Ryan White HIV/AIDS program recipients more likely than non-recipients to be retained in care using six different...

Retention in care (RiC) is crucial for maintaining HIV health. We examined the relationship between receipt of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) supplementary services and six different measures of RiC among 2,288 adults living with HIV who received HIV primary care services at a large, academically-affiliated HIV/AIDS clinic in the southeastern United States in 2016. The independent variable of interest was RWHAP supplementary services, which referred to whether patients received documented non-medical wraparound supplementary services. The outcome was six different measures of RiC: the Institute of Medicine (IOM) indicator, 6-month gap, 4-month constancy, missed visits dichotomous, missed visits count, and visit adherence. Separate multivariable models were fit for each RiC outcome. Receipt of supplementary RWHAP services was significantly (p < .05) and positively associated with RiC across all six measures (test statistic, 95% confidence interval): IOM (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.88, 2.16-3.83), 6-month gap (aOR = 1.76, 1.48-2.09), 4-month visit constancy (aOR  =  2.03, 1.72-2.39), missed visits dichotomous (aOR  =  1.40, 1.16-1.68), missed visit count (adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 0.77, 0.67-0.88), and visit adherence (adjusted beta coefficient (adjβ) = 0.05, 0.02-0.06). Our findings suggest that receipt of RWHAP services is important for retention in care, regardless of the measure employed.