Financial incentives enhance viral suppression among HIV-positive persons in the US
The results of the study are published online in JAMA Internal Medicine . The research team, led by Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, director of ICAP and professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, evaluated the effectiveness of financial incentives on linkage to care, defined as the proportion of HIV-positive individuals at the test site linked to care within three months, and viral suppression in HIV-positive patients, defined as the proportion of established patients at HIV care sites with a suppressed viral load less than 400 copies/mL and assessed quarterly. The financial incentives offered were a $25 coupon redeemable within three months for getting blood drawn for HIV-related tests and $100 for meeting with a clinician and developing a care plan for individuals who tested HIV-positive at a financial incentive test site. HIV-positive patients receiving antiretroviral therapy at a financial incentive care site and engaged in...