Doctors Will No Longer Be Required To Record Patients’ Sexual Orientation
The electronic health record rules — which also included taking data on gender identity — were set to be enforced by Jan. 1, 2026. Stat reports that providers can still gather the information if they want to. Plus: updates on lab-developed tests, health care fraudsters, and military combat fitness.
Stat:
HHS Will Not Enforce Gender And Sexual Orientation Requirements For Medical Records
The changes to medical records hit federal systems first. In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed sexual orientation and gender identity questions from enrollment forms for Medicare beneficiaries, and the U.S. DOGE Service said it had removed gender identity from the personal information pages of Veterans Health Administration patients. Now, the Trump administration’s efforts to strip these demographics from patient forms have reached the private sector. (Palmer, 4/1)
Stat:
Judge Strikes Down FDA Lab-Developed Test Rule
A federal judge in Texas squashed the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to regulate lab-developed tests on Monday, ruling in favor of lab trade groups that said the agency was overstepping its bounds. (Lawrence, 3/31)
KFF Health News:
Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.
Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme. But after just four months behind bars, John Estin Davis walked free. President Donald Trump commuted Davis’ sentence in the last days of his first term. In a statement explaining the decision, the White House said that “no one suffered financially” from Davis’ crime. (Kelman, 4/1)
On women in the military —
The New York Times:
Pentagon Eliminates Lower Fitness Standards for Women in Combat Roles
The Pentagon this week ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat units, a move that is likely to hinder the recruitment and retention of women in particularly dangerous military jobs. An order by Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, dated Sunday and announced on Monday, mandated that all physical fitness requirements for combat arms positions — units likely to see significant fighting in wartime — be “sex-neutral,” which is likely to significantly reduce the number of women who meet the requirements. The order directs military leadership to implement the new fitness standards by the end of October. (Cameron, 3/31)
