The Partnerships for Care Project in Massachusetts: Developing Partnerships and Data Systems to Increase Linkage and Engagement in Care for Individuals Living With HIV.

Background: Before implementation of the Massachusetts Partnerships for Care (MA P4C) project, Massachusetts did not routinely provide HIV partner services to newly diagnosed individuals. Identification of individuals disengaged from HIV care and assistance for re-engagement relied on community- and clinic-based HIV medical case management services. Processes to identify individuals out of HIV care used either surveillance or clinic data, but did not combine both.

Methods: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health collaborated with 6 community health centers to implement HIV partner services and out-of-care re-engagement services. Implementation of these services required development of both health department and community health center capacity. Capacity development strategies included the following: development and implementation of operational protocols, establishment of communication strategies and processes, training and education for health department and health center staff, and enhancement of disease surveillance systems.

Results: Development of operational protocols supported implementation of public health services and collaboration with health centers. Health department-facilitated meetings, training, and technical assistance enhanced communication with health centers and promoted buy-in for collaboration. A strategy for combining clinic and surveillance data to identify individuals out of HIV care was implemented. Surveillance data system enhancements improved efficiency of out-of-care identification, assignment of cases for public health follow-up, and provided quality improvement tools.

Conclusions: Collaboration between health departments and community health centers to identify and support patient engagement in HIV medical care is feasible and supports improved continuity of care. Use of surveillance and clinic data to identify out-of-care patients promotes efficiency in Data to Care activities.