Clinical Guidelines for the Medical Management of Hepatitis C
I. Summary
The advent of safe and effective antiviral therapy for hepatitis C and diagnostic technologies has shifted the treatment paradigm from liver transplantation for end-stage disease to ambulatory care. The public health infrastructure is in place to monitor trends in disease through HCV reporting and public health follow-up as needed. Primary care providers can assume an important leadership role in hepatitis C management and should be prepared to initiate HCV testing and provide counseling and information to patients. As part of a multidisciplinary team of hepatologists, social services providers, counselors, addiction medicine specialists and others, the primary care setting will often be the first point of contact for many newly diagnosed patients.
