Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research

HIV Rapid Testing in a VA Primary Care Department Setting: Programmatic Cost Analysis at Five Years

Abstract

Herschel Knapp and Kee Chan

Patients with HIV benefit from early diagnosis, however, the approach and cost of HIV testing is often unknown. Thus, this study explored the implementation of a universal (non-risk-based) nurse-initiated HIV rapid testing program in the Primary Care Clinic at the Veterans Health Administration, Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Clinic near Downtown Los Angeles. Over the course of the first five years of this program, nurses administered a total of 2,117 tests. The mean programmatic cost of the first five years is estimated at about $4,868 (SD $1,344) per year ($11.50 per test). The overall cost of the implementation may have slightly increased cost but within a reasonable range.