Veronica Miller, PhD¹, Blaine Parrish, MA¹, Shikha Gupta, BSc PGDM¹, and Jeffrey Levi, PhD². (1) School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, George Washington University, 2021 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006, 202-530-2311, vmiller@gwu.edu, (2) Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University, 2021 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006

Issues: Numerous issues challenge HIV/AIDS care and treatment providers, including rapid advances in treatment and the resulting shift to a chronic disease model, high prevalence of co-morbidities with complex diagnosis and treatment modalities, disparities in access to care, and the expansion of the epidemic into areas lacking experienced providers. Description: An expert group including HIV care providers, consumer advocates, government officials, researchers and educators discussed the components of quality care in HIV/AIDS and access to quality care for individuals in low-volume settings. Lessons learned: Access to experienced providers (including the multi-disciplinary system of critical support services) is critical for quality HIV/AIDS care. Models for support systems facilitating access to expertise in low volume settings exist for HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases; these include consulting relationships, short-term trainings and technological aids. The chronic disease model describes a system of care supporting both patient and providers and serves as a framework for structuring HIV care and public care delivery and financing systems. While familiar to high-volume providers, this model is not evident in the low-incidence setting. Recommendations for improving quality of HIV care include replicating existing models of quality care in low-volume settings; defining the role of and the facilitating the use of technological aids; fostering research on quality outcomes in HIV care; standardizing data collection of HIV-relevant parameters across agencies; and addressing the implications of the chronic disease model for public financing of HIV care. These will be discussed in the context of the reauthorization of the CARE Act.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participants will be able to

• Discuss the issues involved in providing quality HIV care
• Identify mechanisms to improve quality of care in the HIV/AIDS setting
• Recognize the implications of providing quality care in a chronic disease model for the reauthorization of the CARE act

Keywords: Quality of Care, HIV/AIDS

Related Web page: www.hivforum.org

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.