HIV Patients More Likely to Stick with Treatment if Anti-retroviral Therapy Follows Current Standards, AJMC Study Finds

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Now in its 20th year, The American Journal of Managed Care is the leading peer-reviewed publication covering managed care issues.

The potential impact of these findings will grow as more HIV patients become Medicaid-eligible under the Affordable Care Act.

Plainsboro, N.J. (PRWEB) June 30, 2014

With more HIV-positive patients likely to join the Medicaid ranks under the Affordable Care Act, what’s known about getting patients to stick with their anti-retroviral therapy will be important in tracking health outcomes.

With the publication of a new study in The American Journal of Managed Care, what’s now known is the federal guidelines adopted in 2012, which call for intervening quickly when patients aren’t sticking with treatment, will likely increase a patient’s chance of success, based on a review of Medicaid patients with HIV who were treated from 2007 to 2011.

The authors, led by Stephen S. Johnston, MA, evaluated Medicaid data from 15 states for period and categorized HIV both by what therapies were given and by adherence rates. Guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services and World Health Organization adopted in 2012 call for gaining adherence rates of 95 percent or higher through a variety of means, as sticking with medication is especially important in treating HIV to keep the disease from progressing to a point at which certain treatments will not work.

While the data were obviously gathered during a period prior to the adoption of the guidelines, the researchers were able to compare patients who took therapies and followed adherence protocols in line with the 2012 standards. The group that did so not only had better adherence rates, but also managed to continue with their regimens longer.

“The potential impact of these findings will grow as more HIV patients become Medicaid-eligible under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” the authors found.

About the Journal

The American Journal of Managed Care, now in its 20th year of publication, is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. In December 2013, AJMC launched The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary devoted to understanding changes to the healthcare system due to the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s news publications, the Evidence-Based series, bring together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in the areas of oncology, diabetes management, respiratory care, and immunology and infectious disease.

CONTACT:
Mary Caffrey (609) 716-7777 x 144
mcaffrey(at)ajmc(dot)com
http://www.ajmc.com

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