302. HCV Care in Federally Qualified Health Centers During the Opioid Epidemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) serve diverse communities in the United States (US) and could function as important venues to manage hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Little is known on HCV outcomes in underserved communities as most of the current data are derived from clinical trials, commercially insured patients, or small health center samples. We aimed to determine the proportion of HCV testing, factors associated with treatment initiation, and real-world treatment outcomes in a large, national diverse sample of US FQHCs during the opioid epidemic. METHODS: We created a retrospective cohort of adults seen at 341 participating FQHCs in 19 US states. Inclusion criteria were: (1) clinical visit between January 01, 2012 and June 30, 2017; (2) ≥18 years of age. Outcomes included HCV testing proportion, stratified by diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD); treatment initiation rates; and sustained virologic response (SVR), defined as undetectable HCV RNA 3 months after treatment completion. We identified factors associated with testing, treatment initiation, and SVR using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 1,508,525 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 88,384 (5.9%) were tested for HCV, and 8,694 (9.8%) of individuals tested had reactive results. Of the 6,357 with HCV RNA testing, 4,092 (64.4%) had detectable RNA. Twelve percent of individuals with chronic HCV and evaluable data initiated treatment. Of those, 86% reached SVR. Having commercial insurance (aOR, 2.10, 95% CI, 1.45–3.02), older age (aOR, 1.07, 95% CI, 1.06–1.09) and being Hispanic/Latino (aOR, 1.35, 95% CI, 1.33–1.38) or Asian/Pacific Islander (aOR, 1.84, 95% CI, 1.79–1.90) were independently associated with higher odds of treatment initiation after multivariable adjustment. Only 8% of individuals with chronic HCV were tested for HIV, and 15% of individuals with identified OUD were tested for HCV. CONCLUSION: During the opioid epidemic, fewer than 20% of individuals with identified OUD were tested for HCV at evaluated FQHCs. In addition, approximately 10% of patients initiated treatment and SVR was lower than expected. Expansion of HCV management into community clinics must consider measures to monitor and evaluate treatment effectiveness, and to improve outcomes if cure rates are low. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.