HAB INFORMATION E-MAIL
Volume 7, Issue 10
May 13, 2004

This HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) e-mail features updates for the CARE Act
community. To subscribe contact Paula Jones at < pjones1@... >.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

HRSA/HAB NEWS

~IOM Report Addresses Public Financing and Delivery of HIV Care~

~2003 HRSA Honor Awards Go to HIV/AIDS Bureau Staff~

~SPNS IT Grants: Improving Care through Technology~

~HRSA-wide Telehealth Inventory: Grantee Responses Due May 28~

~Unmet Need Resources Available in Spanish~

~Ryan White CARE Act Grantee Conference Update: Agenda Available~

~CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee Meeting: May 20-21, Atlanta~

OTHER NEWS

~CDC's New Program Evaluation and Monitoring System: Comments Due June 4~

~ADAP Watch Reports Growing Waiting Lists~

~Medicare to Expand Reimbursement Rate to Nursing Homes for AIDS Care~

~New Treatment Recommendations for Gonorrhea Among Men Who Have Sex With
Men~

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~HRSA/HAB NEWS~

***IOM Report Addresses Public Financing and Delivery of HIV Care***

Today, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee on Public Financing and
Delivery of HIV Care is releasing their report, "Public Financing and
Delivery of HIV/AIDS Care: Securing the Legacy of Ryan White." To view the
report and a press release go to:
< http://www.iom.edu/ >.

***2003 HRSA Honor Awards Go to HIV/AIDS Bureau Staff ***

HAB staff were among the recipients of 2003 HRSA Honor Awards, which were
announced last week. Recipients of the Administrator's Award for Excellence
are Kim Evans, Sonya Hunt Gray, Angela Powell, and Eda Valero-Figueira. The
HAB Corrections Demonstration Working Group received the Administrator's
Citation for Outstanding Group Performance. Members include Glenn Acham,
Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, Karen Brown, Sonya Hunt Gray, Richard Moore, Melinda
Tinsley and Pamela Wilson.

Congratulations to all!

***SPNS IT Grants: Improving Care through Technology***

Information technology--like electronic medical records and databases--can
help improve delivery of health care. How this is done is the focus of six
Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) grants, funded under the
CARE Act to identify models of HIV care. Among the technology products
under investigation in the SPNS Information Technology (IT) Initiative are:

* computer work stations in the clinic to give clients access to medical
records and to allow for providers to administer patient questionnaires;

* data management software to integrate systems such as medical records with
case management; and

* web-based software that links HIV counseling and testing services to HIV
medical care.

To read the full report, including a chart summary of IT tools being
reviewed, study aims, indicators, and cost-effectiveness measures, go to:
< http://hab.hrsa.gov/reports/spnsreport_it.htm >.

***HRSA-wide Telehealth Inventory: Grantee Responses Due May 28***

Last November, Dr. Elizabeth Duke, the HRSA Administrator, sent a letter to
HRSA grantees requesting their participation in a HRSA-wide Telehealth
Inventory. The letter included a user name and password. The inventory
will aid in HRSA's efforts to assist HRSA grantees in their present and
future use of telehealth technologies and improve our nation's telehealth
infrastructure. If you have not completed the Telehealth Inventory, please
do so before the due date of May 28, 2004.

The Telehealth Inventory can be completed online at:
< http://www.telemed.med.ecu.edu/hrsa >.

The inventory can also be completed by phoning the Telehealth Inventory Help
Desk at 866/ 515-4572, Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

***Unmet Need Resources Available in Spanish***

Three resources to assist CARE Act grantees and planning bodies,
particularly Title I and II jurisdictions, in assessing unmet need are now
available in Spanish on the HAB web site. Included are the "Unmet Need
Practical Guide," a document on frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a
glossary of acronyms.

To view the documents go to:
< http://hab.hrsa.gov/tools/unmetneedsp/toc.htm >.

***Ryan White CARE Act Grantee Conference Update: Agenda Available***

The agenda for the Ryan White CARE Act Grantee Conference is now available
on the HAB web site. There are six conference tracks including: access to
care; fiscal and program administration; coordination and linkages; data,
evaluation and outcomes; program development; and quality.

To view the agenda go to:
< http://www.psava.com/rwca2004/agenda.asp >.

For general conference information go to:
< http://www.psava.com/rwca2004/general.asp >.

***CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee Meeting: May 20-21, Atlanta***

The CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment will
meet Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21 at the Sheraton Buckhead Hotel in
Atlanta, Georgia. The advisory committee will address various issues
including CDC's HIV and STD Prevention program, HRSA's HIV Care and Support
Programs and Budget and the CARE Act Reauthorization, plus a presentation on
the IOM Report on public financing and delivery of HIV care. The meeting is
open to the public and there is a public comment period scheduled for Friday
morning.

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~OTHER NEWS~

***CDC's New Program Evaluation and Monitoring System: Comments Due June
4***

A Federal Register notice announcing the new CDC Program Evaluation and
Monitoring System (PEMS) for Health Departments and Community-based
Organizations (CBOs) was published on April 5, 2004-there is a 60-day period
for public comment. Changes to the evaluation and reporting process have
become necessary to ensure CDC receives standardized, accurate, and thorough
evaluation data from both health department and CBO grantees. For these
reasons, CDC developed PEMS, in consultation with representatives from
health departments, CBOs and the National Alliance of State and Territorial
AIDS Directors.

For a copy of the notice and directions on where to send comments go to:
<
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov
/2004/pdf/04-7558.pdf >

If the link does not work, cut and paste the entire URL into your browser.

***ADAP Watch Reports Growing Waiting Lists***

In April, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
released their latest "ADAP Watch" report that indicated that 13 states have
waiting lists or access restrictions on their AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
(ADAPs). As of April, 1,263 people were on waiting lists, up from 791 in
January. According to "ADAP Watch," Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado,
Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota,
Washington and West Virginia have waiting lists and/or access restrictions.
In addition, Alabama, California, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas are anticipating new or
additional restrictions during fiscal year 2004, which ends March 31, 2005.


To view the report go to:
<
http://www.nastad.org/documents/public/PublicPolicy/200449ADAPFundingWatchAp
ril2004.pdf >.

***Medicare to Expand Reimbursement Rate to Nursing Homes for AIDS Care***

Under a provision in the new Medicare reform law, current rates for nursing
homes that care for people living with AIDS will increase 128 percent as of
Oct. 1. Daily Medicare payment rates for nursing homes are paid
prospectively and are determined by a classification system based on the
needs of beneficiaries (e.g., higher payments for patient in poor health or
with complicated care). Daily rates cover the costs of routine services
such as room, board, nursing care and some medical supplies; treatment
costs, such as laboratory services and medications; and capital costs. The
new payment rates reflect the increased costs associated with caring for
people with AIDS.

To view a press release on the increased rates go to:
< http://www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1033 >.

***Increase in Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea Prompts New Treatment
Recommendations for Gay and Bisexual Men***

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that
fluoroquinolones no longer be used as first-line treatment for gonorrhea
among men who have sex with men (MSM). The recommendation was made after
preliminary data showed that drug-resistant gonorrhea cases increased
significantly in the United States in 2003, particularly among gay and
bisexual men. A CDC study of men seen at STD clinics in 23 U.S. cities
that participate in the CDC's gonococcal surveillance program found that the
proportion of gonorrhea cases resistant to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin,
ofloxacin, and levofloxacin) more than doubled, from 0.4 percent in 2002 to
0.9 percent in 2003. Occurrence of fluoroquinolone-resistant
Neisseria-gonorrhoeae (QRNG) was highest among MSM, increasing nearly
three-fold from 1.8 percent in 2002 to 4.9 percent in 2003. The nearly 5
percent rate among MSM was 12 times higher than among heterosexual men (0.4
percent).

The new CDC-recommended treatment options for MSM with gonorrhea include the
injectable antibiotics ceftriaxone, 125-mg IM (for anorectal, pharyngeal,
and urogenital cases) and spectinomycin, 2-g IM (for anorectal and
urogenital cases only). The antibiotic cefixime is also an option, but is
only available in liquid form in the United States. Given the low
occurrence of QRNG among heterosexual men and women, no change in national
gonorrhea treatment recommendations for this group is warranted. Some state
and local areas have changed, or may need to change, their recommendations
based on local data. CDC is working with state and local health departments
to ensure that physicians and health care providers know about the new
recommendations for drug-resistant gonorrhea in MSM and that they receive
future updates on treatment options.

To view the recommendations go to:
< http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5316a1.htm >.

A press release on the study and the new recommendations is available at:
< http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r040429.htm >.

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In addition to the resources listed above, don't forget to check out these
other HAB resources, which are updated regularly.

HAB Web Site < http://hab.hrsa.gov >
CARE Act Technical Information and Education (CATIE) Library
< http://hab.hrsa.gov/CATIE/ >

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The HAB Information E-mail is distributed biweekly by the HRSA/HAB Division
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