively developing thoughtful contingency plans to protect our vital services and support our community through any challenges ahead. In the coming weeks, we’ll share detailed information about these preparations, including answers to your most pressing questions.
Our contingency planning focuses on several key areas:
- Protecting patient access to essential healthcare services
- Maintaining our inclusive and affirming care environment
- Supporting our dedicated healthcare providers and staff
- Strengthening our advocacy efforts and community partnerships
- Ensuring the sustainability of our vital programs and services
While the future may hold uncertainty, please know that Fenway Health’s dedication to equitable, accessible healthcare remains resolute. We have weathered challenges before by staying true to our values and preparing proactively—and together, we’ll continue to do so.
With hope and determination,
Dallas Ducar
Executive Vice President for Donor Engagement and External Relations
Post-Election FAQs
Many of you have had questions about what the recent election might mean for gender-affirming care and services at Fenway Health. We will be answering these questions to the best of our ability in this FAQ section each issue.
We are compiling these FAQs on our website and you can read those here.
I’m worried about who has access to information in my medical records – how is this data kept secure?
Medical records are protected under HIPAA to limit government overreach. Local and federal governments are able to serve court orders for medical records in the case of criminal investigations or if a patient is believed to be a foreign agent. All government requests for medical records are reviewed by Fenway’s legal team and we have been reassured that if any requests appear to be nefarious, they will be reviewed with outside counsel and possibly the Mass Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, the Massachusetts government is highly protective of gender-affirming care, and they will continue to be.
Should I remove gender dysphoria from my diagnosis or problems list in my medical records?
We understand the desire to remove gender dysphoria from your chart, but removing a diagnosis code may not be as helpful or straightforward as it seems.
Massachusetts-based insurance plans cover gender-affirming care. However, in order for the insurance company to recognize the request or service as medically necessary for gender-affirming purposes, we typically need to use the diagnosis code F64.9, or gender dysphoria. This specific coding for insurance coverage often applies to things like surgery or expensive medications. Given the new administration and possible policy changes, Fenway is working with policy makers and MA insurances to recognize alternative codes to reduce any potential risk to patients.
We can sometimes use another, more vague diagnosis code if it is on your list (for example, Hormone Disorder), but we cannot guarantee there will not be any issues with insurance coverage. It is not legal for us to use codes that may be considered clinically inaccurate under the Federal False Claims Act.
Removing a diagnosis code such a gender dysphoria also would not remove other information specific to your trans or gender diverse identity from the chart, such as the content of notes, MyChart messages, medications, and medical/surgical histories.
Alternatively, or additionally, you can choose to restrict access of your medical record to other linked institutions via Care Everywhere. If you do choose this, remember that other health centers where you may see specialists or seek emergency services will not have access to your medications or problem lists, which may restrict or slow down access to these other services.
What is the Massachusetts Shield Law?
Massachusetts is one of 17 states in the US that has a Shield Law as protection related to the provision of gender-affirming health care. The Shield Law protects providers who are physically located in Massachusetts from the consequences of civil and criminal actions in other states that restrict or criminalize gender-affirming or reproductive health care. This law in MA extends protections for care provided by a MA provider regardless of the patient’s location at the time the care is provided. However, the Shield Laws will not protect providers who are providing care when physically out of the state of MA.
Shield Laws have yet to be tested in the US. Fenway is working with our local policy makers to ensure that our state’s laws are strong, ready to be tested, and have the broad protections that we, as providers, need to feel safe and protected providing this medically necessary care.
Learn more at Know Your Rights: Shield Law
Events & Resources
Events
- Contingency Planning: Protecting LGBTQIA+ Health and Rights in a Changing Politial Landscape, January 16, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. Space is limited. Registration required.
- Dorchester Brewing: T4T, January 16, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
- TCNE: First Event, January 29th – February 2nd at Boston Park Plaza Hotel
Resources
- TGD Resource Library– We’ve compiled trans and gender diverse resources into a library including legal, support, health, and financial resources.
- All Access Hours– Book a phone appointment with a Patient Advocate to discuss accessing gender affirmation, health, or community resources. If your question cannot wait for an appointment, please call the Trans Health Program at 857.313.6589.
- Support– Check out a list of Boston area and national support options.
- Behavioral Health Drop-in Hours at Fenway– Available to Fenway primary care patients, Monday to Thursday between 11am and 3pm, 7th floor, 1340 Boylston St. location.
In the Next Issue
We’ll dive in a bit deeper into how your health information is shared between health systems through Care Everywhere. Care Everywhere is a function of Fenway’s electronic health record that processes requests to and from other health systems that care for patients and incorporates the new data into patient records.
Have questions or is there something you would like to see in a future newsletter? Call 857.313.6589 or email transhealth@fenwayhealth.org.