National HIV Testing Day: The Day After

American Academy of HIV Medicine Offers Resources to Help General Practitioners Get Newly Diagnosed HIV Patients Into Care

WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National HIV Testing Day is June 27, 2010. Like every day in a country where there are 56,000 new HIV infections a year, approximately 150 Americans will learn of their HIV infection on June 27th.  So, here's the question -- what happens on June 28th, the day after National HIV Testing Day? What do medical providers do with these newly-identified HIV patients?

"Linkage to care remains a significant problem for HIV testing efforts," stated American Academy of HIV Medicine Executive Director James Friedman.  "Testing an individual for HIV is only the first step.  There needs to be follow-through to ensure that patient is connected to an HIV-care provider."

Since 2007, the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to create a number of resources designed to assist the general practitioner in transitioning an HIV positive patient into treatment. As part of National HIV Testing Day, AAHIVM encourages medical providers to utilize the tools available from AAHIVM as a final link in the chain to testing, diagnosing, and then treating HIV disease. AAHIVM also invites providers to contact us for referral to one of our certified HIV Specialists™.  

Available for download on the AAHIVM website (www.aahivm.org):

• Connecting HIV Infected Patients to Care:  A Review of Best Practices – This report summarizes elements of successful follow-up care strategies and highlights approaches employed by primary care clinicians in a variety of settings. AAHIVM presents this tool for providers who want to screen for HIV more routinely, but need ideas on how to help newly diagnosed HIV positive individuals have access to the care they need.
• Connecting HIV Infected Patients to Care:  A Primer for Clinicians – This primer presents basic steps clinicians can take to help newly diagnosed HIV infected individuals access the care they need. It includes sample referral templates, letters, and checklists for providers to use in their practices.
• Referral Link – This pilot referral resource, developed in partnership with CDC, assists health providers that offer routine HIV testing in their medical practice to refer newly-identified HIV patients to appropriate care.  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 American Academy of HIV Medicine is a professional organization that supports the HIV practitioner and promotes accessible, quality care for all Americans living with HIV disease.  Our membership of HIV practitioners, credentialed HIV Specialists and HIV Experts provide direct care to more than three-fourths of HIV patients in the U.S.  

SOURCE The American Academy of HIV Medicine