The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #46383

Miranda Murray, PhD¹, Bruce Williams, MD, MPH², Dale Harris, RN, ARNP², and Richard Conviser, PhD³. (1) Center for HIV Quality Care, Infectious Diseases Society of America, 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703.299.1215, miranda_murray@hotmail.com, (2) Division of Infectious Diseases, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, 2211 Lomas Blvd, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, (3) Service Evaluation and Research Branch, Office of Science and Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS Bureau, HRSA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 7C-07, Rockville, MD 20857

The State of New Mexico presents a unique opportunity to examine the quality of HIV care in a fully integrated system of care. Data from the University of New Mexico’s PIC/RW program was abstracted in order to examine the level of adherence with standards of care for HIV in a state that offers the full continuum of services. The purpose of the current study is (1) to determine the overall level of physician adherence with sentinel standards of care and (2) to examine whether patients whose care did not meet certain standards in a given year received the appropriate interventions in the subsequent year. A total of 167, 264, and 223 patients were included for the years 1998, 1999, and 2000, respectively.

Results indicate that more than half the patients received all the appropriate care, based on New Mexico’s QA standards. When examining which interventions were least often prescribed, similar trends across the three years of the study were found, with study participants being least likely to receive appropriate QA standards in the following areas: Hepatitis B serology, Hepatitis B vaccine, Pneumovax vaccine, PPD, RPR, and Hepatitis A. Patients deficient in certain years were equally likely to be deficient in subsequent years.

Overall, this study demonstrates a high rate of adherence with the adoption and dissemination of standards of care throughtout the State. However, results from the study point to the need not only to examine overall levels of adherence, but to simultaneously assess specific parameters of care.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the relationship between physician specialty and experience and adherence with quality of care standards for HIV.
• Explain the process of implementing standards of care for HIV within a statewide, fully integrated system of care.
• Recognize that while providers may achieve an overall high adherence rate with standards of care, deficiencies with certain measures (e.g., women’s health, immunizations, serologic testing) often persist, from one year to the next.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Quality of Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.