Access to quality medical care for HIV positive women receiving supportive and case management services in New York City

Background: Increasingly, low-income women are contracting HIV. While improvements in treatment have increased the quality and longevity of life, many women face barriers to quality medical care. As part of a large-scale evaluation study of supportive services for HIV-positive women in NYC, we considered access to quality medical care in relation to supportive and case management service programs. Methods: This study interviewed 60 HIV-positive women who received supportive and case management services at NYC AIDS service organizations based on either medical or non-medical models. AudioCASI software on laptops facilitated data collection for the cross-sectional interviews. Access to quality medical care was measured by self-reported questions on affordability of care, access to medical specialists, access to medical personnel, consistency of medical personnel, waiting time and coordination of care between case managers and healthcare professionals. Results: No significant difference was found between clients' access to medical care by service delivery model with the exception of access to medical specialists. Those clients who access supportive and case management services at medically linked institutions perceive lower access to specialists than those clients accessing services at non-medically linked institutions (p= .05). Conclusion: Overall, HIV-positive women in New York City report satisfaction in quality of care, which is counter to findings in current literature. The results of our study suggest that both models of support services have been effective in helping HIV-positive women access quality medical care. Further coordination between case managers and medical providers can extend access to quality care that clients are currently experiencing.