Characteristics and Trends in HIV Testing Among Medicaid Enrollees Diagnosed as Having Schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia have more HIV risk factors and higher rates of HIV infection than the general U.S. population. The authors aimed to examine HIV testing patterns in this population nationally and by demographic characteristics and presence of high-risk comorbid conditions.

This retrospective longitudinal study compared HIV testing between Medicaid-only enrollees with schizophrenia and without schizophrenia during 2002-2012 (N=6,849,351). Interrupted time series were used to analyze the impacts of the 2006 federal policy change recommending expanded HIV testing. Among enrollees with schizophrenia, multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate associations between testing and both demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted.

Enrollees diagnosed as having schizophrenia had consistently higher HIV testing rates than those without schizophrenia. When those with comorbid substance use disorders or sexually transmitted infections were excluded, testing was higher for individuals without schizophrenia (p<0.001). The federal policy change likely increased testing for both groups (p<0.001), but the net change was greater for those without schizophrenia (3.1 vs. 2.2 percentage points). Among enrollees with schizophrenia, testing rates doubled during 2002-2012 (3.9% to 7.2%), varied across states (range 17 percentage points), and tripled for those with at least one annual nonpsychiatric medical visit (vs. no visit; adjusted OR=3.10, 95% CI=2.99-3.22).

Nationally, <10% of enrollees with schizophrenia had annual HIV testing. Increases appear to be driven by high-risk comorbid conditions and nonpsychiatric encounters, rather than by efforts to target people with schizophrenia. Psychiatric guidelines for schizophrenia care should consider HIV testing alongside annual metabolic screening.