Abstract
BACKGROUND: People coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) have complex needs that include pharmaceutical therapy, psychiatric care, and social work. Multidisciplinary care coordination (MCC) is the concerted effort to address health using a diverse team of primary care physicians, mental health specialists, and social workers. METHODS: To determine the effect of MCC in reducing avoidable hospital use, we examined longitudinal data from an academic equity-focused program in Upper Manhattan (CHP). In 2015, CHP implemented MCC, which integrated team members, panel management, and open access (walk-in) activities to better link, engage, and treat those who are coinfected. We compared health care utilization trends before 2015 ("preintervention") to after 2015 ("postintervention"). RESULTS: We found that the implementation of MCC was associated with a decrease in per-year hospital visits among those coinfected. CONCLUSION: To assist in future upscaling, we hope to identify strategies that facilitated the implementation of MCC in a setting like CHP.