Relationship of HIV care engagement to emergency department utilization.

To determine if HIV primary care engagement (PCE) is associated with Emergency Department (ED) utilization, a retrospective cohort study using the South Carolina HIV surveillance data from January 1986 to December 2006 linked to the hospital discharge data-set was used to assess utilization at statewide EDs during January 2007-December 2010. Suboptimal PCE was defined as <2 reports of a CD4 + T-cell count or viral load value to surveillance in each calendar year from January 2007 to December 2010. Multivariable logistic regression explored associations of HIV PCE with ED utilization after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and disease stage. Poisson and negative binominal regression examined PCE, sociodemographic characteristics, and disease stage on the frequency of ED utilization. Suboptimal PCE was associated with increased odds of ED utilization for NIR/NRR (no identified risk/no risk reported; aOR [adjusted odds ratio] = 2.25; CI = 1.69-2.99), self-payers (aOR = 1.81; CI = 1.38-2.39), and those diagnosed with an AIDS-defining illness (ADI; aOR = 1.51; CI = 1.14-2.00), who also had the most median ED visits (six). More ED visits were associated with young age, female (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.16; CI = 1.06-1.27), ADI (IRR = 2.17; CI = 1.93-2.45), Medicaid recipients (IRR = 1.34; CI = 1.21-1.49), indigent/charity recipients (IRR = 1.86; CI = 1.57-2.21), or AIDS > 1 year (IRR = 1.23; CI = 1.13-1.35). Fewer visits to the ED were associated with MSM (males having sex with males IRR = 0.81; CI = 0.72-0.90), NIR/NRR (IRR = 0.86; CI = 0.78-0.95), self-payers (IRR = 0.56; CI = 0.50-0.62), or Medicare recipients (IRR = 0.85; CI = 0.77-0.95). Disease stage and insurance type were differentially associated with primary care and ED utilization. There is a need to evaluate HIV primary care systems to increase access and develop interventions to reduce preventable ED visits.

Time to linkage to care and viro-immunologic parameters of individuals diagnosed before and after the 2006 HIV testing recommendations.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the time from linkage to care and viro-immunologic parameters before and after implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2006 revised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing strategy. METHODS: Case reports from South Carolina's enhanced HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Reporting System were used to compare time to linkage to care and viro-immunologic indicators at diagnosis and 1 year after diagnosis of HIV in individuals diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 (n = 2456) with those diagnosed between 2008 and 2010 (n = 2118). CD4 T-cell count/percent and viral load tests were used as a proxy for a clinical visit and to determine disease stage. RESULTS: Individuals diagnosed between 2008 and 2010 were less likely than those diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 to be in care after 12 months than within 3 months of HIV diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34-0.51). Individuals diagnosed between 2008 and 2010 were more likely than those diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 to have high CD4 T-cell counts (>500 cells per cubic millimeter than ≤200 cells per cubic millimeter; AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01-1.51) and have undetectable viral loads 1 year post-HIV diagnosis (AOR 8.42, 95% CI 6.96-10.18). Although period of diagnosis did not predict disease stage 1 year post-HIV diagnosis (AOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.87-1.13), there was a decrease from 13% between 2004 and 2006 to 10% between 2008 and 2010 in the percentage of HIV-only patients at diagnosis who progressed to AIDS 1 year post-HIV diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of routine, opt-out HIV testing resulted in more timely linkage to care and improved viro-immunologic parameters 1 year postdiagnosis when compared with the previous testing recommendations.

Repeat Western blot testing after receiving an HIV diagnosis and its association with engagement in care.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of and factors associated with potentially unnecessary repeat confirmatory testing after initial HIV diagnosis and the relationship of repeat testing to medical care engagement. DESIGN: South Carolina HIV/AIDS surveillance data for 12,504 individuals who were newly diagnosed with HIV infection between January 1997 and December 2008 were used for this analysis. State law requires that all positive Western blot [WB] results be reported regardless of frequency. METHODS: HIV-infected persons, diagnosed from 1997-2008 and followed through 2009, with repeat positive WB results were compared to those who did not have repeat positive WB results. We defined repeat positive testing as documentation of one or more positive WB obtained ≥90 days following initial WB confirmatory result. HIV care engagement for the period from 2007-2009 was assessed by documentation of CD4+ T-cell/viral load reports to the South Carolina HIV/AIDS surveillance system during each six-month period of a calendar year for those individuals diagnosed prior to the assessment period and still alive at the end. Relative risk [RR] with 95% confidence intervals [CI] and multivariable general linear models were used to assess if any covariates of interest were independently associated with repeat positive confirmatory testing. RESULTS: A total of 4,237 [34%] of 12,504 HIV-infected individuals had results of repeat positive WB testing reported to the surveillance system during 1997-2008. Persons who had repeat positive WB testing were more likely than persons who did not have repeat WB testing to have progressed to AIDS >1 year following diagnosis [RR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.61, 1.80] and to be consistently in care [RR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.47] or have sporadic care [RR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.68, 1.94]. DISCUSSION: Having repeat positive WB tests may be a marker of engaging HIV care. However, given the limited resources available for care, it is important that healthcare reform policy and clinical recommendations promote improvements in communications about previous test results.

Risk factors associated with inpatient hospital utilization in HIV-positive individuals and relationship to HIV care engagement.

BACKGROUND: Prompt linkage to HIV primary care may reduce the need for inpatient hospitalization. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of South Carolina HIV-infected individuals diagnosed from January 1986 to December 2006 who utilized 62 inpatient facilities from (January 2007 to June 2010). Suboptimal primary care engagement was defined as <2 reports of a CD4T-cell count or viral load value to surveillance in each calendar year from January 2007 to June 2010. Multivariable logistic regression explored associations of HIV primary care engagement with inpatient hospitalization after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and disease stage. Poisson and negative binominal regression examined primary care engagement, sociodemographic characteristics, and disease stage on frequency of inpatient hospitalization and total inpatient days. RESULTS: Individuals presenting to the hospital with an AIDS-defining illness had greater risk of suboptimal HIV primary care engagement [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23 to 2.04] more inpatient hospitalizations (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.65 to 1.83) and inpatient days (IRR = 2.17; 95%CI: 2.00 to 2.36). Blacks demonstrated greater suboptimal care risk (aOR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.25), more inpatient visits (IRR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.17), and inpatient days (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.34). Medicare protected against suboptimal primary care engagement (aOR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.95) but was associated with more hospitalizations (IRR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.18). AIDS disease stage was associated with decreased suboptimal care risk (AIDS ≤ 1 year, aOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.12; AIDS > 1 year, aOR = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.20) but more hospitalizations (AIDS ≤1 year, IRR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.21; AIDS > 1 year, IRR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.21) and inpatient days (AIDS ≤ 1 year, IRR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.37; AIDS >1 year, IRR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.50). CONCLUSIONS: Disease stage, race, and insurance status strongly influence HIV primary care engagement and inpatient hospitalization. Admissions may be related to general medical conditions, substance abuse, or antiretroviral therapy.

HIV testing in women: missed opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate opportunities for early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of women. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study design linked case reports from HIV surveillance to several statewide health-care databases. Medical encounters occurring before the first positive HIV test (missed opportunities) were categorized by diagnosis/procedure codes to distinguish visits that were likely to have prompted an HIV test. Women were categorized as late testers (AIDS diagnosis <12 months from first HIV test date), non-late testers (no AIDS diagnosis during study period or diagnosis of AIDS >12 months of HIV diagnosis), of reproductive age (13-44 years old), and not of reproductive age (>44 years old). Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate risk and its statistical significance. RESULTS: Of 3303 HIV-infected women diagnosed during the study period, 2408 (73%) had missed opportunity visits. Late testers (39%) were more likely to be black than white (aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.12-1.95), be older (>44 years old; aOR 7.85, 95% CI 4.49-13.7), and have >10 missed opportunity visits (aOR 2.17, 95% CI 1.62-2.91). Fifty-four percent of women >44 years old were also late testers. Women >44 years old had lower median initial CD4 counts (p<0.001). The top two procedures were the same for all groups of women but mammography was ranked fourth for women >44 years old and Papanicolau smear was ranked fourth for late testers. CONCLUSIONS: Feasibility and acceptability of routine HIV testing in nontraditional health-care settings, such as mammography and Papanicolau screenings, should be explored to identify late testers and older (not of reproductive age) HIV-infected women.

Predictors of time to enter medical care after a new HIV diagnosis: a statewide population-based study.

Public health benefits of expanded HIV screening will be adequately realized only if an early diagnosis is followed by prompt linkage to care. We characterized rates and factors associated with failure to enter into medical care within three months of HIV diagnosis and assessed the predictors of time to enter care over a follow-up period of up to 60 months. The study cohort included 3697 South Carolina (SC) residents' ≥13 years who were newly HIV-diagnosed in 2004-2008. Date of first laboratory report of CD4(+) T-cell count or viral load (VL) test after 30 days of confirmatory HIV diagnosis was used to define time to linkage to care. Results showed that of the total 3697 persons, 1768 (48%) entered care within three months, 1115 (30%) in four-12 months after diagnosis, and 814 (22%) failed to initiate care within 12 months of HIV diagnosis. At the end of study follow-up period of up to 60 months from the date of HIV diagnosis, 472/3697 (13%) individuals remained out of care. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that compared with hospitals, time to enter care was shorter in those diagnosed at state mental health/correctional facilities (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.34) and longer in those diagnosed at county health departments (aHR 0.87; 95% CI 0.80-0.96) and at "Other/unknown" facilities (aHR 0.79; 95% CI 0.70-0.89). Time to entry into care was longer for men (aHR 0.82; 95% CI 0.75-0.89) compared with women, blacks (aHR 0.91; 95% CI 0.83-0.98) compared with whites, and males who have sex with males (MSM) (aHR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.98) compared with heterosexual exposure. Delayed entry into HIV care remains a challenge in controlling HIV transmission in SC. Better integration of testing and care facilities could improve the proportion of newly HIV-diagnosed persons who enter care in a timely manner.

Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors of HIV infection and association with survival among individuals 50 years or older.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of socio-behavioral characteristics and viro-immunological status with survival in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals by age in South Carolina (SC). METHODS: Logistic regression was used to compare the characteristics of individuals' ≥50 years old to individuals 20-49 years old at HIV diagnosis who were reported to SC enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) from January 1998 to December 2009. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to examine the time to death after HIV diagnosis over the study period. RESULTS: Of the 7531 participants, 1204 (16%) were ≥50 years old. Multivariable analyses suggested that individuals ≥50 years old were more likely to have simultaneous AIDS (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.54-2.10). For individuals ≥50 years old, the risk of death was more than three times when compared to the younger age group (HR: 3.46, 95% CI 2.27, 5.30). CONCLUSION: Routine HIV screening may decrease late-stage diagnosis and improved linkage to care may decrease mortality in older adults.

Missed opportunities for early HIV diagnosis in correctional facilities.

To quantify the extent that South Carolina HIV/AIDS cases could have been diagnosed during a prior arrest we designed a retrospective population-based cohort study linking case reports from HIV/AIDS Reporting System (HARS) and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division database. Data from individuals newly diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2005 were linked with statewide arrest records from April 1991 through November 2005. Criminal history data for this report were derived from 28 state prisons and more than 250 law enforcement agencies (jails, lockups, detention centers). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine how demographic variables and arrest reasons affects receipt of HIV testing. There were 1961/4036 (48.6%) incident cases of HIV diagnosis that had at least one arrest prior to their first positive HIV test. When restricted to 1286/1961 (65.6%) individuals most likely to have been HIV-infected at the time of arrest, 592 (46%) were early testers (no AIDS within 1 year) and 694 (54%) developed AIDS more than 1 year of testing (late testers). After controlling for gender, age, race, behavioral risk and source of HIV report, the odds of being a late tester increased with age (p < 0.001). Overall, 3750 separate arrests were recorded for these 1286 individuals and 491 (13%) arrests were for drug and alcohol or sex crimes. Individuals with 4 or more arrests were more likely to be late testers when compared to those with fewer than 4 arrests (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.30; 95% confidence [CI] 2.28, 4.72). Correctional facilities present considerable opportunities to identify individuals with undiagnosed HIV infection. Providing correctional facilities with the infrastructure for implementation of routine HIV testing would consequently have a significant impact on the health status of the entire community.

Risk-based HIV testing in South Carolina health care settings failed to identify the majority of infected individuals.

To provide evidence of large numbers of missed opportunities for early HIV diagnosis we designed a retrospective cohort study linking surveillance data from the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Reporting System to a statewide all payer health care database. We determined visits and diagnoses occurring before the date of the first positive HIV test and medical encounters were categorized to distinguish visits that were likely versus unlikely to have prompted an HIV test. Of the 4117 HIV-positive individuals newly diagnosed between 2001 and 2005, 3021 (73.4%) visited a South Carolina health care facility one or more times prior to testing HIV positive. Of these 3021, 1311 (43.4%) were late testers, and 1425 (47.2%) were early testers. Females were less likely than males to be late testers (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.68), blacks were more likely than whites to be late testers (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.10-1.71), and persons 50 years of age and older more likely to be late testers (OR 7.16, 95% CI 3.84-13.37). A total of 78.8% of the 13,448 health care visits for both late and early testers were for health care diagnoses unlikely to prompt an HIV test. These findings underscore the need for more routine HIV testing of adults and adolescents visiting health care facilities in order to facilitate early diagnosis.