Improving Access to Hepatitis C Treatment Using Clinical Pharmacist Services in an Uninsured, At-Risk Population at a Community Health Center

• Published in: Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2021-08, Vol.32 (3), p.1433-1443
• Main Authors: Fitzgerald, Lynn S, Johnston, Barbara E, Patel, Bina, Stillwell, Tracy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; At risk populations; Blood diseases; Community health services; Coordination; Cure; Drug stores; Drug use; Drugs; Electronic health records; Health care; Health services; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hispanic people; Homeless people; Housing; Housing costs; Infections; Laboratories; Medical personnel; Narcotics; Patient compliance; Patients; Pharmacy; Population; Primary care; Public health; Risk; Sociodemographics; Substance abuse; Substance abuse treatment; Substance use; Teams; Treatment methods; Uninsured people; Viruses
• ISSN: 1049-2089; 1548-6869; 1548-6869
• DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2021.0142

While published cure rates for new hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments exceed 90%, barriers such as cost, medication access, housing or phone service instability, and substance use complicate medication adherence for uninsured, at-risk populations. Lincoln Community Health Center (LCHC) Pharmacy, in collaboration with primary care providers and care coordination professionals, implemented clinical pharmacist services to facilitate treatment of HCV infection in uninsured patients using manufacturers' patient assistance programs (PAP). Eighty-four (84) uninsured patients initiated treatment at LCHC using PAP during the first two years of the program. Nearly all patients (65/67 or 97%) who completed lab monitoring at 12 weeks post-treatment achieved undetectable viral load or a sustained virologic response (SVR-12), considered a proxy for cure. Successfully treating HCV infection in an uninsured, at-risk population may be achieved in a safety-net community health center by incorporating clinical pharmacist services into a team-based model.