Specify a Patient's Sexual Orientation

OP sets all defaults to share all information. Any individual decisions by Practice-users to restrict information sharing (access, use, or exchange) are the responsibility of the Practice in the implementation of its 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking policies and procedures for its Practice and patients.

Version 20.18

About

A patient's sexual orientation, when provided, should be recorded in the Basic Information (Demographics) of their chart. This is not a mandatory field and defaults to Don't Know. The patient's orientation should only be populated if the patient has declared to identify as one of the options in the drop-down list.

Selecting Sexual Orientation

  1. Navigate to Basic Information in the patient's chart.
  2. Click the Orientation field drop-down.
  3. Select the appropriate sexual orientation as it relates to the patient's declaration.

Note

  • If Other, please specify is selected, the Details field is available to add additional details if necessary.
  • If the sexual orientation of the patient is stated to be sensitive information, it is recommended to enter this information in General Notes or the Problem List with the Visibility set to higher than Any staff member.

Including Sexual Orientation in Reports

Orientation is not an included field when the patient's demographics are printed and is not included in the Demographic Analysis and Recall report. However, practices can choose to include this information in Interoperability documents and exchanges by selecting the checkbox to do so in the Special > Medical tab in Global Preferences. This checkbox defaults as deselected.

Version 20.17

Overview

A patient's sexual orientation, when provided, should be recorded in the Basic Information (Demographics) of their patient chart. This is not a mandatory field and defaults to Unknown.

It should only be populated if the patient has declared to identify as one of the following:

  • Lesbian, gay or homosexual
  • Straight or heterosexual
  • Bisexual
  • Other
  • Declined to specify

Selecting Sexual Orientation

  1. Navigate to Basic Information in the patient's chart.
  2. Click the Orientation field drop-down.
  3. Select the appropriate sexual orientation as it relates to the patient's declaration.

Note

  • If Other is selected and additional details are necessary, it is recommended to enter the details as a general note in the patient's chart. 
  • If the sexual orientation of the patient is stated to be sensitive information, it is recommended to select Unknown and make an entry in the patient's Problem List under an appropriate privacy constraint.

Including Sexual Orientation in Reports

Orientation is not an included field when the patient's demographics are printed and is not included in the Demographic Analysis and Recall report. However, practices can choose to include this information in Interoperability documents and exchanges by selecting the checkbox to do so in the Special > Medical tab in Global Preferences. This checkbox is defaulted as unchecked.