Pediatricians Applaud Federal Actions That Expose Troubling Billing Practices for Pediatric Sex-Rejecting Interventions and Bring Recognition to Detransitioners in Medical Coding

For Immediate Release:
August 17, 2026

For More Information Contact:
connect@acpeds.org

Atlanta, GA — Last week. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of “Gender Medicine,” a commissioned report examining insurance coding practices, financial incentives, and sex-rejecting procedures performed on minors. Vice President JD Vance, as Chairman of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have referred hospitals and clinics identified in the report to the Department of Justice and HHS Office of Inspector General, respectively, for investigation of possible violations of federal law.

At the same time, another important change is taking place within the federal medical coding system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center for Health Statistics has accepted a new ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for patients who previously struggled with sex-identity distress but who have desisted and now seek affordable access to restorative care. It will be implemented beginning October 1, 2026.

The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) applauded these federal actions that expose troubling billing practices for pediatric sex-rejecting interventions and bring recognition to detransitioners in medical coding.

Dr. Michelle Cretella, a pediatrician, and Co-Chair of the ACPeds Adolescent Health Council released the following statement:

“ACPeds welcomes these two significant federal developments bringing greater transparency and accountability to the practice of sex-rejecting interventions. For years, children experiencing distress about their sex were pushed toward puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries while the medical system failed to adequately track those who later changed course. Medical records should accurately reflect patients who seek care after sex-rejecting interventions.”

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, ACPeds Past President added:

“The medical profession cannot claim to practice evidence-based medicine if the data itself is distorted or incomplete. If procedures are being billed under diagnoses that do not accurately describe why they were performed, that demands investigation. And if patients who recover from sex-identity distress or regret previous interventions are invisible in the coding system, we cannot accurately measure outcomes. The College urges continued federal oversight, rigorous enforcement of accurate medical coding requirements, and the development of appropriate medical pathways for individuals suffering complications or seeking restorative care following sex-rejecting interventions.”

For more information produced by ACPeds, please visit BiologicalIntegrity.org, a reliable medical resource on the topic of gender dysphoria for parents, teens, physicians, schools, and policymakers.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Cretella or Dr. Van Meter, please email connect@acpeds.org.

###

About the American College of Pediatricians

The American College of Pediatricians is a national organization of pediatricians and other healthcare professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children.

For more information, please visit acpeds.org.