Community Health Centers are a major source of HIV prevention, care and treatment in America's safety net. According to UDS data, health centers provided HIV testing to 781,750 patients in 2010. About 10 percent of health centers receive funding through Part C of the 
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
In 2003, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NACHC began an effort to increase HIV prevention activities in health centers without Ryan White funding. Outcomes of this effort include a national survey and report on HIV testing, prevention, care and treatment practices in health centers; a repository for patient level testing data; implementation and evaluation of a routine HIV screening pilot in six southeastern community health centers; and a new HIV testing model, tools and training geared toward centers without funding. All tools, including those specifically for dental practices, have been tested and evaluated by health centers. Read a profile about the pilot and development of the model, including processes, staffing, costs and data collection, in the April 27, 2009 issue of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Innovations Exchange. Learn how to implement the model in partnership with your state health department through the experiences of one Ohio health center participating in a rapid HIV testing and data collection initiative at the state level.
The Compendium of State HIV Testing Laws from the National HIV/AIDS Clinicians’ Consultation Center (NCCC) at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital is regularly updated to reflect the most current state HIV testing laws and policies. It offers state-specific information regarding counseling, consent, confidentiality and documentation within the context of routine HIV testing programs.
Related to reimbursement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its final decision to cover HIV screening for Medicare beneficiaries. Coding Guidelines for Routine HIV Testing will help health care providers, billing personnel, and others to become familiar with the proper coding regulations for HIV testing in health care settings.
CDC Revised HIV Testing Recommendations in Healthcare Settings provides a summary of the most recent HIV testing recommendations released by the CDC in September 2006. These recommendations aim to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care and propose HIV screening for all patients ages 13-64 in all healthcare settings. The Bureau of Primary Health Care's (BPHC) Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2010-13: HIV Testing in Health-Care Settings provides health centers guidance on following the CDC's recommendations. Healthy People 2020 identifies several HIV Testing Objectives. In July 2010 the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), which articulates three primary goals: reduce HIV incidence; increase access to care and optimize health outcomes; and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The NHAS has set a measurable target by 2015 to increase from 79% to 90% the percentage of people living with HIV who know their serostatus. And with the transition of HIV to a treatable chronic disease, BPHC released Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2011-06, HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in Health Centers. Responsive to the goals of the NHAS, this PAL supports health centers in expanding their capacity to provide HIV/AIDS services as part of comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services.
E-mail Caryn Bernstein with questions, suggestions or corrections.
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