At Presbyterian, we care about you, your health and your well-being. Because we promise to know you and want to care for you better, we will ask for detailed information about your race, ethnic background, preferred language, gender identity and sexual orientation.
You may see these questions when logging in to your MyChart account, and sometimes when checking in for an appointment at one of our clinics or hospitals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below find a list of FAQs about collecting patient race, ethnicity, language, gender identity and sexual orientation information
Why is this information important for Presbyterian to collect?
By gathering more information about our patients, we can identify the unique needs of each of our patients that may be based on race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, age, disability, education or geographical location of residence. We can develop solutions to help ensure each patient gets the care they need. This process is called equitable healthcare.
What is equitable healthcare?
Equitable healthcare means providing healthcare that does not differ in quality because of a patient’s race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, age, disability, education, geographical location of residence or other characteristics.
How will you use this information?
We will use the information for things such as providing language interpretation services and appropriate patient education materials, connecting patients to available resources, and tracking data to improve your care.
Don’t you already have this information?
Sometimes we have this information on file, but sometimes we do not. Therefore, we want to make sure we are gathering it and/or confirming it for all patients.
Who sees this information?
Personal health information, or PHI, that can be used to identify you is only seen by your healthcare providers. It is protected under the federal health information privacy law known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. Combined anonymous patient data will be used by staff who are committed to quality improvement initiatives and programs, but patient names and other identifying information will not be shared.
What if I don’t want to answer these questions?
We understand you may not want to answer these questions, and that is your right. Please know, the more data we collect, the better we can provide the best care for each patient.
