The
D.C.
HIV/AIDS
Administration
is
rolling
out
a
new
program
for
people
who
receive
Ryan
White
Emergency
CARE
Act
funds
aimed
at
making
it
easier
to
receive
health
care
from
multiple
service
providers.
The
program,
called
XPRES,
is
being
praised
by
some
while
others
are
concerned
the
program’s
new
ID
cards
will
compromise
client
confidentiality.
Felicia
Lynch,
HAA’s
director
of
health
and
support
services,
said
that,
with
the
old
system
—
which
is
still
in
place
in
a
few
locations
—
clients
have
to
go
through
separate
intake
procedures
each
time
they
change
providers.
With
XPRES,
there
will
be
a
unifying
database
so
providers
can
pull
up
the
health
history
of
each
client.
Lynch
said
that
HAA
began
implementing
XPRES
in
pilot
programs
around
the
region
beginning
in
March.
Now
98
percent
of
service
providers
have
the
program
and
are
being
trained
on
how
to
use
it.
Clients
are
issued
a
white
plastic
card
with
a
key
code
and
a
four
or
five
digit
number.
The
cards
are
swiped
in
the
same
manner
as
a
credit
card.
The
client’s
complete
medical
history
shows
up
on
the
provider’s
computer
screen.
Lynch
said
the
cards
can
be
used
by
people
receiving
federal
Ryan
White
CARE
Act
Title
I
and
Title
II
funds.
The
Ryan
White
legislation
funds
primary
care
and
support
services
for
people
living
with
HIV
disease
who
have
no
other
health
care
or
the
financial
ability
to
pay
for
their
care.
Title
I
provides
grants
in
metropolitan
areas
where
the
epidemic
has
hit
the
hardest.
Title
II
provides
funding
for
states.
“Clients
have
the
choice
to
receive
case
management
from
one
provider,
primary
medical
from
another,
and
complementary
therapy
from
yet
another,”
Lynch
said.
“Because
an
individual
is
living
with
HIV/AIDS
and
receiving
treatment
and
care
supported
by
Ryan
White
dollars
does
not
mean
they
have
given
up
their
right
to
choose
where,
how
and
from
whom
they
can
receive
services.
Utilizing
the
card
insures
autonomy
and
choice.”
AIDS
Coalition
to
Unleash
Power
spokesperson
Wayne
Turner
testified
to
the
difficulties
with
the
old
system.
He
said
that
his
partner,
Steve
Michael,
who
died
on
May
25,
1998,
went
through
several
case
managers
and
had
to
get
re-tested
for
HIV
when
he
saw
a
new
provider.
“He
had
three
new
appointments
just
to
go
through
the
intake.
There
is
excessive
red
tape.
It’s
just
nightmarish,”
Turner
said.
The
Women’s
Collective,
a
community-based
organization
run
by
and
for
women
living
with
and
at
risk
for
HIV/AIDS,
was
one
of
the
first
to
implement
XPRES.
 |
| Dr.
Pat
Hawkins,
associate
executive
director
for
policy
at
the
Whitman-Walker
Clinic
and
a
member
of
the
Ryan
White
Planning
Council
and
its
Quality
Insurance
Committee,
said
there
is
a
lot
of
confusion
about
the
identification
cards.
(File
photo) |
Women’s
Collective
case
manager
Diana
Kenlow
said
that
the
new
system
is
quicker
and
less
“tedious”
than
the
old
one.
“When
a
person
comes
into
care
for
a
specific
service,
we’re
able
to
track
that
person
in
terms
of
other
services
provided,”
Kenlow
said.
She
said
under
the
old
system,
people
were
able
to
“agency
hop”
and
receive
duplicate
services
from
many
providers.
She
said
the
new
system
should
prevent
this
from
happening.
Kenlow
added
that
the
case
managers
can
follow
up
to
see
if
their
clients
follow
through
with
their
referrals.
Dr.
Pat
Hawkins,
associate
executive
director
for
policy
at
the
Whitman-Walker
Clinic,
is
also
a
member
of
the
Ryan
White
Planning
Council
and
its
Quality
Insurance
Committee.
She
said
there
is
mixed
information
and
confusion
about
XPRES.
She
said
that
some
people
with
HIV
and
AIDS
are
concerned
about
what
will
happen
if
people
find
out
what
the
cards
are
for.
They’re
afraid,
because
of
the
stigma
surrounding
the
illness,
that
people
might
use
the
cards
to
somehow
target
people
with
AIDS
and
HIV.
Lynch
said
this
won’t
happen
because
there
is
no
identifying
information
on
the
cards.
“It
can
only
identify
the
individual
once
it
is
swiped
in
a
card
reader,”
Lynch
said.
Hawkins
expressed
concern
about
the
confidentiality
of
the
clients.
She
said
that
under
the
Health
Insurance
Portability
&
Accountability
Act
of
1996,
patients
are
given
the
option
to
not
disclose
certain
medical
information.
Hawkins
gave
the
example
of
a
person
who
has
a
substance
abuse
or
a
mental
health
problem.
She
said
the
person
might
not
want
this
information
revealed
to
their
general
practitioner.
“We
support
the
concept
of
a
unified
database,
but
we
don’t
support
it
without
the
protections
in
place,”
she
said.
Lynch
insisted
that
despite
confusion
about
the
XPRES
card,
that
the
program
is
“totally
HIPAA
compliant.”
Lynch
said
the
Health
Resources
&
Services
Administration
requires
that
all
the
Ryan
White
Title
programs
provide
reports
on
services
provided
and
utilization
of
services.
“We
felt
if
we
were
going
to
be
revamping
the
entire
system
that
we
ought
to
have
improved
access
for
the
clients,”
Lynch
said.
She
said
there
are
no
additional
costs
for
XPRES
—
that
the
same
funds
that
were
used
to
fund
the
old
program
will
be
used
for
the
new
one.
More
than
13,000
people
with
HIV/AIDS
in
the
metropolitan
...
