National Quality Forum #: None
Description: Percentage of patients, regardless of age, who attended a routine HIV medical care visit within 1 month of HIV diagnosis
Numerator: Number of patients who attended a routine HIV medical care visit within 1 month of HIV diagnosis
Denominator: Number of patients, regardless of age, with an HIV diagnosis in the 12-month measurement year
Patient Exclusions: None
Data Elements:
- Did the patient, regardless of age, receive a diagnosis of HIV in the measurement year? (Y/N)
- Did the patient have at least one routine HIV medical care visit within 1 month of a diagnosis of HIV? (Y/N)
National goals, target, or benchmarks for comparison
This HIV/AIDS Bureau measure aligns with the following national indicators:
- Healthy People 2030 Objective HIV-04: Increase linkage to HIV medical care. Most recent data 77.8% (2017); target 95%.
- National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025) Indicator 5: Increase linkage to care. Baseline result 77.8% (2017); target by 2025, increase to 95%.
- Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative Indicator 4: Linkage to HIV medical care. Most recent result 81.3% of people diagnosed with HIV were linked to care within one month; target increase linkage to care to 95% by 2025.
The HIV Quality Measures (HIVQM) Module is a tool within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Services Report portal. It allows recipients to enter aggregate data specific to HRSA HAB Performance Measures. The HIVQM Module allows recipients to conduct point-in-time benchmarking across Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs that use the module.
Department of Health and Human Services Clinical Practice Guidelines
Recommendations for HIV prevention with adults and adolescents with HIV in the United States, 2014
"Linking to HIV care after a new diagnosis of HIV infection is defined as completing an outpatient appointment with a clinical provider who has the skills and ability to treat HIV infection, including prescribing ART. Patients should be linked to care as soon as possible after diagnosis with HIV, preferably within 30 days. Monitoring linkage is a critical responsibility so that interventions can effectively reach persons who are not linked to care. If the facilities that diagnose and treat an individual are the same or share the same electronic medical record system, it is relatively straightforward to monitor linkage to care. Monitoring linkage for persons whose HIV is diagnosed outside the treatment provider’s healthcare system is difficult and generally is the responsibility of the diagnosing provider/entity and the public health authority. However, once a patient makes contact with the treating clinical system, he or she should be engaged in linkage efforts and monitored for successful linkage to and retention in HIV care."1
Use in other federal programs
This measure is linked to an exact or similar indicator(s) within Healthy People 2030, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025), and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative.
References/notes
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, American Academy of HIV Medicine, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, the National Minority AIDS Council, and Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services. Recommendations for HIV Prevention with Adults and Adolescents with HIV in the United States, 2014. Accessed January 2022. L-3.