HIV Continuum of Care: Challenges in Management

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continuum of care within the Inova Health System (IHS) has three levels of management: individual case management, linkage management, and disease-state management. Individual case management takes place at each operating unit— physician's office, hospital, home health care setting, or hospice—and has a multidisciplinary team that addresses treatment, education, therapy, and counseling. Inova Home Health and Hospice of Northern Virginia developed a staging tool to objectively determine the appropriate level of care and to provide a seamless transition between home health care and hospice. Inova's HIV Services provides the disease management component, incorporating proactive and cost-effective management of patients through the disease life cycle and across all settings.