This blog, written by Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was originally published on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Viral Hepatitis Blog. Below is a brief snippet.
Summary: Study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found no differences in sustained virologic response among patients treated for HCV infection by specialists, primary care physicians, and nurse practitioners.
The introduction of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has resulted in a well-tolerated treatment regimen and high rates of cure that have brought the possibility of widespread treatment and cure for patients with chronic HCV infection even closer to reality. Unfortunately, with roughly 2.7 million Americans living with HCV infection and only about 20,000 specialists (gastroenterology-hepatology and infectious disease physicians) in the United States, the current specialist workforce is not large enough to treat all the people who will need it…
Read the full blog here.
