RIA: Rapid Initiation of HIV Antiretroviral Treatment

A new HIV diagnosis is an immediate call to action for every provider who engages with that individual, to assure the rapid initiation of antiretroviral treatment (RIA). New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) HIV Clinical Guidelines state that treatment is recommended for all patients with a confirmed HIV diagnosis regardless of their CD4 cell count or viral load. All providers serving persons with HIV should establish systems which strive for the same-day initiation of HIV treatment, even while initial lab work is pending. While same-day initiation of treatment may not always be possible, it is ideal that patients be started on treatment within three days. In the outpatient setting, in no instance should treatment initiation take longer than 30 days.