Rapid start antiretroviral therapies for improved engagement in HIV care: implementation science evaluation protocol.

BACKGROUND: In 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau funded an initiative to promote implementation of rapid antiretroviral therapy initiation in 14 HIV treatment settings across the U.S. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate uptake of this evidence-based strategy and provide an implementation blueprint for other HIV care settings to reduce the time from HIV diagnosis to entry into care, for re-engagement in care for those out of care, initiation of treatment, and viral suppression. As part of the effort, an evaluation and technical assistance provider (ETAP) was funded to study implementation of the model in the 14 implementation sites. METHOD: The ETAP has used implementation science methods framed by the Dynamic Capabilities Model integrated with the Conceptual Model of Implementation Research to develop a Hybrid Type II, multi-site mixed-methods evaluation, described in this paper. The results of the evaluation will describe strategies associated with uptake, implementation outcomes, and HIV-related health outcomes for patients. DISCUSSION: This approach will allow us to understand in detail the processes that sites to implement and integrate rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy as standard of care as a means of achieving equity in HIV care.

High rates of retention and viral suppression in the US HIV safety net system: HIV care continuum in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, 2011.

BACKGROUND: In the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care continuum, retention in HIV medical care and viral suppression are key goals to improve individual health outcomes and reduce HIV transmission. National data from clinical providers are lacking. METHODS: HIV providers funded by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) annually report demographic, service, and clinical data using encrypted unique client identifiers, and data are processed and de-duplicated to create a single record for each client. We calculated retention and viral suppression for clients who received RWHAP-funded HIV medical care in 2011. We conducted multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with these outcomes. RESULTS: In 2011, an estimated 512 911 HIV-infected clients received at least 1 RWHAP-funded non-AIDS Drug Assistance Program service. Of these, 317 458(61.8%) were seen for at least 1 HIV medical care visit. Of these, 82.2% were retained in HIV medical care, and 72.6% achieved viral suppression. Viral suppression was higher among retained clients (77.7%) vs clients who were not retained (58.3%). The lowest levels of retention and viral suppression were among individuals aged 13-34 years. CONCLUSIONS: The RWHAP provides HIV medical care and support services for more than half a million poor and underinsured individuals living with HIV in the United States. Rates of retention and viral suppression are relatively high compared with other national estimates but demonstrate room for improvement, especially among youth and racial minorities. Additional improvements in retention and viral suppression will contribute to achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and improve individual and public health.

National performance measures within a changing environment: how a federal agency developed and improved the measurement for HIV care and treatment.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must ensure that access to high quality care is provided through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWP). The RWP is committed to improving the quality of care and services to reduce mortality and improve quality of life for people living with HIV. This commitment is evidenced by the comprehensive range of efforts taken by the HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) to address the quality of care, treatment and other services across all programs funded by the RWP. To assure high quality care, HRSA/HAB engages in many quality initiatives, with the development of performance measures as a central core of its overall activities. The HRSA/HAB defined a solid foundation for the measures development process, which has been refined over time, facilitating the timely release and use of performance measures by the HIV service provider community.

Psychosocial factors associated with successful transition into HIV case management for those without primary care in an urban area.

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychosocial factors which influence transitioning HIV positive clients without primary medical care to a case management agency within 6 weeks by a city brokerage agency. People living with HIV who reported being in a social support group and those who requested assistance with meeting their basic needs were significantly more likely to attend their first case management appointment within 6 weeks (adjusted OR 1.91 95% CI 1.22-2.97 and OR 1.24 95% CI 1.01-1.54, respectively). Individuals requesting medical care or substance abuse treatment were less likely to accomplish transitioning (adjusted OR 0.75 95% CI 0.59-0.95 and adjusted OR 0.70 95% CI 0.53-0.91, respectively). The implications of this study for improving the effectiveness of brokering case management for those with HIV are discussed.