A Cost Reimbursement Model for Hepatitis C Treatment Care Coordination.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost of delivering a hepatitis C virus care coordination program at 2 New York City health care provider organizations and describe a potential payment model for these currently nonreimbursed services. DESIGN: An economic evaluation of a hepatitis C care coordination program was conducted using micro-costing methods compared with macro-costing methods. A potential payment model was calculated for 3 phases: enrollment to treatment initiation, treatment initiation to treatment completion, and a bonus payment for laboratory evidence of successful treatment outcome (sustained viral response). SETTING: Two New York City health care provider organizations. PARTICIPANTS: Care coordinators and peer educators delivering care coordination services were interviewed about time spent on service provision. De-identified individual-level data on study participant utilization of services were also used. INTERVENTION: Project INSPIRE is an innovative hepatitis C care coordination program developed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Average cost per participant per episode of care for 2 provider organizations and a proposed payment model. RESULTS: The average cost per participant at 1 provider organization was $787 ($522 nonoverhead cost, $264 overhead) per episode of care (5.6 months) and $656 ($429 nonoverhead cost, $227 overhead, 5.7 months) at the other one. The first organization had a lower macro-costing estimate ($561 vs $787) whereas the other one had a higher macro-costing estimate ($775 vs $656). In the 3-phased payment model, phase 1 reimbursement would vary between the provider organizations from approximately $280 to $400, but reimbursement for both organizations would be approximately $220 for phase 2 and approximately $185 for phase 3. CONCLUSIONS: The cost of this 5.6-month care coordination intervention was less than $800 including overhead or less than $95 per month. A 3-phase payment model is proposed and requires further evaluation for implementation feasibility. Project INSPIRE's HCV care coordination program provides good value for a cost of less than $95 per participant per month. The payment model provides an incentive for successful cure of hepatitis C with a bonus payment; using the bonus payment to support HCV tele-mentoring expands HCV treatment capacity and empowers more primary care providers to treat their own patients with HCV.

Undiagnosed HIV and HCV Infection in a New York City Emergency Department, 2015.

OBJECTIVES: To measure undiagnosed HIV and HCV in a New York City emergency department (ED). METHODS: We conducted a blinded cross-sectional serosurvey with remnant serum from specimens originally drawn for clinical indications in the ED. Serum was deduplicated and matched to (1) the hospital's electronic medical record and (2) the New York City HIV and HCV surveillance registries for evidence of previous diagnosis before being deidentified and tested for HIV and HCV. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HIV was 5.0% (250/4990; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.4%, 5.7%); the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV was 0.2% (12/4990; 95% CI = 0.1%, 0.4%); and the proportion of undiagnosed HIV was 4.8% (12/250; 95% CI = 2.5%, 8.2%). The overall prevalence of HCV (HCV RNA ≥ 15 international units per milliliter) was 3.9% (196/4989; 95% CI = 2.8%, 5.1%); the prevalence of undiagnosed HCV was 0.8% (38/4989; 95% CI = 0.3%, 1.3%); and the proportion of undiagnosed HCV was 19.2% (38/196; 95% CI = 11.4%, 27.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Undiagnosed HCV was more prevalent than undiagnosed HIV in this population, suggesting that aggressive testing initiatives similar to those directed toward HIV should be mounted to improve HCV diagnosis.

Check Hep C: A Community-Based Approach to Hepatitis C Diagnosis and Linkage to Care in High-Risk Populations.

CONTEXT: In New York City (NYC), an estimated 146 500 people, or 2.4% of the adult population, have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and half may be unaware of their infection. Despite a 2014 state law requiring health care providers to screen for HCV infection in primary care settings, many high-risk HCV-positive persons are not, and a large proportion of those screened do not receive RNA testing to confirm infection, or antiviral therapies. OBJECTIVE: The NYC Department of Health's Check Hep C program was designed to increase hepatitis C diagnosis and improve linkage to care at community-based organizations. DESIGN: Coordinated, evidence-based practices were implemented at 12 sites, including HCV antibody testing, immediate blood draw for RNA testing, and patient navigation to clinical services. RESULTS: From May 2012 through April 2013, a total of 4751 individuals were tested for HCV infection and 880 (19%) were antibody-positive. Of antibody-positive participants, 678 (77%) had an RNA test, and of those, 512 (76%) had current infection. Of all participants, 1901 were born between 1945 and 1965, and of those, 201 (11%) were RNA-positive. Ever having injected drugs was the strongest risk factor for HCV infection (40% vs 3%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 19.1), followed by a history of incarceration (18% vs 4%; AOR = 2.2). Of the participants with current infection, 85% attended at least 1 follow-up hepatitis C medical appointment. Fourteen patients initiated hepatitis C treatment at a Check Hep C site and 6 initiators achieved cure. CONCLUSION: The community-based model successfully identified persons with HCV infection and linked a large proportion to care. The small number of patients initiating hepatitis C treatment in the program identified the need for patient navigation in high-risk populations. Results can be used to inform screening and linkage-to-care strategies and to support the execution of hepatitis C screening recommendations.

Development and Validation of Surveillance-Based Algorithms to Estimate Hepatitis C Treatment and Cure in New York City.

CONTEXT: Treatment options for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) have improved in recent years. The burden of HCV in New York City (NYC) is high. Measuring treatment and cure among NYC residents with HCV infection will allow the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to appropriately plan interventions, allocate resources, and identify disparities to combat the hepatitis C epidemic in NYC. OBJECTIVE: To validate algorithms designed to estimate treatment and cure of HCV using RNA test results reported through routine surveillance. DESIGN: Investigation by NYC DOHMH to determine the true treatment and cure status of HCV-infected individuals using chart review and HCV test data. Treatment and cure status as determined by investigation are compared with the status determined by the algorithms. SETTING: New York City health care facilities. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 250 individuals with HCV reported to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) prior to March 2016 randomly selected from 15 health care facilities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The sensitivity and specificity of the algorithms. RESULTS: Of 235 individuals successfully investigated, 161 (69%) initiated treatment and 96 (41%) achieved cure since the beginning of 2014. The treatment algorithm had a sensitivity of 93.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 89.2%-97.1%) and a specificity of 83.8% (95% CI, 75.3%-92.2%). The cure algorithm had a sensitivity of 93.8% (95% CI, 88.9%-98.6%) and a specificity of 89.4% (95% CI, 83.5%-95.4%). Applying the algorithms to 68 088 individuals with HCV reported to DOHMH between July 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016, 28 392 (41.7%) received treatment and 16 921 (24.9%) were cured. CONCLUSIONS: The algorithms developed by DOHMH are able to accurately identify HCV treatment and cure using only routinely reported surveillance data. Such algorithms can be used to measure treatment and cure jurisdiction-wide and will be vital for monitoring and addressing HCV. NYC DOHMH will apply these algorithms to surveillance data to monitor treatment and cure rates at city-wide and programmatic levels, and use the algorithms to measure progress towards defined treatment and cure targets for the city.

From Care to Cure: Demonstrating a Model of Clinical Patient Navigation for Hepatitis C Care and Treatment in High-Need Patients.

The NYC Department of Health implemented a patient navigation program, Check Hep C, to address patient and provider barriers to HCV care and potentially lifesaving treatment. Services were delivered at two clinical care sites and two sites that linked patients to off-site care. Working with a multidisciplinary care team, patient navigators provided risk assessment, health education, treatment readiness and medication adherence counseling, and medication coordination. Between March 2014 and January 2015, 388 participants enrolled in Check Hep C, 129 (33%) initiated treatment, and 119 (91% of initiators) had sustained virologic response (SVR). Participants receiving on-site clinical care had higher odds of initiating treatment than those linked to off-site care. Check Hep C successfully supported high-need participants through HCV care and treatment, and SVR rates demonstrate the real-world ability of achieving high cure rates using patient navigation care models.

Geographic epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma, viral hepatitis, and socioeconomic position in New York City.

PURPOSE: Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) incidence and mortality rates are increasing in the United States. New York City (NYC) has a high burden of liver cancer risk factors, including hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) infection, which disproportionately affect persons of low socioeconomic position. Identifying neighborhoods with HCC disparities is essential to effectively define targeted cancer control strategies. METHODS: New York State Cancer Registry data from 1 January 2001 through 31 December 2012 were matched with NYC HCV and HBV surveillance data. HCC data were aggregated to NYC Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Moran's I cluster analysis, Poisson regression, and geographically weighted Poisson regression were used to identify hotspots in HCC incidence and to examine the spatial associations with viral hepatitis rates, poverty, and uninsured status. RESULTS: Among NYC residents, 8,827 HCC cases were diagnosed during 2001-2012. Significant clustering was detected in the HCC rates (Moran's I = 0.25) with the strongest clustering found in HCC patients with comorbid HCV infection (Moran's I = 0.47). Poverty and uninsured status were associated (p < 0.05) with increased rates of HCC patients with HBV or HCV infection. Neighborhoods with high rates of HCC without viral hepatitis infection had lower rates of poverty and uninsured status. CONCLUSIONS: The geographic variation in HCC highlights the need for neighborhood-targeted interventions to address risk factors and barriers to care. The clusters of HCC by viral hepatitis status may serve as a basis for healthcare policymakers and practitioners to prioritize neighborhoods for cancer screening and control efforts.

A Public Health Approach to Hepatitis C in an Urban Setting.

The clinical consequences of HCV infection are increasing because the population with the highest prevalence of the infection, persons born between 1945 and 1965, is aging. As a result, health care expenditures are expected to increase. Now that a cure for HCV infection is the norm, a public health approach is necessary to identify, link to care, and treat infected persons and prevent new infections. We believe that the success of public health interventions, such as those for tuberculosis, can be translated to HCV infection. New York City has many HCV-infected residents and has developed a public health approach to controlling the HCV epidemic. It encompasses surveillance and monitoring, case finding, linkage to care, care coordination, increasing clinical provider capacity for screening and treatment, increasing public awareness, and primary prevention.

Neighborhood Inequalities in Hepatitis C Mortality: Spatial and Temporal Patterns and Associated Factors.

Deaths attributable to hepatitis C (HCV) infection are increasing in the USA even as highly effective treatments become available. Neighborhood-level inequalities create barriers to care and treatment for many vulnerable populations. We seek to characterize citywide trends in HCV mortality rates over time and identify and describe neighborhoods in New York City (NYC) with disproportionately high rates and associated factors. We used a multiple cause of death (MCOD) definition for HCV mortality. Cases identified between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2014, were geocoded to NYC census tracts (CT). We calculated age-adjusted HCV mortality rates and identified spatial clustering using a local Moran's I test. Temporal trends were analyzed using joinpoint regression. A multistep global and local Poisson modeling approach was used to test for neighborhood associations with sociodemographic indicators. During the study period, 3697 HCV-related deaths occurred in NYC, with an average annual percent increase of 2.6% (p = 0.02). The HCV mortality rates ranged from 0 to 373.6 per 100,000 by CT, and cluster analysis identified significant clustering of HCV mortality (I = 0.23). Regression identified positive associations between HCV mortality and the proportion of non-Hispanic black or Hispanic residents, neighborhood poverty, education, and non-English-speaking households. Local regression estimates identified spatially varying patterns in these associations. The rates of HCV mortality in NYC are increasing and vary by neighborhood. HCV mortality is associated with many indicators of geographic inequality. Results identified neighborhoods in greatest need for place-based interventions to address social determinants that may perpetuate inequalities in HCV mortality.

Understanding the drivers of interprofessional collaborative practice among HIV primary care providers and case managers in HIV care programmes.

Care coordination programmes are an important aspect of HIV management whose success depends largely on HIV primary care provider (PCP) and case manager collaboration. Factors influencing collaboration among HIV PCPs and case managers remain to be studied. The study objective was to test an existing theoretical model of interprofessional collaborative practice and determine which factors play the most important role in facilitating collaboration. A self-administered, anonymous mail survey was sent to HIV PCPs and case managers in New York City. An adapted survey instrument elicited information on demographic, contextual, and perceived social exchange (trustworthiness, role specification, and relationship initiation) characteristics. The dependent variable, perceived interprofessional practice, was constructed from a validated scale. A sequential block wise regression model specifying variable entry order examined the relative importance of each group of factors and of individual variables. The analysis showed that social exchange factors were the dominant drivers of collaboration. Relationship initiation was the most important predictor of interprofessional collaboration. Additional influential factors included organisational leadership support of collaboration, practice settings, and frequency of interprofessional meetings. Addressing factors influencing collaboration among providers will help public health programmes optimally design their structural, hiring, and training strategies to foster effective social exchanges and promote collaborative working relationships.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Viral Hepatitis in New York City.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are increasing in the United States. Viral hepatitis infection is a primary risk factor for HCC. This study describes the relationship between viral hepatitis and HCC in New York City (NYC). METHODS: Viral hepatitis cases reported to the NYC Department of Health from 1999-2012 were matched to HCC cases diagnosed from 2001 to 2012 and reported to the New York State Cancer Registry. HCC cases were stratified by the presence or absence of viral hepatitis. Demographic characteristics, factors associated with specific causes of death, and survival time were analyzed for all HCC cases. RESULTS: From 2001-2012, a total of 8827 NYC residents had HCC diagnosed; 38.4% had hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, 17.9% had hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and 2.2% had both. Patients with HCC were predominantly men (74.8%), with equal proportions of white non-Hispanic (28.6%) and Hispanic (28.9%) patients. Those with HBV infection were primarily Asian/Pacific Islanders (63.2%). The median survival time after HCC diagnosis for persons with HBV infection was 22.3 months, compared with 13.1 months for persons with HCV infection, and 6.9 months for noninfected persons. The 5-year survival rate was 37.5% for those with HBV infection, 20.0% for those with HCV infection, 29.5% among coinfected individuals, and 16.1% for those with neither infection reported. CONCLUSIONS: In NYC, most persons with HCC have viral hepatitis; the majority of viral hepatitis infections are due to HCV. Survival for persons with HCC differs widely by viral hepatitis status. This study highlights the importance of viral hepatitis prevention and treatment and HCC screening.

Improvements in HIV care engagement and viral load suppression following enrollment in a comprehensive HIV care coordination program.

BACKGROUND: Substantial evidence gaps remain regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) intervention strategies that improve engagement in care (EiC) and viral load suppression (VLS). We assessed EiC and VLS before and after enrollment in a comprehensive intervention for persons at risk of poor HIV care outcomes. METHODS: New York City's Ryan White Part A HIV Care Coordination Program (CCP), launched at 28 agencies in 2009, applies multiple strategies to promote optimal utilization of medical and social services. Using laboratory test records from an HIV surveillance registry, we examined pre-post outcomes among 3641 CCP clients enrolled before April 2011. For the year before and after enrollment, we assessed EiC (defined as ≥2 tests, ≥90 days apart, with ≥1 in each half-year) and VLS (defined as viral load [VL] ≤200 copies/mL on latest VL test in the second half of the year). We estimated relative risks (RRs), comparing pre- and postenrollment proportions achieving EiC and VLS. RESULTS: Among newly diagnosed clients, 90.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.9%-93.2%) and 66.2% (95% CI, 61.9%-70.6%) achieved EiC and VLS, respectively. Among previously diagnosed clients, EiC increased from 73.7% to 91.3% (RR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.21-1.27) and VLS increased from 32.3% to 50.9% (RR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.50-1.66). Clients without evidence of HIV care during the 6 months preenrollment contributed most to overall improvements. Pre-post improvements were robust, retaining statistical significance within most sociodemographic and clinical subgroups, and in 89% (EiC) and 75% (VLS) of CCP agencies. CONCLUSIONS: Clients in comprehensive HIV care coordination for persons with evident barriers to care showed substantial and consistent improvement in short-term outcomes.

Linkage and retention in care and the time to HIV viral suppression and viral rebound - New York City.

The success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) as treatment for the individual patient and as prevention requires the achievment and maintenance of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral suppression. Linkage to and retention in care are required for access to ART. We describe the impact of care on viral suppression using routinely reported surveillance data. We included New York City residents ≥13 years of age, diagnosed with HIV/AIDS from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2009 with a viral load (VL) or CD4 reported within six months of diagnosis and ≥1 VL reported from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2011. To examine viral rebound, we restricted the analysis to those who achieved viral suppression and had a subsequent VL measure reported by 30 June 2011. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate factors associated with time to viral suppression (VL ≤ 400 copies/mL) and rebound (VL > 1000 copies/mL). Initiation of care within three months of diagnosis (CD4/VL report within three months of diagnosis), female sex, and an initial CD4 < 350 (cells/mm(3)) at diagnosis significantly increased the likelihood of viral suppression. Irregular care (no CD4/VL reported every six months), younger age, non-white race/ethnicity, having an initial CD4 ≥ 350 at diagnosis, and AIDS diagnosis by 2010 increased the likelihood of rebound. These findings lend support to interventions for improving linkage to and maintenance in regular care as a way to achieve and maintain suppression. Surveillance data represent an ideal means for monitoring engagement in care and viral suppression at the population level.

Surveillance and preparedness for Ebola virus disease -- New York City, 2014.

In July 2014, as the Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic expanded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, an air traveler brought Ebola to Nigeria and two American health care workers in West Africa were diagnosed with Ebola and later medically evacuated to a U.S. hospital. New York City (NYC) is a frequent port of entry for travelers from West Africa, a home to communities of West African immigrants who travel back to their home countries, and a home to health care workers who travel to West Africa to treat Ebola patients. Ongoing transmission of Ebolavirus in West Africa could result in an infected person arriving in NYC. The announcement on September 30 of an Ebola case diagnosed in Texas in a person who had recently arrived from an Ebola-affected country further reinforced the need in NYC for local preparedness for Ebola.

The development and implementation of a user-friendly priority setting tool for HIV care and treatment services in New York City.

The Ryan White Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Program is the largest federal program designed to provide medical and social support services for HIV infected persons who are uninsured or underinsured. In 2008, the Ryan White budget was $2.2 billion, of which over $100 million went to the New York City (NYC) eligible metropolitan area (EMA), which receives the largest Ryan White allocation targeted to any EMA. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is the grantee for the EMA. To implement HIV care and treatment programs funded by this grant, the DOHMH works closely with the NYC Ryan White Planning Council, a local community planning body that assesses needs, plans for service delivery and sets priorities for funds. This article describes priority setting principles, practices, findings and lessons learned. It also outlines how the legislatively mandated community planning body has developed and implemented a user-friendly priority setting process and tool.

Missed opportunities for tuberculosis prevention in New York City, 2003.

BACKGROUND: Proper management and prevention can radically decrease the incidence of tuberculosis (TB). To further decrease TB cases in New York City, every opportunity for prevention must be utilized. This study sought to identify patients whose disease could have been prevented and describe missed opportunities for TB prevention. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with TB from April to July, 2003 were identified using the New York City TB registry. Surveillance data, medical records, and patient interviews were used to determine whether patients missed a prevention opportunity or potential for screening. Preventable TB was defined as inappropriate screening of contacts and immigrants, inappropriate treatment of persons with prior TB diagnoses, or those who tested positive for latent TB infection (LTBI) as contacts, immigration, or in community settings. Potentially preventable TB was defined as occurring when those eligible for LTBI screening in community settings were not screened more than 1 year before TB diagnosis. Patients classified as having preventable or potentially preventable TB were grouped as patients with missed opportunities. We calculated the odds of missing a prevention opportunity using logistic regression. RESULTS: Among the 218 study patients, 22% had preventable TB and 35% had potentially preventable TB. The most common missed opportunity among patients with preventable TB was the failure to initiate LTBI treatment. Birth outside of the United States was not associated with missing a prevention opportunity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, confidence interval [CI] = 0.71-2.39); however, extended travel outside of the United States increased the odds (OR = 2.51, CI = 1.19-5.69), particularly among non-US-born patients (OR = 3.01, CI = 1.21-8.59). Missed screening opportunities related to pregnancy, employment, or school attendance were encountered by over half of the study patients. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of New York City TB patients in our cohort experienced at least 1 missed opportunity for prevention. Further study is warranted to determine whether LTBI treatment eligibility should be extended to those who travel for extended periods, particularly among the non-US-born patients.

The impact of monitoring tuberculosis reporting delays in New York City.

Public health departments rely on the timely receipt of tuberculosis (TB) reports to promptly initiate patient management and contact investigations. In 2003, 43% of persons in New York City with confirmed or suspected TB were reported 4 or more days late. An intervention to increase the timeliness of TB reporting was initiated in 2004. A list of patients who were reported late and had a smear positive for acid-fast bacilli, a pathology finding consistent with TB, or who initiated 2 or more anti-TB medications was generated quarterly. Health care providers and laboratories were contacted to determine the reasons for reporting late and were educated on TB reporting requirements. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, we evaluated the trend in delayed reports between 2003 and 2006, using the Jonckheere-Terpstra test for trend. The proportion of patients who were reported late decreased from 43% (942/2183) in 2003 to 20% (386/1930) in 2006 (Ptrend < .0001). There were improvements in reporting timeliness for all 3 reporting criteria included in the evaluation and all provider types (all Ptrend < .0001); however, private providers consistently had a higher proportion of delayed reporting (22% reported late in 2006). This relatively simple intervention was very effective in improving the timeliness of TB reporting and could be utilized for other reportable diseases where prompt reporting is critical.

Performance of nucleic acid amplification tests for diagnosis of tuberculosis in a large urban setting.

BACKGROUND: A diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) relies on acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and culture results. Two rapid tests that use nucleic acid amplification (NAA) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the diagnosis of TB based on detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from specimens obtained from the respiratory tract. We evaluated the performance of NAA testing under field conditions in a large urban setting with moderate TB prevalence. METHODS: The medical records of patients with suspected TB during 2000-2004 were reviewed. Analysis was restricted to the performance of NAA on specimens collected within 7 days after the initiation of treatment for TB. The assay's sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively) were evaluated. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with confirmed or suspected TB whose respiratory tract specimens were tested by use of NAA increased from 429 (12.9%) of 3334 patients in 2000 to 527 (15.6%) of 3386 patients in 2004; NAA testing among patients whose respiratory tract specimens tested positive for AFB increased from 415 (43.6%) of 952 patients in 2000 to 487 (55.5%) of 877 patients in 2004 (P < .001 for both trends). Of the 16,511 patients being evaluated for pulmonary TB, 4642 (28.1%) had specimens that tested positive for AFB on smear. Of those 4642 patients, 2241 (48.3%) had NAA performed on their specimens. Of those 2241 patients, 1279 (57.1%) had positive test results. Of those 1279 patients, 1262 (98.7%) were confirmed to have TB. For 1861 (40.1%) of the 4642 patients whose specimens tested positive for AFB on smear, the NAA test had a sensitivity of 96.0%, a specificity of 95.3%, a PPV of 98.0%, and an NPV of 90.9%. For 158 patients whose specimens tested negative for AFB on smear, the NAA test had a sensitivity of 79.3%, a specificity of 80.3%, a PPV of 83.1%, and an NPV of 76.0%, respectively. For the 215 specimens that tested positive for AFB by smear, we found a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 97.5%, 93.6%, 95.1%, and 96.8%, respectively. A high-grade smear was associated with a better test performance. CONCLUSION: NAA testing was helpful for determining whether patients whose specimens tested positive for AFB on smear had TB or not. This conclusion supports the use of this test for early diagnosis of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB.

Evaluating reimbursement of integrated support services using chronic care management (CCM) codes for treatment of hepatitis C among Medicare beneficiaries.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) implemented Project INSPIRE, an integrated model of hepatitis C care coordination and telementoring services, from 2014 to 2017. We evaluated the use of chronic care management (CCM) codes to sustain the intervention. DOHMH data were collected as part of a Healthcare Innovation Award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). A retrospective cohort medical billing study was conducted by assigning INSPIRE activities to procedure codes in both facility and nonfacility settings. Rates for procedures were extracted from the CMS's 2018 fee schedules and added across the eligibility periods for Medicare enrollees. Reimbursement was adjusted on the basis of expected patient attrition and compared to costs. The minimum number needed to treat (NNT) to break even was calculated in each setting. Facility reimbursement was higher than costs, whereas nonfacility reimbursement was lower (both P < .01). The NNT was 23 patients in facilities and 33 patients in nonfacilities; 24 patients per care coordinator were treated annually in INSPIRE. CCM fees alone were insufficient to fully reimburse the costs in either setting. Implementation of an appropriate risk financing strategy is necessary to mitigate financial shortfalls when providing CCM services in facility settings.

Public Health Management of Persons Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in New York City, 2014-2016.

During 2014-2016, the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in history occurred in West Africa. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) worked with health care providers to prepare for persons under investigation (PUIs) for EVD in New York City. From July 1, 2014, through December 29, 2015, we classified as a PUI a person with EVD-compatible signs or symptoms and an epidemiologic risk factor within 21 days before illness onset. Of 112 persons who met PUI criteria, 74 (66%) sought medical care and 49 (44%) were hospitalized. The remaining 38 (34%) were isolated at home with daily contact by DOHMH staff members. Thirty-two (29%) PUIs received a diagnosis of malaria. Of 10 PUIs tested, 1 received a diagnosis of EVD. Home isolation minimized unnecessary hospitalization. This case study highlights the importance of developing competency among clinical and public health staff managing persons suspected to be infected with a high-consequence pathogen.