Transgender and Nontrans Patients Do Not Receive Statistically Different Quality Primary Care at Whitman-Walker Health, 2008–2016

Purpose: Washington, DC, has the highest prevalence of transgender persons in the United States at 2.8%. Transgender persons in DC have lower income, less stable housing, and more HIV infection than nontrans persons. Data are scarce regarding primary care quality among trans persons. We provide a detailed analysis of transgender patients at Whitman-Walker Health, an HIV- and LGBT-focused community health center. Methods: We performed a retrospective electronic medical record review of transgender patients ≥18 years of age from 2008 to 2016, evaluating demographic factors, HIV status, gender-affirming care, and primary care quality indicators. Results: Of 20,097 patients, 1822 (9.0%) self-identify as transgender (62.9% trans female and 37.2% trans male), and 18,275 were nontransgender. Transgender patients are more likely to be young, white, HIV negative, and reside outside Washington, DC, than nontrans patients. Transgender patients are more likely to engage in primary care and have a similar likelihood of mammogram and colonoscopy screening than nontrans patients. Trans males are more likely to be privately insured, have lower rates of HIV testing than nontrans patients, and have higher rates of cervical Pap smears than cis females. Trans females have a high prevalence of HIV infection (26.6%). Conclusion: This is the largest single-center U.S. transgender cohort to date. Over a quarter of trans females are HIV positive, consistent with a national prevalence of 27.7%. Transgender and nontrans patients do not receive statistically different quality of primary care. Trans patients' high engagement in primary care may result from providing hormone therapy and primary care within a single provider visit.