title: Cost and threshold analysis of positive charge, a multi-site linkage to HIV care program in the United States.
abstract: Positive Charge (PC) is a linkage to HIV care initiative implemented by AIDS United with sites in New York, Chicago, Louisiana, North Carolina, and the San Francisco/Bay Area. This study employed standard methods of cost and threshold analyses, as recommended by the US Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine, to calculate cost-saving and cost effective thresholds of the initiative. The overall societal cost of the linkage to care programs ranged from $48,490 to $370,525. The study found that PC's five unique evidence-based linkage to care programs have relatively low costs per client served and highly achievable cost-saving and cost-effectiveness thresholds. The findings from this study suggest that HIV linkage to care programs have the potential to be a highly productive use of public health resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jeeyon Janet
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Cmaulsb1@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maulsby
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zulliger
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Kriti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: AIDS United, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Vignetta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.affiliation: AIDS United, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riordan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davey-Rothwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Holtgrave
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000379:methods; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018803:Models, Economic; D009313:National Health Programs; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: Cost-effective analysis; Economic evaluation; HIV prevention