Earlier this week, the Washington, D.C.-based organization, in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), released the Healthcare Equality Index, an annual survey addressing five areas of greatest concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients: patient non-discrimination, visitation, medical decision-making, cultural competency training for staff and employment policies.

"By participating in this project, hospitals across the country are helping to provide a first-of-its-kind glimpse at the current state of the hospital industry and its relationship with LGBT people," HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a release. 

"LGBT patients urgently need the ability to connect with healthcare professionals they can trust, and LGBT healthcare professionals need protection from discrimination," added GLMA Executive Director Joel Ginsberg. "The Healthcare Equality Index is designed to promote the inclusion of LGBT populations in ongoing healthcare quality improvement efforts and to establish the norm that discrimination against LGBT patients and healthcare professionals is unacceptable."

While the focus of this first Healthcare Equality Index survey is on hospitals, future surveys will address long-term care, assisted living facilities, hospices, community health clinics and other branches of the healthcare industry. The information gathered will be used to build an online resource that consumers can use when they search for facilities to serve their families’ healthcare needs. The data will also enhance GLMA’s online Provider Directory, to be re-launched later this year.

"Many healthcare providers have been working toward LGBT-inclusive policies for years," Solmonese said. "This report will highlight the efforts of these trailblazers and call upon everyone involved to take action in support of equality." 

Read the full report at www.hrc.org/hei.