title: Process of care for hepatitis C infection is linked to treatment outcome and virologic response.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Process of care-based measures are used commonly to assess the quality of medical care provided to patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the links between these processes and patient outcomes are not clear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a large retrospective cohort study of 34,749 patients with HCV infection identified from the national Veterans Administration HCV Clinical Case Registry between 2003 and 2006. We examined the relationship between meeting process-based measures of HCV care (categorized into pretreatment, preventive or comorbid care, and treatment monitoring domains) and antiviral treatment-related outcomes. For each domain, we defined optimum care as receipt of all indicated care processes in that domain. Study end points were rates of antiviral treatment, treatment completion, and sustained virologic response (SVR), adjusted for patient demographics, comorbidities, use of health services, and intrafacility clustering.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who received optimum pretreatment care were significantly more likely to receive antiviral treatment (odds ratio [OR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9-3.5), complete treatment (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.13-1.43), and achieve an SVR (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.65), than those with suboptimum pretreatment care. Optimum preventive or comorbidity care also independently was associated with receipt of antiviral treatment (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.23-1.51), but not with completion of treatment or SVR. Optimum treatment monitoring was associated with a nonsignificant trend toward achieving an SVR (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.95-1.56).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Optimum care for HCV infection-particularly the care delivered before treatment-is associated with increased rates of treatment and SVR. These data could be used to guide clinical policy as newer, more-effective treatments become available.
authors: Houston VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Health Services Research and Development Service, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. fasiha.kanwal@va.gov
authors: Fasiha
authors: F
authors: Kanwal
authors: Tuyen
authors: T
authors: Hoang
authors: Timothy
authors: T
authors: Chrusciel
authors: Jennifer R
authors: JR
authors: Kramer
authors: Hashem B
authors: HB
authors: El-Serag
authors: Jason A
authors: JA
authors: Dominitz
authors: Steven M
authors: SM
authors: Asch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents