Assessing the Quality of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care in Nursing Homes

Use of antiretroviral therapy in nursing home residents with HIV

BACKGROUND

Antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) are essential HIV care. As people living with HIV age and their presence in nursing homes (NHs) increases, it is critical to evaluate the quality of HIV care. We determine the rate of ART use and examine individual- and facility-level characteristics associated with no ART use in a nationally representative long-stay NH residents with HIV.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included all long-stay Medicare fee-for-service NH residents (2013-2016) with HIV who had a valid Minimum Data Set assessment. Residents were followed from long-stay qualification until death, Part D disenrollment, transfer from long-term care to another healthcare setting, or December 31, 2016. We identified individual and facility characteristics that were associated with non-use of ART using generalized estimating equation logistic regression.

RESULTS

Exactly 4171 eligible HIV+ residents from 2459 NHs were included in our study. Only 36% (1507 of 4171) received any ART regimen during an average of 11.6 months of observation. Older age, females, white race, receipt of Medicare skilled nursing benefits, and some major cardiometabolic comorbidities and mental health conditions were associated with non-ART use. Rates of non-ART use did not vary significantly by residents' end-of-life status (p = 0.21). Residents in facilities with a higher HIV concentration [adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) 3.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.13-5.48] and an AIDS unit (adjOR 2.51; 95% CI 1.92-3.30) had higher odds of using an ART.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The rate of ART use by HIV+ long-stay NH residents was low. Facilities' experience with HIV played an important role in ART receipt. Interventions to improve rates of ART use in NHs are urgently needed to ensure optimal health outcomes.

Exploring the Association Between the Quality of HIV Care in Nursing Homes and Hospitalization

ABSTRACT

Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) are living long enough to need age-related and HIV-related nursing home (NH) care. Nursing home quality of care has been associated with risk for hospitalization, but it is unknown if quality of HIV care in NHs affects hospitalization in this population. We assessed HIV care quality with four national measures adapted for the NH setting. We applied the measures to 2011-2013 Medicare claims linked to Minimum Data Set assessments of resident health, prescription dispensing data, and national reports of NH characteristics. Cox proportional hazards models calculated the risk of all-cause and HIV/AIDS-related hospitalization by HIV care compliance. We identified 1,246 PLWH in 201 NHs with 382 all-cause and 63 HIV/AIDS-related hospitalizations. Nursing home HIV care compliance varied from 24.9% to 64.7%. After regression adjustment, we could detect no difference in all-cause or HIV/AIDS-related hospitalizations by NH HIV care compliance. We postulate that the lack of association may be due to inappropriate HIV care quality measures that do not accurately represent NHs ability to care for PLWH. There is urgent need to create valid NH HIV care quality measures.