What Services Can You Find from Your Healthcare Provider?
Your healthcare provider should offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to your specific health needs, including reproductive health services, preventive care, acute and chronic disease management, and sexually transmitted disease screening, with coordination to ensure all your health needs are met without duplication. 1
Core Service Categories
Reproductive Health Services
Your provider should assess your reproductive life plan and offer services accordingly 1:
- Contraceptive services if you are sexually active and do not want a child at this time 1
- Pregnancy testing and counseling if you desire pregnancy testing 1
- Services to help achieve pregnancy if you want to have a child now 1
- Basic infertility services if you are experiencing difficulty conceiving 1
Preventive Health Services
Your provider should assess and deliver preventive services based on federal and professional medical recommendations 1:
- Preconception health services including screening for obesity, smoking, and mental health—these services improve health outcomes even if you choose not to become pregnant 1
- Breast and cervical cancer screening for female patients 1
- Other age-appropriate preventive screenings based on your individual risk factors 1
Sexually Transmitted Disease Services
STD services, including HIV/AIDS testing, should be considered at every visit 1. This is particularly important because:
- Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea is essential in reproductive health contexts as these infections contribute to tubal infertility if untreated 1
- Many patients requesting contraceptive services also meet criteria for being at risk of one or more STDs 1
Acute and Chronic Care Management
If your primary reason for visiting is not related to reproductive health, your provider should address 1:
- Acute care needs (e.g., STD symptoms, infections, injuries)
- Chronic disease management for ongoing conditions
- Assessment of reproductive health needs even when this is not your primary reason for visiting 1
How Your Provider Determines What Services You Need
Your provider should use a systematic approach by asking 1:
What is your reason for the visit? Understanding your goals helps address your needs appropriately 1
Do you have another source of primary care? This determines whether your provider needs to assess all preventive services or coordinate with your primary care physician to avoid duplicative services 1
What is your reproductive life plan? Your provider should ask 1:
- Do you have any children now?
- Do you want to have (more) children?
- How many (more) children would you like to have and when?
Important Considerations
Service Coordination
Your provider should confirm that your preventive health needs are met while avoiding delivery of duplicative services if you receive ongoing primary care from another provider 1
Phased Service Delivery
It may not be feasible to deliver all needed services in a single visit 1. Services might need to be delivered over several visits, with your provider tailoring the approach to meet your specific needs 1.
Priority of Services
The delivery of preconception, STD, and related preventive health services should not become a barrier to receiving services related to preventing or achieving pregnancy 1. If you are seeking reproductive health services, these remain the priority, with follow-up visits scheduled for other services as needed 1.
Patient-Centered Approach
Your provider should avoid making assumptions about your needs based on characteristics such as sexual orientation or disabilities 1. The assessment should be individualized to identify unmet reproductive health-care needs 1.
Information and Communication
Meeting your information needs is associated with higher satisfaction with care and better quality of life outcomes 2. Your provider should ensure you understand your options and incorporate your goals into medical decisions 3.