NEW ONLINE RESOURCE HELPS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS LINK  NEWLY-DIAGNOSED HIV PATIENTS TO QUALITY CARE

 
Washington, DC:  The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has launched a pilot referral resource for health providers that routinely offer HIV testing as a normal part of medical practice.  Housed on the AAHIVM Web site (www.aahivm.org), Referral Link is designed to provide referral information for all HIV service providers in each of the six pilot cities. The cities include Baton Rouge, LA; Cochise County, AZ; Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Sacramento, CA; and Tampa, FL.  For these cities, information for all HIV medical care providers in the area is available. The contact information, provider Website, referral, and practice information for each provider is listed.
 
Additionally, the information is truncated and searchable by patient type and services provided.  Referral Link also allows for narrowing of search functions by all of the categories, such as case management, Medicaid availability and confirmatory testing services.
 
"This resource will give those providers that are following the CDC's HIV testing recommendations the tool they need to ensure that their newly-diagnosed patients will be linked to care from a quality HIV care provider," said Donna Sweet, MD, MACP, AAHIVS, chair of the Board of Director for AAHIVM.
 
In 2006, CDC released "Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women, in Health-Care Settings."  These recommendations advise voluntary routine HIV screening of adults, adolescents, and pregnant women ages 13-64 in health care settings in the United States.  While many have implemented HIV testing as a standard of care, some medical providers, particularly general practitioners, have not widely adopted and implemented the recommendations, because of concerns of not being able to link an HIV-infected individual to HIV primary care services.
 
Referral Link seeks to target these allied health professionals who identify an HIV case among their patient population, and need to refer that patient to another practice. It is also useful for HIV specialists and patients looking for referrals to other areas of HIV-related care or supportive services, or to other providers in a given region.
 
"Ultimately, we would like to geographically expand this service and offer it as a resource to health-care providers across the country," said James A. Friedman, executive director of AAHIVM. "We believe this tool will boost the HIV-testing rate and at the end of the day, save lives."
 

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About AAHIVM
The American Academy of HIV Medicine is an independent organization of credentialed HIV Specialists™ and other HIV care providers dedicated to advancing excellence in HIV/AIDS care.  The Academy's professional certification, advocacy and education initiatives are designed to support HIV providers, and to increase the quality of HIV care.  AAHIVM is the publisher of HIV Specialist, a quarterly, practice-management-focused magazine designed to address the unique issues faced by frontline HIV medical providers.  HIV Specialist delivers relevant industry and practice information to the HIV care professional regarding their day-to-day treatment activities

For more information, please contact Amber McCracken, Director of Communications and Marketing
The American Academy of HIV Medicine
1705 Desales Street, NW  Suite 700
Washington DC 20036
(202) 659-0699  x17
amber@aahivm.org