Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care
Authors: Jonathan D. Alpern, Thomas M. Leventhal, Nathan C. Bahr
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Letters19 June 2018Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to CareJonathan D. Alpern, MD, Thomas M. Leventhal, MD, and Nathan C. Bahr, MDJonathan D. Alpern, MDHealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota (J.D.A.)Search for more papers by this author, Thomas M. Leventhal, MDUniversity of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas (T.M.L., N.C.B.)Search for more papers by this author, and Nathan C. Bahr, MDUniversity of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas (T.M.L., N.C.B.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L18-0099 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Abara and colleagues' (1) guideline highlights the suboptimal rates of HBV screening and treatment in the United States. The authors note that many barriers prevent patients with HBV infection from receiving treatment but state that “linkage to care ensures that patients with chronic HBV infection receive treatment when they become eligible.” Although linkage to care is a crucial component of HBV management, our experience has been that it is not sufficient to ensure treatment. High prescription drug costs are a substantial system-level barrier that must be considered when caring for patients with HBV infection in the United ...References1. Abara WE, Qaseem A, Schillie S, McMahon BJ, Harris AM; High Value Care Task Force of the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B vaccination, screening, and linkage to care: best practice advice from the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:794-804. [PMID: 29159414]. doi:10.7326/M17-1106 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Alpern JD, Zhang L, Stauffer WM, Kesselheim AS. Trends in pricing and generic competition within the oral antibiotic drug market in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65:1848-52. [PMID: 29020146] doi:10.1093/cid/cix634 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lee H. ANDA approval. 2017. Accessed at www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2017/090894Orig1s000ltr.pdf on 10 December 2017. Google Scholar4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Generic competition and drug prices. 2015. Accessed at www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CDER/ucm129385.htm on 20 January 2017. Google Scholar5. Duke KS, Raube K, Lipton HL. Patient-assistance programs: assessment of and use by safety-net clinics. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2005;62:726-31. [PMID: 15790800] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota (J.D.A.)University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas (T.M.L., N.C.B.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L18-0099. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care: Best Practice Advice From the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Winston E. Abara , Amir Qaseem , Sarah Schillie , Brian J. McMahon , Aaron M. Harris , and Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care David M. Lowe Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care Winston E. Abara , Amir Qaseem , Sarah Schillie , Brian J. McMahon , and Aaron M. Harris Metrics 19 June 2018Volume 168, Issue 12Page: 902KeywordsAntimicrobialsConflicts of interestDisclosureDrugsHepatitis AHepatitis BPatientsTreatment guidelines ePublished: 19 June 2018 Issue Published: 19 June 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...