Abstract
Assessing quality care for people with HIV (PWH) should not be limited to reporting on HIV Care Continuum benchmarks, particularly viral suppression rates. At Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States (KPMAS), an integrated health system providing HIV care in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, we created a comprehensive measure of HIV quality care, including both preventative measures and clinical outcomes. We included PWH ≥18 years old with ≥6 months KPMAS membership between 2015 and 2018. Process quality metrics (QMs) include: pneumococcal vaccination and influenza vaccination; primary care physician (PCP) and/or HIV/infectious disease (HIV/ID) visits with additional HIV/ID visit; antiretroviral treatment medication fills; and syphilis and gonorrhea/chlamydia screenings. Outcome QMs include HIV RNA <200/mL and other measurements within normal range [blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin, blood sugar, alanine transaminase, low-density lipoproteins, estimated glomerular filtration rate]; no hospitalization/emergency department visit; no new depression diagnosis; remaining or becoming a nonsmoker. Logistic models estimated odds of achieving QMs associated with sex, age, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and HIV risk. A total of 4996 observations were analyzed. 45.6% met all process QMs, while 19.6% met all outcome QMs. Least frequently met process QM was PCP or HIV/ID visit (74.5%); least met outcome QM was BMI (60.2%). Significantly lower odds of achieving all QMs among women {odds ratio (OR) = 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49-0.81]} and those with Medicaid and Medicare [vs. commercial; OR = 0.48 (95% CI: 0.30-0.76) and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.31-0.71)]. Broadening the scope of HIV patient care QMs beyond viral suppression helps identify opportunities for improvement. Successful process metrics do not necessarily coincide with greater outcome metrics.