TY - JOUR
T1 - Access to direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus among veterans with serious mental illness
AU - Travaglini, Letitia E.
AU - Kreyenbuhl, Julie
AU - Graydon, Meagan
AU - Brown, Clayton H.
AU - Goldberg, Richard
AU - Himelhoch, Seth
AU - Fang, Li Juan
AU - Slade, Eric
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the VISN 5 MIRECC Pilot Research Program and was supported, in part, by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. This article reflects the authors' personal views and in no way represents the official view of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Funding Information:
Veterans Affairs (VA) Capitol Healthcare Network (VISN 5) Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Baltimore (Travaglini, Kreyenbuhl, Brown, Goldberg); Division of Psychiatric Services Research, Department of Psychiatry (Kreyenbuhl, Goldberg, Fang, Slade), and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (Brown), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore (Graydon); Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington (Himelhoch); Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore (Slade). Send correspondence to Dr. Travaglini ([email protected]). This research was funded by the VISN 5 MIRECC Pilot Research Program and was supported, in part, by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. This article reflects the authors’ personal views and in no way represents the official view of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - Objective: This study examined whether serious mental illness is associated with initiating and with completing sofosbuvir-based treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) among veterans who started treatment after the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) received expanded funding for HCV care. Methods: Administrative health care data from fiscal years 2016-2017 revealed 4,288 treatment-naïve patients with HCV, of whom 1,311 had initiated sofosbuvir-based treatment. Dependent variables were initiation and completion of $8 weeks of sofosbuvir treatment. Associations with serious mental illness were estimated with adjusted odds ratios from multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of veterans with and veterans without serious mental illness who initiated (p=0.628) or completed $8 weeks (p=0.301) of sofosbuvir treatment. Conclusions: Veterans with and without serious mental illness initiated and completed sofosbuvir treatment at similar rates. The VA should continue to provide equitable access to HCV treatments and support medication adherence.
AB - Objective: This study examined whether serious mental illness is associated with initiating and with completing sofosbuvir-based treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) among veterans who started treatment after the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) received expanded funding for HCV care. Methods: Administrative health care data from fiscal years 2016-2017 revealed 4,288 treatment-naïve patients with HCV, of whom 1,311 had initiated sofosbuvir-based treatment. Dependent variables were initiation and completion of $8 weeks of sofosbuvir treatment. Associations with serious mental illness were estimated with adjusted odds ratios from multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of veterans with and veterans without serious mental illness who initiated (p=0.628) or completed $8 weeks (p=0.301) of sofosbuvir treatment. Conclusions: Veterans with and without serious mental illness initiated and completed sofosbuvir treatment at similar rates. The VA should continue to provide equitable access to HCV treatments and support medication adherence.
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U2 - 10.1176/appi.ps.201900227
DO - 10.1176/appi.ps.201900227
M3 - Article
C2 - 31615365
AN - SCOPUS:85078870264
SN - 1075-2730
VL - 71
SP - 192
EP - 195
JO - Psychiatric Services
JF - Psychiatric Services
IS - 2
ER -