LGBTQ+ members have long been ignored by the health care system. Now more than ever, health plans are under immense pressure to address and improve the unique health needs of this growing population—not only because LGBTQ+ people deserve better care but also because the state of LGBTQ+ health is very alarming:
LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consulting for Health Plans
Improve care equity and empower your LGBTQ+ members.
0
%
experience healthcare discrimination
0
%
of trans people are denied healthcare outright
0
%
of LGBTQ+ youth report feeling hopeless or sad
0
%
seek affirming healthcare providers
The lack of knowledgeable health plan staff and in-network providers in conjunction with coverage limitations has created fear of the healthcare system among LGBTQ+ members. Fear leads to care avoidance which ultimately results in higher ED utilization and higher rates of chronic conditions, mental health disorders, and suicide. This health crisis is not only costing health plans and members billions annually—it’s costing lives.
That’s why we want to help health plans like yours make a difference in the lives of your LGBTQ+ members. OutCare’s LGBTQ+ healthcare consulting solution is tailored to plans of any size. Unlike other for-profit solutions, our consulting team equips your existing staff with the tools they need to be self-sufficient and culturally competent, meaning you do not need to worry about costly vendor partners, outsourced care coordinators, or interruptions to your current member engagement process.
Staff and Provider Training
Our LGBTQ+ cultural compentency team works with you to establish an ongoing training program for your member-facing staff and even your provider network. Our 101 training program alone results in a 50% improvement in competency, 150% increase in preparedness, 70% increase in attitudes, and a 133% increase in knowledge. We esure that your staff and provider network will be more affirming and better equipped to support your LGBTQ+ members, ultimately improving member experience, trust, and outcomes.
Affirming Provider Matching
We work with you to match your provider network against our vetted OutList directory of affirming, culturally competent providers. We then help you design your provider lookup experience so that your LGBTQ+ members can easily find affirming in-network providers. And, of course, we establish a training and engagement program to expand in-network competency to ensure that your LGBTQ+ members have ample care opportunities.
Member Experience Design
We partner with you to establish affirming member engagement experiences. In addition to care coordinator training, this includes developing member-facing web and app experiences that not only details your commitment to improving LGBTQ+ health equity but also gender affirming coverage transparency and other plan/community health resources for your LGBTQ+ members. Show them you care and empower them on their care journey.
Other Consulting
OutCare provides consultation on reviewing intake forms and company documentation, expertise in LGBTQ+ affirming language and terminology, how to create welcoming environments, how to be a meaningful ally, identifying and resolving stigma/discrimination and microaggressions, coming out in the workplace, legal issues, how to identify and provide LGBTQ+ resources and referrals, and so much more…just ask!
Get in touch to empower your LGBTQ+ members!
Testimonials
“My team that supports a highly visible client with a very engaging LGBTQ+ population attended the training with OutCare earlier in 2021. The content of the training was very much appropriate for our frontline Advocacy and Clinical teams who support the membership. Learning how unconscious bias exists, understanding the health disparities of the LGBTQ+ population, simple ways to engage with the right use of pronouns and terminology, as well as listening to develop the best plan of care for the member. The training was provided virtually over a Microsoft Teams format with visuals and Q&A sessions. The feedback from our teams is that the sessions were helpful in expanding the knowledge and getting a better sense of how to better support our LGBTQ+ population needs. Dustin has a great way of communicating and soliciting feedback from the audience with his wealth of research and knowledge.”
“Dr. Nowaskie recently provided a training to our home visiting nurses. Our site staff across the country has been raving about the experience and how much they learned. OutCare is an incredible resource that I’m looking forward to working with more in the future to continue serving ALL families with new babies and connecting them with culturally competent resources and providers in their communities.”
“As an organization that provides sexual and reproductive health care it was important to us ensure that we were providing a safe and inclusive space for all of our patients to be their true and authentic selves. OutCare provided an effective training course that increased both our staff’s confidence and competence when caring for our LGBTQ+ patients. Since the training we have begun creating new policies and adjusting current ones, as well as modifying staff training requirements. OutCare was just the start of our cultural competency journey. I would recommend this training for all organizations – not only to make an inclusive environment for clients but also for employees. I look forward to watching the continuing growth of OutCare and am proud to be LGBTQ+ Inclusive OutCare Certified.”
“We were pleased to feature Dr. Dustin Nowaskie of Outcare at our 44th Annual CME Symposium. Our attendees found him to be an extremely knowledgeable speaker that facilitated a great discussion on serving a patient population that often goes under represented. Dr. Nowaskie shared important techniques for treating patients of any identity compassionately so that they feel comfortable in opening up to their care team.”
“Dr. Nowaskie provided a consult on 2 of my medical education lectures- one regarding sexual minorities and the other on gender minorities in healthcare. He was professional, knowledgeable, shared many insightful thoughts, and did this all with lots of kindness. He was wonderful. We are fortunate he is a provider in the field. I am lucky to know him and his advocacy firsthand.”
“Dr. Dustin Nowaskie was gracious enough to give his time educating mental health professionals and behavioral health students about LGBTQ+ and mental health issues for the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Speakers Series. His presentation is jam packed with facts and research, but delivered in an open, accessible and digestable style. User-friendly resources and tools to foster communication were offered. This presentation was much needed to elevate providers’ awareness and sensitivity to the still challenging, marginalized environment that remains today’s reality for the LGBTQ+ community. OutCare is truly an amazing resource providers can look to when striving to up their cultural competency game and increase equity in healthcare for all. Sincere thanks, Dr. Nowaskie!”
“The trainings are helpful. It helps me to stay current with issues impacting the LGBTQIA community and do a better job with our service provision. My company is a strong supporter of the LGBTQIA community. We have a significant number of employees from this community, who provide outpatient mental health for youth who identify in the LGBTQIA community and are actively recruiting foster homes that will accept youth from this community. Of course, we offer foster parents who are LGBTQIA the opportunity to foster and adopt children in need. Thank you for what you do.”
“I loved the training I just took, and am looking forward to the growth of OutCare! I am only one of a handful of mental health professionals from my city listed on OutCare and I am excited to help clients find an affirming therapist close to them!”
“Thank you for your very well-thought-out excellent presentation. I have learned so much!”
“Dr. Nowaskie provided a consult on 2 of my medical education lectures- one regarding sexual minorities and the other on gender minorities in healthcare. He was professional, knowledgeable, shared many insightful thoughts and did this all with lots of kindness. He was wonderful. We are fortunate he is a provider in the field. I am lucky to know him and his advocacy firsthand.”
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