Retention in HIV Care Among Participants in the Patient-Centered HIV Care Model: A Collaboration Between Community-Based Pharmacists and Primary Medical Providers

Abstract Poor retention in HIV care is associated with higher morbidity and mortality and greater risk of HIV transmission. The Patient-Centered HIV Care Model (PCHCM) integrated community-based pharmacists with medical providers. The model required sharing of patient clinical information and collaborative therapy-related action planning. The proportion of persons retained in care (≥1 medical visit in each 6-month period of a 12-month measurement period with ≥60 days between visits), pre- and post-PCHCM implementation, was modeled using log binomial regression. Factors associated with post-implementation retention were determined using multi-variable regression. Of 765 enrolled persons, the plurality were male (n = 555) and non-Hispanic black (n = 331), with a median age of 48 years (interquartile range = 38–55); 680 and 625 persons were included in the pre- and post-implementation analyses, respectively. Overall, retention improved 12.9% (60.7–68.5%, p = 0.002). The largest improvement was seen among non...