Objectives: We examined how a population susceptible to hepatitis C virus (HCV) moves through the HCV screening and linkage-to-care (SLTC) continuum across insurance providers (Medicare, Medicaid, commercial) and identified opportunities for increasing the number of patients who complete the SLTC process and receive treatment.
Study design: Discrete-time Markov model.
Methods: A cohort of 10,000 HCV-susceptible patients was simulated through the HCV SLTC process using a Markov model with parameters from published literature. Three scenarios were explored: baseline, in which each step required a separate visit and all infected saw a specialist; reflex, which reflexed antibody and RNA testing; and consolidated, which reflexed antibody, RNA, fibrosis staging, and genotype testing into 1 step, with an optional specialist visit. For each scenario, we estimated the number of patients lost at each stage, yield, and cost.
Results: Streamlining the SLTC process by reducing the number of required visits results in more patients completing the process and receiving treatment. Among antibody-positive patients, 76% of those with Medicaid and 71% of those with Medicare and commercial insurance are lost to follow-up in baseline. In reflex and consolidated, these proportions fall to 26% and 27% and 4% and 5%, respectively. The cost to identify and link 1 additional infected patient to care ranges from $1586 to $2546 in baseline and $212 to $548 in consolidated. Total cost, inclusive of treatment, ranges from $1.0 million to $3.1 million in baseline and increases to $3.8 million to $15.1 million in reflex and $5.3 million to $21.0 million in consolidated.
Conclusions: Reducing steps in the HCV SLTC process increases the number of patients who learn their HCV status, receive appropriate care, and initiate treatment.