ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The HIV treatment cascade is a tool for characterizing population-level gaps in HIV care, yet most adaptations of the cascade rely on surveillance data that are ill-suited to drive quality improvement (QI) activities at the facility level. We describe the adaptation of the cascade in health care organizations and report its use by HIV medical providers in New York State (NYS). METHODS: As part of data submissions to the NYS Department of Health, sites that provide HIV medical care in NYS developed cascades using facility-generated data. Required elements included data addressing identification of people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving any service at the facility, linkage to HIV medical care, prescription of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and viral suppression (VS). Sites also submitted a methodology report summarizing how cascade data were collected and an improvement plan identifying care gaps. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-two sites submitted cascades documenting the quality of care delivered to HIV patients presenting for HIV- or non-HIV-related services during 2016. Of 101 341 PLWH presenting for any medical care, 75 106 were reported as active in HIV programs, whereas 21 509 had no known care status. Sites reported mean ART prescription and VS rates of 94% and 80%, respectively, and 60 distinct QI interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Submission of facility-level cascades provides data on care utilization among PLWH that cannot be assessed through traditional HIV surveillance efforts. Moreover, the facility-level cascade represents an effective tool for identifying care gaps, focusing data-driven improvement efforts, and engaging frontline health care providers to achieve epidemic control.
ABSTRACT
Ensuring comprehensive quality HIV and primary care is critical for effective HIV management. This study evaluates the impact of long-term engagement in a quality management (QM) initiative on performance measures. HIVQUAL-US is a federally-funded program to build clinic QM capacity to improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Forty-five facilities with four or more years of HIVQUAL-US performance measurement between 2002 and 2009 were included. Composite quality scores were constructed for HIV care, primary care and overall quality. Unadjusted analyses showed significant improvements in HIV care (76.2% to 88.8%, p<.0001), primary care (65.7% to 71.4%, p<.05) and overall (70.6% to 79.6%, p<.0001). Improvement was higher among clinics performing in the lowest quartile. Adjusting for clinic factors, the probability of improvement increased with each additional year of data submission for all scores. Engagement in a QM capacity building program was associated with continuing improvement in quality of HIV and primary care.
