CMS Launches Oversight Initiative on Hospitals Performing Sex Reassignment Procedures

On Wednesday, May 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it had sent letters to select hospitals that perform pediatric sex reassignment procedures. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is requesting an “urgent review” of quality standards and procedures.

The letter stated that “the United States Government has serious concerns with medical interventions for gender dysphoria in children….CMS believes that these interventions were initiated with an underdeveloped body of evidence, lack reliable evidence of benefits for minors, and are now known to carry serious risks of long-term and irreparable harm.”

“Hospitals accepting federal funds are expected to meet rigorous quality standards and uphold the highest level of stewardship when it comes to public resources—we will not turn a blind eye to procedures that lack a solid foundation of evidence and may result in lifelong harm,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement.

Hospitals are required to respond within 30 days about their policies and procedures on informed consent protocols for children, changes to clinical practice guidelines and protocols to align with HHS guidance, and adverse events related to procedures.