Closing the Dissemination Gap: Accessible Toolkits for the Rapid Replication of Evidence-Informed Interventions to Improve Health Outcomes Among People with HIV.

Despite advances in HIV care and treatment in the U.S., disparities in outcomes along the HIV care continuum persist.

The health equity implications of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

Objective: Investigate the role of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) - which funds services for vulnerable and historically disadvantaged populations with HIV - in reducing health inequities among people with HIV over a 10-year horizon.

Design: We use an agent-based microsimulation model to incorporate the complexity of the program and long-time horizon.

Methods: We use a composite measure (the Theil index) to evaluate the health equity implications of the RWHAP for each of four subgroups (based on race and ethnicity, age, gender, and HIV transmission category) and two outcomes (probability of being in care and treatment and probability of being virally suppressed).

A Peer-to-Peer Collaborative Learning Approach for the Implementation of Evidence-Informed Interventions to Improve HIV-Related Health Outcomes.

The nationwide scale-up of evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions has been widely recognized as a crucial step in ending the HIV epidemic. Although the successful delivery of interventions may involve intensive expert training, technical assistance (TA), and dedicated funding, most organizations attempt to replicate interventions without access to focused expert guidance. Thus, there is a grave need for initiatives that meaningfully address HIV health disparities while addressing these inherent limitations.

Assessing Health Care Utilization and Spending Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries With and Without HIV.

Improvements in treatment have made HIV a manageable chronic condition, leading to increased life expectancy and a growing share of people with HIV who are older. Older people with HIV have higher rates of many chronic conditions, yet little is known about differences in health care utilization and spending. This study compared health care utilization and spending for Medicare beneficiaries with and without HIV, accounting for differential mortality.

Coordinating Care for People With HIV Who Have Lower Incomes and Alternative Sources of Health Care Coverage.

As people with HIV increasingly access affordable health care coverage-enabling them to obtain medical care from private providers-understanding how they use the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), and their unmet health care needs, can enhance their overall care. We analyzed RWHAP client-level data and interviewed staff and clients at 29 provider organizations to identify trends in health care coverage and service use for clients who received medical care from private providers. The RWHAP helps cover the cost of premiums and copays for these clients and provides medical and support services that help them stay engaged in care and virally suppressed.

Interventions for Integrating Behavioral Health Services Into HIV Clinical Care: A Narrative Review.

The integration of behavioral health services within human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care settings holds promise for improving substance use, mental health, and HIV-related health outcomes for people with HIV. As part of an initiative funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau, we conducted a narrative review of interventions focused on behavioral health integration (BHI) in HIV care in the United States (US). Our literature search yielded 19 intervention studies published between 2010 and 2021.

HIV Care Continuum Interventions for Transgender Women: A Topical Review.

Transgender women experience a disproportionate prevalence of HIV and barriers to linkage to care, retention in care, medication adherence, and viral suppression. As part of a national cooperative agreement funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau, we searched the literature from January 1, 2010, through June 1, 2020, for English-language articles on interventions designed to improve at least 1 HIV care continuum outcome or address 1 barrier to achieving HIV care continuum outcomes among transgender women diagnosed with HIV in the United States. To be included, articles needed to identify transgender women as a priority population for the intervention.

HIV care continuum interventions for Black men who have sex with men in the USA.

Disparities persist along the HIV care continuum among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the USA. As part of an initiative funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau (US Department of Health and Human Services), we searched for recently published interventions focused on improving HIV care continuum outcomes among Black MSM with HIV in the USA. Our search identified 14 interventions, all of which were associated with at least one statistically significant outcome.

Interventions for addressing trauma among people with HIV: a narrative review.

Traumatic experiences are disproportionately prevalent among people with HIV and adversely affect HIV-related health outcomes. As part of a national cooperative agreement funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau, we searched the literature for interventions designed to address trauma among people with HIV in the U.S.

Implementation Science Protocol: evaluating evidence-informed interventions to improve care for people with HIV seen in Ryan White HIV/AIDS program settings.

In 2017, the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau funded an Evaluation Center (EC) and a Coordinating Center for Technical Assistance (CCTA) to oversee the rapid implementation of 11 evidence-informed interventions at 26 HIV care and treatment providers across the U.S. This initiative aims to address persistent gaps in HIV-related health outcomes emerging from social determinants of health that negatively impact access to and retention in care.

Implementation science and the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program's work towards ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Demetrios Psihopaidas and co-authors discuss the implementation science framework of an HIV/AIDS program in the United States.

Assessing the health status and mortality of older people over 65 with HIV.

Background: Nearly half of people with HIV in the United States are 50 years or older, and this proportion is growing. Between 2012 and 2016, the largest percent increase in the prevalence rate of HIV was among people aged 65 and older, the eligibility age for Medicare coverage for individuals without a disability or other qualifying condition. Previous work suggests that older people with HIV may have higher rates of chronic conditions and develop them more rapidly than older people who do not have HIV.

Development of a Mathematical Model to Estimate the Cost-Effectiveness of HRSA's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

Background: The Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides services to more than half of all people diagnosed with HIV in the United States. We present and validate a mathematical model that can be used to estimate the long-term public health and cost impact of the federal program.

Methods: We developed a stochastic, agent-based model that reflects the current HIV epidemic in the United States.

Cost-Effectiveness of HRSA's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program?

Background: With an annual budget of more than $2 billion, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) is the third largest source of public funding for HIV care and treatment in the United States, yet little analysis has been done to quantify the long-term public health and economic impacts of the federal program.

Methods: Using an agent-based, stochastic model, we estimated health care costs and outcomes over a 50-year period in the presence of the RWHAP relative to those expected to prevail if the comprehensive and integrated system of medical and support services funded by the RWHAP were not available. We made a conservative assumption that, in the absence of the RWHAP, only uninsured clients would lose access to these medical and support services.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program's Response to the Opioid Epidemic.

Background: The United States is in the midst of an unprecedented opioid crisis with increasing injection drug use (IDU)-related human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreaks, particularly in rural areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)'s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) is well positioned to integrate treatment for IDU-associated HIV infections with treatment for drug use disorders. These activities will be crucial for the "Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America" (EHE) initiative, in which 7 southern states were identified with rural HIV epidemics.

A mathematical model to estimate the state-specific impact of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

Background: Access to and engagement in high-quality HIV medical care and treatment is essential for ending the HIV epidemic. The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) plays a critical role in ensuring that people living with diagnosed HIV (PLWH) are linked to and consistently engaged in high quality care and receive HIV medication in a timely manner. State variation in HIV prevalence, the proportion of PLWH served by the RWHAP, and local health care environments could influence the state-specific impact of the RWHAP.

HIV-related outcome disparities between transgender women living with HIV and cisgender people living with HIV served by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: A retrospective study.

Background: In the United States, approximately one-fifth of transgender women are living with HIV-nearly one-half of Black/African American (Black) transgender women are living with HIV. Limited data are available on HIV-related clinical indicators among transgender women. This is because of a lack of robust transgender data collection and research, especially within demographic subgroups.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis for preventing acquisition of HIV: A cross-sectional study of patients, prescribers, uptake, and spending in the United States, 2015-2016.

Background: In 2015, there were approximately 40,000 new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy that reduces the risk of HIV acquisition; however, uptake among those who can benefit from it has lagged. In this study, we 1) compared the characteristics of patients who were prescribed PrEP with individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection, 2) identified the specialties of practitioners prescribing PrEP, 3) identified metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the US where there is relatively low uptake of PrEP, and 4) reported median amounts paid by patients and third-party payors for PrEP.

The Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in rural areas of the United States: Geographic distribution, provider characteristics, and clinical outcomes.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) residing in rural areas experience substantial barriers to HIV care, which may contribute to poor HIV health outcomes, including retention in HIV care and viral suppression. The Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (HRSA RWHAP) is an important source of HIV medical care and support services in rural areas. The purpose of this analysis was to (1) assess the reach of the RWHAP in rural areas of the United States, (2) compare the characteristics and funded services of RWHAP provider organizations in rural and non-rural areas, and (3) compare the characteristics and clinical outcomes of RWHAP clients accessing medical care and support services in rural and non-rural areas.

HIV viral suppression among persons with varying levels of engagement in HIV medical care, 19 US jurisdictions.

Background: Ongoing HIV medical care is vital in achieving and maintaining viral suppression. We examined viral suppression applying retention in care definitions used by various federal agencies.

Methods: Using National HIV Surveillance System data from 19 US jurisdictions with complete CD4 and viral load reporting, we determined viral suppression among persons who met the National HIV/AIDS Strategy retention in care definition (≥2 visits ≥3 months apart; "retained in continuous care") and among those who had evidence of care but did not meet the definition ("engaged in care").

Progress along the continuum of HIV care among blacks with diagnosed HIV- United States, 2010.

The goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy are to reduce new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, increase access to care and improve health outcomes for persons living with HIV, and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Recently, by executive order, the HIV Care Continuum Initiative was established, focusing on accelerating federal efforts to increase HIV testing, care, and treatment. Blacks are the racial group most affected, comprising 44% of new infections and also 44% of all persons living with HIV infection.