Electronic health records systems are embedding gender ideology into their platforms and restricting parental access to children’s records, potentially enabling activists to hide gender transitions, according to a new watchdog report.
Epic Systems and Oracle, the two largest players in electronic health records market, design their systems to include preferred pronouns, gender identity, and sex “assigned” at birth, according to a new report from Do No Harm, a right-leaning medical watchdog.
Epic controls 41 percent of the U.S. hospital electronic health records market and Oracle controls 22 percent. The companies are putting limits on “proxy” access to records that go beyond standard legal barriers, possibly opening the door for medical activists to facilitate gender transitions without parental consent, Do No Harm’s report warns.
“There is a heavy responsibility linked to medical decision making, one that children are not equipped to bear alone—nor should they,” said Do No Harm medical director Dr. Kurt Miceli.
“Our report calls out the policies, systems, and proxy configurations that put children directly in harm’s way by removing parental protection. The Privacy Law does not permit, nor is it intended to remove lawful parental access during their child’s developmental years.”
Epic’s records system embeds gender ideology through its sexual orientation and gender identity smartform, which categorizes a user’s gender identity and sexuality. The form also asks about “affirmation steps” and whether the patient plans on taking more of those steps in the future. The form enables Epic to provide an “inclusive” healthcare experience and respond to the “challenge to documenting” patients’s gender, sex, and healthcare needs.
Do No Harm’s report also notes Epic’s MyChart feature allowing institutions to provide proxy access to a user’s account. Epic allows each organization to determine when proxy access should be changed, potentially empowering activists to limit parental access to their child’s health records.
“Each healthcare organization configures Epic’s software to align with its specific needs, including compliance with state and local laws. This includes settings for proxy access and documentation in children’s medical records. These decisions are determined by each organization, not by Epic,” an Epic spokesperson said in a statement.
Do No Harm similarly accuses Oracle of using its electronic records system to promote gender ideology and restrict parental access to records. The company has an article on its website articulating the need for “inclusive” electronic healthcare systems that promote gender ideology in their options for names and pronouns. Oracle’s article advocates for using the language of “chosen name” and adding dropdown menu options for gender identity and “sex assigned at birth” to its system.
Oracle uses 13 as the default protection age for its medical records and allows hospitals to set the age to their own standard if they wish. This could enable minors to be influenced by gender ideology without their parents knowing about it, Do No Harm’s report argues.
NR has reached out to Oracle for comment.
Do No Harm makes note of the proxy restrictions other electronic health records systems have installed for children who reach a certain age. In most cases the age is set to either 12 or 13 years old. Those health systems are located in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington state.
“The Epic-Oracle duopoly provides the framework for activist physicians to funnel minors into the gender cult without parental knowledge or consent,” said Michelle Havrilla, a nurse practitioner and director of programs at Do No Harm.
“From doctors asking kids about their sexuality to parents being blocked from their child’s medical decisions, transgender politics are increasingly pushed on children—and EHR companies design the systems that enable and sometimes encourage this.”
Do No Harm is calling for federal and state governments to take action to ensure healthcare organizations and providers cannot withhold electronic records from parents beyond the boundaries of state law.
“The proxy access default should not be to limit parental access beyond what is already restricted by state law. Even more concerning is that confidentiality regulations are being used to hide aspects of pediatric medical transition, such as social transitioning and preferred pronouns of the child, as well as medications, from parents and guardians,” the report reads.
Restrictions on access to medical records typically apply to healthcare that children can consent to, including mental healthcare and STI testing. Transgender operations on minors such as irreversible hormonal interventions and surgical procedures are difficult for minors to fully consent to, as shown by the growing number of formerly transgender people who have detransitioned.
Last year, Do No Harm released a database showing nearly 14,000 minors underwent sex change operations over the past several years, one of the first comprehensive data projects on child gender transitions. The database helped expose the most prolific children’s hospitals in the business of promoting and facilitating minor gender transitions. Some of medical facilities have closed their transgender youth centers this year due to pressure from the Trump administration and red state bans on minor gender transitions.