Dr. Bruce Schackman, associate professor of public health, has been awarded an R01 Grant by the National Institute on Drug Abuse for an Economic Analysis of Rapid HIV and HCV Testing in Drug Abuse Treatment Programs. The grant will fund Dr. Schackman's study to determine the costs of on-site rapid HIV testing strategies in drug treatment programs and evaluate their cost-effectiveness, compared to standard care which includes off-site referral for testing. Currently fewer than half of U.S. drug treatment programs offer on-site HIV testing and fewer than 40 percent offer hepatitis C testing — despite its patients being at high risk for both infections. The study will also project the cost and cost-effectiveness of on-site rapid hepatitis C testing, once it becomes available in the U.S., in combination with rapid HIV testing and on its own. Results will assist drug treatment programs in determining budget needs for testing, and will help policymakers compare "value for money" of different testing programs.
October 19, 2009
