STOP-HCC Evidence-Based Hepatocellular Cancer Prevention Through Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Patients randomized to Group 1 will receive visit-based HCV screening, as offered by clinic providers as part of usual care. Providers must identify at-risk patients who are eligible for HCV screening, understand the benefits of screening in this population, and enter orders for HCV Ab testing. If the HCV antibody is abnormal, providers must order appropriate follow-up tests including HCV viral load to confirm HCV infection. Once HCV is confirmed, providers must refer the patients for fibrosis assessment and treatment evaluation. These efforts are augmented by an established best practice alert and health maintenance reminders.

Patients randomized to Group 2 will receive low literacy, written materials about HCV screening in English and Spanish. The invitation will include patient-centered educational materials that discuss the risk of HCV in patients with elevated LFTs and the benefits and risks of HCV screening. The invitation will include a phone number to schedule the HCV antibody test. Once a potential subject is identified and randomized in Group 2, an outreach invitation will be mailed out. Shortly after the letter, a bilingual patient navigator will call to this potential subject. Patients will also receive centralized patient navigation to facilitate screening completion and appropriate test follow-up. He/she will help patients schedule HCV antibody testing and will assume responsibility for tracking results. Patients referred to the Hepatitis C clinic for treatment evaluation will receive reminder calls from trained and credentialed study staff 5-7 business days for scheduled appointments.