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As a woman of a certain age, annual maintenance comes around and demands that I have my chest-level tender bits smashed between two cold, uncaring plates for medical purposes. Alas, it is that time of year. (Happy Valentine's to me!)
Anywho. I got the call from my provider for my "pre-registration" in anticipation of my upcoming appointment and the conversation went nearly verbatim like this:
DP: Hello...
Provider: Ms. Prynne, I am calling to pre-register you for your upcoming mammogram at the Women's Breast Health Center. Do you have time to answer some questions?
DP: Yes, sure.
Provider: Also, I have to tell you this call will be recorded for quality assurance purposes. Are you ready to proceed?
DP: Yes.
Provider: Great. Is your date of birth XX/XX/XXXX?
DP: Yes
Provider: Is your address still **********?
DP: Yes
Provider: Now I have to ask you a few questions that may be sensitive in nature, but we have to ask these of ALL of our patients.
DP: Ok
Provider: What is your current sex?
DP: [Unsure of what I just heard. Thinking I have gone to this provider for ten+ years, my appointment is at the Women's Breast Health Center and she is clearly looking at my chart] "Excuse me?"
Provider: What is your current sex?
DP: [Chuckling] I am not answering that question.
Provider: Well, you have to answer or I can't finish the pre-registration and we will have to re-schedule your appointment.
DP: I understand. But I am not answering that question.
Provider: Well, I have a category of "none" (she asks hopefully)
DP: I am not answering that question. I am sure my chart history already includes that information and you are free to pull it from there.
Provider: So you refuse to answer?
DP: Yes ma'am.
Provider: {Sounding flustered} OK
Provider: {Sounding hesitant} What is your current gender identity?
DP: [Laughing out loud]
Provider: We have male and female and several other options.....
DP: I'm not answering that question either, ma'am. And I am not that creative. But I consider my sex is my gender.
(In hindsight, I should have made her read me all the "gender identity" options and explain to me exactly what each of them meant BEFORE refusing to answer because honestly, I really doubt I know all of them)
Provider: [clicking on her keyboard] "Umm....Ok."
Provider: [after a pause] Is your health insurance still *******?
{And the conversation then goes on to typical territory.... "Any recent problems or concerns? Any change in emergency contact information? Is XXX still your authorized HIPAA contact" etc]
This gender business will be forced on us and everyone will act like it is all ok or at least rote unless we push back. I was not rude to the provider-caller, but I hope she felt like a fool. Also, I figure with the "recorded call", I may be tagged as a deplorable of some kind in my electronic medical record.
I would suggest you all need to prepare yourself for these questions and have a polite, but excoriating, response.
(And you know some snotty consultants came up with the woke script the provider has to use to pre-register - probably as a fulfillment of a requirement for some government regulation. What a waste of $$$)
-DP
Discussion (62)
I'd have been rude.
I'd have acted horriblly insulted. Demanded to speak to a supervisor and filed a formal complaint.
That's how I am going to fight it. With as much passion as the other side.
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Took my youngest in for her first OB/GYN appointment a couple of years ago. They played the gender reindeer game (stealing that) with her, too. At an OB/GYN office!!!
She went along since she didn't want to make a fuss. Or have me make a fuss, more likely.
I've warned my boss at work, if the company starts asking us to indicate our preferred pronouns on our company email signature (as I've seen with some of our customers), I'm going to insist on "the correct ones." She knows I'm not kidding. They'd prefer to keep me on the job more than I need to be there. Go ahead and fire me.
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And, btw, I work for an engineering firm. I find these fantasy gender games in engineering second only to them showing up in the medical profession for repulsiveness. Engineers have to deal with reality in order to make things work. So don't p!ss down my back and tell me it's raining. Not playing.
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I so wanted to be! But, I kept thinking it's not the caller's fault she has to ask these stupid questions and I imagine that recording the call keeps her in line. I imagine she didn't agree either (or maybe she did), but at least for now, I didn't want to repudiate my southern memaw's directive to be polite and act like a lady. (Oops....there's the gender thing again!)
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Well done. Help your girl be able to advocate and represent herself without inhibition. I’m sure you told her clearly what the game was and that she does not have to play.
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