Positive Healthcare is an HIV/AIDS disease management program that was launched in September 1999 in Jacksonville, Florida. Sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Administration, the program now covers all of Florida's 67 counties with five Regional Ofices and approximately 100 Registered Nurse Care Managers. There are approximately 9,500 Florida Medicaid Medi-Pass recipients with HIV/AIDS who meet the state's criteria for inclusion in the program.

How the Program Works

Positive Healthcare brings a comprehensive approach to the management of HIV disease. The primary objectives are as follows:

• To operate and maintain disease management models for the delivery of health care services for Medi-Pass eligible patients with HIV/AIDS
• To encourage the organization and delivery of services that result in:
  • Improved health care
  • Improved health outcomes
  • Improved treatment practice patterns
  • Improved patient adherence to treatment and medication regimens
  • Reduced inpatient stays
  • Lower total costs
  • Delivery of current information to providers and patients
• To operate a disease management program that will employ the following components:
  • The latest clinical practice guidelines in a useable format
  • Specialized physician/provider care
  • Intensive care management and clinical coordination
  • Provider education
  • Patient Education
  • Medi-Pass claims analysis
  • Quarterly and annual outcomes measurements and reporting

Treatment Protocols

Positive Healthcare enables providers to remain current wtih changes in treatment through:

• Revisions from AIDS Healthcare Foundations Quality Improvement program, which routinely reviews and updates the treatment guideline protocols
• Updates from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and other medical organizations such as the CDC, NIH, FDA
• Attendance of scientific conferences
• Summaries of new medical information for posting on the Positive Healthcare website

Custom Database

Positive Healthcare uses innovative software specifically designed for HIV/AIDS called "PosiTrak". This custom, firewall protected, HIPAA compliant confidential database includes:

• Patient demographics, including enrollment dates, risk and severity level
• Clinical data including office visits, lab results (CD4+, HIV, RNA levels, and others), hospital information, drug information (including antiretroviral history), prophylactic treatment for opportunistic infections, other illnesses and other medications
• Physician information
• Care Management including contacts by type, appointments and complaints

Education

Positive Healthcare develops and organizes a comprehensive series of HIV educational programs targeting both patients and providers in an ongoing effort to improve the knowledge and health of clients, providers and the community.

Education offerings are modeled in part on programs developed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundatioon. PHC then adapts those programs to meet the special culturally diverse needs of Florida's Medicaid beneficiaries that comprise the HIV/AIDS population of the 67 counties.

Developed with the input of local and national experts, the program makes a special effort to communicate comples treatment issues in everyday language. Educational materials are prepared currently in English, Creole and Spanish. We continue to identify translators who are available to assist our care managers in the field when needed.

The program includes the following:

• Educational forums
• HIV updates patient and provider educational materials (Topics will include: initiating therapy, drug sequencing, adherence, drug resistance)
• HIV/AIDS National Magazine
• Patient newsletter
• Provider newsletter

Positive Healthcare can be reached at (800) 832-0778