Michigan Medicine recently received a score of 100 (out of a possible 100 points) on the Healthcare Equality Index, or HEI, a national LGBTQ+ benchmarking tool developed and maintained by the Human Rights Campaign. The HEI 2022 evaluated health care facilities' policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

As an academic medical center, Michigan Medicine is committed to consistently improving the health care experience for patients that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer. 

“Receiving the highest score possible on the HEI is a testament to the many years of hard work that we dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ health at Michigan Medicine,” said Pedro Coracides, project manager in the Office of Patient Experience. “This serves as a very proud moment in our journey towards becoming a leading institution in serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community as they seek safe and equitable care.”

HEI scores are based on four main categories, including non-discrimination and staff training, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement.

In 2018, the Advisory Committee for the Advancement of LGBTQ+ Health at Michigan Medicine was established to create enduring and affirming spaces for patients, families, students, staff, faculty and visitors of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions at Michigan Medicine.   

Since its inception, the committee has:

• Developed a robust LGBTQ+ inclusive language module;
• Promoted various Human Rights Campaign training options for its faculty and staff;
• Created a patient-facing website focused on LGBTQ+ patient needs;
• Added sexual orientation and gender identity-related questions to its patient satisfaction survey;
• Updated existing patient forms to reflect increased inclusivity; and
• Engaged with the community through various initiatives, including participating and sponsoring recent Ann Arbor Pride events.

“I'm proud of the work done by the Advisory Committee for the Advancement of LGBTQ+ Health at Michigan Medicine and many others to make it a more inclusive place to work, learn and heal,” said David Brown, M.D., associate vice president and associate dean for health equity and inclusion at Michigan Medicine. “This LGBTQ+ work drives our mission, advances our health care equity priorities and aligns with our core values of caring, inclusion, belonging, integrity, teamwork and innovation.”

In addition, the University of Michigan has implemented policies and benefits to support LGBTQ+ faculty and staff, including gender-affirming health care coverage.

“This could not have been possible without all of the hard work and dedication of many individuals throughout the organization,” said Keith Gran, CPA, MBA, chief patient experience officer for Michigan Medicine. “Although we scored 100, this does not mean our work around improving health care for our LGBTQ+ patients is finished. We have many ongoing initiatives throughout the health system to ensure our LGBTQ+ community has the best experience here possible.”

Lastly, University of Michigan Health-West was named a national top performer for LGBTQ+ health care equity, receiving a score of 90 out of 100 possible points in the HEI 2022.  

To learn more about the Human Rights Campaign’s HEI 2022, please visit their website.

For resources for LGBTQ+ families and visitors at Michigan Medicine please visit: LGBTQ+ Health.