The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: Supplementary Service Provision Post-Affordable Care Act

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) is crucial for providing primary and supplementary health services to people living with HIV (PLWH).
• Understanding the impact of supplementary RWHAP services on patient outcomes is vital for program efficacy and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between receiving supplementary RWHAP services and key health outcomes in PLWH.
• Specifically, to examine the relationship with viral suppression (VS) and two distinct measures of retention in care (RiC).

Main Methods:

• A purposive sampling method was used to recruit 1159 adult patients from an academic HIV/AIDS clinic in the southeastern US.
• Logistic regression models analyzed the impact of RWHAP supplementary services on VS and RiC, controlling for sociodemographic factors.

Main Results:

• Over 45% of PLWH received RWHAP supplementary services.
• Patients utilizing supplementary services showed significantly higher odds of achieving viral suppression (AOR=1.91).
• Higher odds of retention in care were observed using both the kept-visits (AOR=2.56) and missed-visits (AOR=1.58) measures.

Conclusions:

• Receipt of supplementary RWHAP services is strongly associated with improved viral suppression and retention in care among PLWH.
• These findings underscore the importance of RWHAP services, advocating for their continued support and funding.
• The study emphasizes the program's critical role in managing HIV/AIDS care, especially with ongoing funding uncertainties.