What is We Ask Because We Care?

"We Ask Because We Care" is an initiative designed to enhance our understanding of our patients' needs. By asking more detailed questions about race, ethnicity, and preferred language, we aim to provide personalized care tailored to each individual. Your responses are confidential and protected by law, stored securely in your medical record. Participation in answering these questions is voluntary. We ask because we care about you and all our patients' well-being. Your answers contribute valuable data that enables us to better serve our diverse patient population. This, in turn, enables us to continually improve the quality of care we provide to each patient.

Patient Registration

We prioritize your privacy and solely use your information to enhance our service to you. If you need to verify or update your information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us through any of the following methods:

At Connecticut Children’s, we are 100% kids meaning we are dedicated to providing the highest level of care tailored specifically for children. Ensuring our patients feel completely comfortable and respected is our top priority. We honor and support each child's chosen identity, addressing them accordingly to create a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

We will ask your child’s legal and preferred name, as well as their legal sex, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and preferred pronouns.

This information is used by your child’s care team to make sure we treat them as they wish to be treated, including calling them by their preferred name and pronoun for both verbal conversation and documentation. We also keep a record of their sex assigned at birth should their legal sex be different now or at any point in the future, so special consideration can be made in regards to health exam questions or possible risks that are associated with a specific sex. Last, we want to ensure things like physical space, clothing, or other parts of their care are offered at their preferred gender identity.

This information is accessible in their medical record. At times, based on other parts of their care, the information may be shared but only when it is part of the necessary information to include for the purpose of their health care. An example could include making a referral to another provider/specialty who would like the most recent note or History & Physical. These notes may contain information about gender identity, preferred names, etc. 

You and/or your child can update this information during any registration. Some of the information is also able to be updated in MyChart. The only time it cannot be changed or updated (such as preferred name or identity) is during an admission and this is for the safety of your child so that all medical records, as well as any pending labs, orders, etc. remain consistent to patient identifiers throughout the admission.

  • Yes, we would ask you to provide us with court documents if your child has changed their legal name.
  • We would ask you provide us with any legal documentation, as well as proof your insurance company has been updated, if their legal sex changes. 
  • Both of the above are requested so we can keep our medical records accurate and complete, as well as avoid any denials of payment from your insurance company should they have a different name or sex on file than us.

Commonly Used Terms and Definitions

Cisgender
Someone whose gender assignment at birth aligns with their current gender identity.

Gender expression
How a person enacts or expresses their gender in everyday life and within the context of their culture and society. Expression of gender through physical appearance may include dress, hairstyle, accessories, cosmetics, hormonal and surgical interventions as well as mannerisms, speech, behavioral patterns, and names. A person’s gender expression may or may not conform to a person’s gender identity.

Gender identity
The internal sense of one's gender, encompassing how an individual perceives themselves as male, female, both, neither, or any other gender identity.

Gender incongruence
A diagnostic term used in the ICD-11 that describes a person’s marked and persistent experience of an incompatibility between that person’s gender identity and the gender expected of them based on their birth-assigned sex. Gender Incongruence may then lead to a state of distress or discomfort called gender dysphoria.

Intersex 
People born with sex or reproductive characteristics that do not fit binary definitions of female or male.

Legal sex
Legal sex refers to the current designation on a person's birth certificate, driver's license, and/or U.S. state identification.

Nonbinary
Those with gender identities outside the gender binary. Examples of nonbinary gender identities are genderqueer, gender diverse, genderfluid, demigender, bigender, and agender.

Pronouns
Pronouns serve as references to individuals in the third person, including common forms like he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, or any other combination. Determining someone's pronouns solely by appearance or voice is not accurate. The most respectful approach is to ask individuals about their preferred pronouns to ensure correct usage.

Sex assigned at birth
A designation assigned to a person at birth determined by medical criteria like hormones, chromosomes, and genitalia.

Sexual orientation
The sexual, emotional, and romantic attraction an individual has for another person.

  • Heterosexual (straight): This term refers to individuals primarily attracted to the opposite gender. It encompasses women mainly attracted to men and men mainly attracted to women.
  • Gay: Individuals who are predominantly attracted to the same gender as themselves fall under this category. This includes men primarily attracted to men and women primarily attracted to women.
  • Lesbian: Specifically, this term describes women who are primarily attracted to other women.
  • Bisexual: Individuals who experience attraction to two or more genders identify as bisexual. This can include attraction to both genders or attraction to one's own gender as well as other genders.

Transgender
Transgender individuals have a gender identity that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Here are some examples:

  • A transgender male is someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male.
  • A transgender female is someone who was assigned male at birth but identifies as female.