Evaluation & Technical Assistance Center (ETAC)
Overview
The University of South Florida Hepatitis C Treatment Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center (ETAC) provides expert technical assistance to demonstration sites funded under the Hepatitis C Treatment Expansion Initiative and evaluate the models of service delivery they implement to manage HIV/HCV co-infected patients.
The ETAC’s primary objectives, in accordance with the program requirements, are to provide clinical training and technical assistance on the implementation of HCV treatment models for patients within Ryan White-funded HIV primary care programs; conduct a rigorous evaluation of demonstration models; and disseminate findings and lessons learned from implemented demonstration models.
Clinical consultation by USF teaching faculty and organizational assistance with input from USF and the demonstration sites will help assure the best quality of care. Working collaboratively with HRSA and the demonstration sites, this project will assess the effectiveness, feasibility, and costs of the service delivery model for which each site is funded. From these assessments, the project will determine which model of patient care best serves HIV/HCV coinfected patients within a diverse set of communities and publishthe findings, with the goal of creating a replicable and sustainable model for integrating HCV treatment into Ryan White programs. ETAC primary activities include: performing initial site- specific needs assessment, using a chart review method to assess site-specific needs, providing expert consulting services, providing ongoing site-specific technical assistance, encourage multi- site collaboration through conference calls and annual meetings, and a rigorous evaluation plan including use of a data reporting system to collect clinical indicators, and implements an exhaustive dissemination plan to share findings with HRSA, key collaborators, and applicable policy makers.
Additional Information
News
USF Morsani College of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease Awarded Prestigious 1.6 Million HRSA Grant to Establish Hepatitis C Treatment Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center
The USF Morsani College of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease and Michael Knox, PhD successfully competed for a four year $1.6 million dollar HRSA grant to establish The Hepatitis C Treatment and Evaluation Technical Assistance Center (ETAC). The HRSA treatment expansion initiative critically examines the treatment of patients co-infected with HIV and Hepatitis C. The USF ETAC will provide clinical training and technical assistance to 15 clinic sites across the country in its first year and to an additional 15 clinic sites in subsequent years. An important goal for this grant is to establish a standard of care for the complex co-viral infection.
The USF ETAC will collect and analyze data from each demonstration site to evaluate the effectiveness of four different models of HIV/HCV comprehensive care. The project will investigate both the clinical success and cost-effectiveness of each care model. In order to ensure the highest quality of care across all clinical sites, the USF ETAC faculty will provide specific assistance at each site including training in clinical HCV management, medical information management, and tools to overcome financial barriers to treatment. At the projects’ conclusion, the USF ETAC and HRSA will help design a model that defines a standard of care and the integration of HCV treatment into federally funded programs nationwide.
The ETAC Research team is led by Principal Investigator John Sinnott, MD, Program Director Jeffrey Beal, MD, Infectious Disease Specialists; Todd Wills, MD and Charurut Somboonwit MD, and Evaluator Martha Friedrich, PhD.