IntroductionWith the current hepatitis C (HCV) epidemic in the Appalachian region and the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection, there is a need for increased secondary prevention efforts. The purpose of this study was to implement routine HIV and HCV screenings in the urgent care setting through the use of an electronic medical record (EMR) to increase a provider’s likelihood of testing eligible patients.MethodsFrom June 2017 through May 2018, EMR-based HIV and HCV screenings were implemented in three emergency department-affiliated urgent care settings: a local urgent care walk-in clinic; a university-based student health services center; and an urgent care setting located within a multi-specialty clinic. EMR best practice alerts (BPA) were developed based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and populated on registered patients who qualified to receive HIV and/or HCV testing. Patients were excluded from the study if they chose to opt out from testing or the provider deemed it clinically inappropriate. Upon notification of a positive HIV and/or HCV test result through the EMR, patient navigators (PNs) were responsible for linking patients to their first medical appointment.ResultsFrom June 2017 through May 2018, 48,531 patients presented to the three urgent care clinics. Out of 27,230 eligible patients, 1,972 patients (7.2%) agreed to be screened for HIV; for HCV, out of 6,509 eligible patients, 1,895 (29.1%) agreed to be screened. Thirty-one patients (1.6%) screened antibody-positive for HCV, with three being ribonucleic acid confirmed positives. No patients in either setting were confirmed positive for HIV; however, two initially screened HIV-positive. PNs were able to link 17 HCV antibody-positive patients (55%) to their first appointment, with the remainder having a scheduled future appointment.ConclusionIntroducing an EMR-based screening program is an effective method to identify and screen eligible patients for HIV and HCV in Appalachian urgent care settings where universal screenings are not routinely implemented.

Background The ongoing Appalachian opioid epidemic has led to increasing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among people who inject drugs (PWID), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreaks have been observed. The primary aim of this study was to assess the potential increase in screening for HIV and HCV in an academic central Appalachian emergency department (ED) through the use of Best Practice Alerts (BPAs) in the electronic medical record (EMR). A secondary aim was to assess for an increase in linkage to care using patient navigators. Methods EMR algorithms based on current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV and HCV testing recommendations were created that triggered Best Practice Alerts (BPAs), giving providers a one-click acceptance option to order HIV and/or HCV testing. Placards were placed in care areas, informing patients of the availability of routine screening. Patient navigators facilitated linkage to care for seropositive patients. Results The BPA appeared 58,936 times on 21,098 patients eligible for HIV screening and 24,319 times on 11,989 patients eligible for HCV screening over a one-year period. Of those, 7106 (33.7%) patients were screened for HIV and 3496 (29.2%) patients were screened for HCV, for an overall testing increase of 2269% and 1065% for HIV and HCV, respectively. Linkage to care increased by 15% for HIV to 100, and 14% for HCV to 64%. Conclusion HIV and HCV screening and linkage to care were increased in an academic ED setting in central Appalachia using EMR alerts. This approach could be utilized in multiple ambulatory settings. Increased testing and earlier linkage to care may help combat the current injection drug use-related HCV epidemic and avoid additional HIV outbreaks.

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends screening baby boomers and high‐risk patients for hepatitis C virus (HCV); however, the incidence of HCV is rapidly increasing among younger populations, and screening is limited by access to care and risk factor assessment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate characteristics of HCV antibody‐positive (Ab+) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)‐confirmed‐positive patients identified via two screening models in an Appalachian emergency department (ED). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who screened HCV Ab+ in the ED from January 1 to October 31, 2018. Data were extracted, and comparative analyses were conducted between the risk‐based and the universal screening models. Results Overall, 444 patients screened HCV Ab+, with a median age of 39 years. From January to May 2018, the risk factor model identified 126 HCV Ab+ patients out of 3,014 screened (4%), whereas from June to October 2018, the universal model identified 318 HCV Ab+ patients out of 5,407 screened (6%; p < 0.001). A consistently large proportion of diagnoses were new (71%). There was no statistically significant decrease between the RNA‐confirmed‐positive patients during the risk factor model (76, 60%) and universal model (186, 58%) time periods (p = 0.72). The models had high rates of reported intravenous drug use, and the universal screening adoption was modest at 33%. Conclusion This study was the first to present characteristics of HCV Ab+ and RNA‐confirmed‐positive patients identified during the transition to a universal screening model in an Appalachian ED. Most diagnoses were new regardless of screening model, but more patients screened HCV Ab+, and a similar proportion were RNA‐confirmed‐positive, under the universal model. Given that adoption of universal screening was modest, and risk factors remained similar, future research should investigate how to more effectively implement a universal screening model on a wider scale to identify early infections.

Background: The ongoing Appalachian opioid epidemic has led to increasing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among people who inject drugs (PWID), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreaks have been observed. The primary objective of this study was to use the electronic medical record (EMR) to increase HIV and HCV testing in a central Appalachian academic emergency department. A secondary objective was to increase linkage to care using patient navigators. Methods: EMR algorithms based on current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV and HCV testing recommendations were created that triggered Best Practice Alerts (BPAs), giving providers a one-click acceptance option to order HIV and/or HCV testing. Placards were placed in care areas, informing patients of the availability of routine screening. Patient navigators facilitated linkage to care for seropositive patients. Results: The BPA appeared 58,936 times on 21,098 patients eligible for HIV screening and 24,319 times on 11,989 patients eligible for HCV screening over a one-year period. Of those, 7,106 (33.7%) patients were screened for HIV and 3,496 (29.2%) patients were screened for HCV, for an overall testing increase of 2,269% and 1,065% for HIV and HCV, respectively. Linkage to care increased by 15% for HIV to 100%, and 14% for HCV to 64%. Conclusion: HIV and HCV screening and linkage to care were increased in an academic ED setting in central Appalachia using EMR alerts. This approach could be utilized in multiple ambulatory settings. Increased testing and earlier linkage to care may help combat the current injection drug use-related HCV epidemic and avoid additional HIV outbreaks