The proposed solution to address management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients in rural Arizona is to establish standard clinic guidelines for managing HCV patients. When I first envisioned the proposed solution, I presumed a simple algorithm would perhaps be adequate to provide a standard of care for HCV patients in the rural health clinic. After observing the many intricacies of managing HCV patients (such as patient adherence, insurance timeliness, and frequency of patient visits), I currently have the perspective that clinic guidelines should encompass the numerous aspects that play a role in managing HCV. Clinic guidelines should provide advice on when to order both pre- and post- HCV screening and for whom. Clinic staff should be educated on specific insurance requirements for HCV to enhance insurance authorization times and reduce costs. In addition, development of dynamic worksheets to identify HCV patients that have elapsed a certain length of time between provider visits should be implemented. The proposed solution now has the direction of an outline of recommendations for measures to practice to successfully manage HCV patients in the rural setting.
