Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS)
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Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS)
Years Survey Included Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM)-related Questions
2017
Survey Description
The Health Center Program, administered by BPHC, supports the provision of community-based preventive and primary health care services through Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act for health centers and community organizations. The survey examines how well HRSA-supported sites meet health care needs of the medically underserved and assessed how patients perceive the quality of their care. The survey is conducted in five languages and results from the HCPS help BPHC achieve its mission to improve the health of underserved communities throughout the nation.
SGM-related questions are reported in Tables 3A and 3B.
Survey Sample Population
The sample population for this survey is all health center patients, ages 15 and older. Participants in the HCPS are derived from vulnerable populations in the U.S. such as the poor, homeless, public housing residents, migrant and seasonal farm workers, at-risk women, minorities, persons with HIV/AIDS, uninsured and underinsured, and non-English speakers. What makes the Health Center Patient Survey unique is its focus on comprehensive patient-level data that is designed to provide a nation-wide view of patients served by grantees under the Health Center Program. Participants are identified during their visit to a Health Center Program site, and those who identified themselves as Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander are oversampled to capture a more comprehensive picture of patient experiences.
Survey Mode
The mode that is used for this survey is a computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) software. From October 2014 through April 2015 the Health Center Patient Survey was conducted in three stages:
- Recruited 169 grantee participants
- Contacted 520 health care sites operating within the participating grantees
- Completed 7,002 computer-assisted personal patient interviews with individuals representing 42 states
To participate, patients had to have visited a program site at least once in the previous 12 months. Data for the survey was collected from October 2014 through April 2015. 68 percent of the interviews were conducted in English, 28 percent in Spanish, 3 percent in Chinese, and less than one percent were conducted in Vietnamese. No interviews were conducted in Korean.
SGM-Related Survey Questions
Sexual Identity
Health centers are encouraged to collect demographic data for every patient, but collecting sexual orientation data from patients less than 18 years of age is not mandated. In the event that sexual orientation information is not available, the patient is to be reported on Table 3B as “don’t know” on Line 17. The following descriptions may assist with data collection, but it is important to note that terminology is evolving and patients may change how they identify themselves over time.
Line 13 – Lesbian or Gay: A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of their own gender.
Line 14 – Straight (not lesbian or gay): A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of the opposite gender.
Line 15 – Bisexual: A sexual orientation that describes a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of their own gender and people of other genders.
Line 16 – Something else: A person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to people of another sexual orientation other than the three categories described above. In addition, in this category persons who identify themselves as queer, asexual, or pansexual.
Line 17 – Don’t know: A person who self-reports that they do not know what their sexual orientation is. Also use this category to report patients where the health center does not know the patient’s sexual orientation (i.e., health center did not have systems in place to routinely ask about sexual orientation).
Line 18 – Chose not to disclose: A person who chose not to disclose their sexual orientation.
Question History: This is the only version of the question that has been used.
Sexual Attraction
There are currently no questions asked in this category.
Sexual Behavior
There are currently no questions asked in this category.
Gender Identity
Health centers are to report patients according to their sex at birth. This is normally the sex reported on a birth certificate. In states that permit this to be changed, the birth certificate sex may still be used.
Health centers are encouraged to collect demographic data for every patient, but collecting gender identity data from patients less than 18 years of age is not mandated. In the event that gender identity information is not available, the patient is to be reported on Table 3B as “other” on Line 24. The following descriptions may assist with data collection, but it is important to note that terminology is evolving and patients may change how they identify themselves over time.
Line 20 – Male: A person who identifies themselves as a man/male.
Line 21 – Female: A person who identifies themselves as a woman/female.
Line 22 – Transgender Male/Female-to-Male: A transgender person whose gender identity is man/male may use these terms to describe themselves. Some may just use the term man.
Line 23 – Transgender Female/Male-to-Female: A transgender person whose gender identity is woman/female may use these terms to describe themselves. Some may just use the term woman.
Line 24 – Other: A person who does not think that one of the four categories above adequately describes them. Include in this category persons who identify themselves as genderqueer or non-binary. Also use this category to report patients where the health center does not know the patient’s gender identity (i.e., health center did not have systems in place to routinely ask about gender identity).
Line 25 – Chose not to disclose: A person who chose not to disclose their gender
Question History: This is the only version of the question that has been used.
Household Relationships
There are currently no questions asked in this category.
Response Rates
From October 2014 through April 2015, 7,002 computer-assisted personal patient interviews with individuals representing 42 states were conducted.
Survey Links
Questionnaires
There are no questionnaire links currently available.
Data
There are no data links currently available.
General Information
https://web.archive.org/web/20191012054749/https://www.rti.org/impact/health-center-patient-survey
References
Federal Interagency Working Group on Improving Measurement of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Federal Surveys. Measures of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Federal Surveys. Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology. (2016).
https://nces.ed.gov/FCSM/pdf/current_measures_20160812.pdf
HRSA Health Center Program. Uniform Data System (UDS). 2016 UDS Manual.
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Page Last Modified:
09/06/2023 04:51 PM