Improving Hepatitis C Virus Screening Rates in Primary Care: A Targeted Intervention Using the Electronic Health Record

Purpose: With the advent of effective treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV), it has become a public health priority to increase the identification of HCV carriers and link them to systems of care. As a result, in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all adults born between 1945 and 1965 should receive one-time testing for HCV. In response to this mandate, we sought an effective nonintrusive means to increase HCV screening rates in our busy primary care practices. Methods: We designed an HCV testing decision support module that was integrated into the electronic health record (EHR) and triggered an automatic test order for eligible patients at the time of visit. Rates of HCV screening for eligible patients were measured before and after implementation. Results: Hepatitis C virus screening rates increased by 254% after implementation of this tool. Conclusion: Incorporating a clinical reminder into the EHR effectively and appropriately increased the hepatitis C testing rates among primary care patients with no previous testing. Such tools can be an effective means to operationalize health system-wide testing efforts.