'Podnosis': Digital redlining in healthcare and breaking down barriers to care for gender-diverse populations

The importance of gender-affirming care
State legislators introduced at least 306 anti-trans bills over the past two years, NPR reported. Experts agree that the political landscape is fueling a rise in hate speech, and health systems have been directly targeted. (Questex)

Even with the pandemic waning, telehealth is here to stay. But is virtual care the golden ticket to a reimagined health system? Katherine Gergen Barnett, M.D., at Boston Medical Center looked into how telehealth exacerbates health inequities—calling it “digital redlining.” In this episode, Annie Burky talks with Barnett about the future of virtual care and health equity. 

Also this week, Anastassia Gliadkovskaya interviews Jerrica Kirkley, M.D., the co-founder and chief medical officer of Plume. They talk about the impact of anti-trans legislation on healthcare and what providers can do to break down barriers to care for gender-diverse populations.

To learn more about topics in this episode:

"Podnosis" is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Heather Landi and Paige Minemyer. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The interviews are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.