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Eliminating hepatitis C

The Health Care Authority (HCA) is partnering with the Department of Health (DOH) and AbbVie US LLC, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, in an effort to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) in Washington State by 2030.

AbbVie was awarded the state contract because they provided the best overall portfolio and offer a product that treats about 97 percent of all patients with HCV.

Op-ed: A public-private partnership to eliminate hepatitis C in Washington is a model for other states.

Strategy

HCA, DOH and AbbVie are coordinating efforts to find individuals who are not yet treated; educate the health care workforce about screening and providing curative HCV treatment; and address barriers to care such as stigma, access to HCV providers, and the lack of urgency to treat among patients and providers.

In order to achieve HCV elimination in Washington State, DOH convened partners and stakeholders to develop the Hep C Free Washington plan. These include:

People affected by HCV
Local health jurisdictions
Tribal Nations
Medical providers
Others with an interest in HCV elimination

What we need from providers

Action! This is a huge opportunity to rid our state of the most common blood borne disease in the United States – and now it is possible.

Effective immediately, we would like all providers licensed to treat HCV to screen and treat the target population. In order to support our provider community in this monumental effort, Apple Health (Medicaid) has made important policy changes:

The antiviral Mavyret™ will no longer require prior authorization (PA). Other direct-acting antivirals will require review and will be approved only when Mavyret™ is not clinically appropriate.
Anyone licensed to prescribe direct acting antiviral medications is allowed to screen and treat Apple Health members to support this effort.

Webinars and virtual learnings/updates

HCA has launched a webinar series dedicated to highlighting efforts to eliminate HCV in Washington State.

Time and date (Pacific)	Registration	Agenda
April 16, 2021	Hepatitis C update 2021 Hosted by the University of Washington Cost: $330	Join the UW live from 8 a.m. to noon for live webinar sessions. Then, view the remaining sessions at your own pace. At the end of the conference, fill out an evaluation and print your own certificate. You will have access to all lecture videos for six months.
November 6, 2020 Listen at your convenience	HCA webinar series recording: Myth busting: treating hepatitis C in primary care	Presenter: John Scott, MD, MSc Disease state Treatment review and myth busting Care models including treating patients in the telemedicine environment
October 6, 2020 Listen at your convenience	HCA webinar series recording: Eliminating hepatitis C in Washington State	Hepatitis C in Washington State Governor Inslee’s 2018 Directive 18-13 Department of Health (DOH) and Hep C Free Washington The role of Primary Care Providers (PCPs) What’s to come in future webinars Questions and closing

Elimination awareness bus

HCA and AbbVie deployed an HCV elimination awareness bus to areas of Washington State with high-risk HCV populations. This strategy is part of a national program to educate the population about the importance of screening and linkage to care. When a person visits the bus, they are able to get hep C antibody testing to determine if they may have the virus.

2022 bus stops

Date	Event	Event details
October 8	Family Medical Health Fair	Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Location: 1120 West Rose Street Walla Walla, WA 99362
October 7	Project Homeless Connect	Time: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: The Church Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1102 South Pearl St, Tacoma, WA 98465
August 31	Gather Church Event	TBD
August 30	Gather Church Event	TBD
March 2	Spokane Regional Health District Needle Exchange	Time: 2 - 5 p.m. Location: Spokane Regional Health District
March 1	Spokane Homeless Connect	Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Spokane Convention Center
January 27	Spokane Homeless Connect	Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Spokane Convention Center

2021 bus stops

Date	Event	Event details
December 18	Blessings Under the Bridge winter event - Spokane, WA	Testing: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Downtown Spokane under the bridge off 4th and McClellan
September 17	Project Homeless Connect - Tacoma, WA	Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Peoples Park 900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Tacoma, WA
September 15	Gather Church Event - Centralia, WA	Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Location: Rotary Riverside Park Lowe Street North of Harrison, Centralia, WA
September 6	Hands Across the Bridge - Vancouver, WA	Time: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Location: Esther Short Park, 605 Esther St. Vancouver, WA
August 14	Summer Blessings - Spokane, WA	Time: testing from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Location: Downtown Spokane under the bridge off 4th and McClellan
August 11	Blessings Under the Bridge - Spokane, WA	Time: 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Location: Downtown Spokane under the bridge off 4th and McClellan

2020 bus stops

HCA put a hold on public gatherings as part of our response to Covid-19. However, the bus made stops in early 2020 at:

9th Annual Spokane Homeless Connect - Spokane, WA
Legislative Day - Olympia, WA
2020 Seattle/King County Clinic - Seattle, WA

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common blood borne disease in the United States. Between 75 and 85 percent of people infected with HCV develop chronic HCV.

Chronic HCV is a lifelong virus that can cause severe scarring (cirrhosis) of the liver, liver cancer, the need for a liver transplant, and even death. The death toll from HCV continues to rise, tied to the opioid epidemic and the rise in drug injection.

Currently, about 60,000 Washingtonians are living with HCV. Approximately 30,000 are covered by state-purchased health care, including:

Washington Apple Health
The Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program
The Department of Corrections (DOC)
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)
The Department of Social & Health Services (State hospitals)

HCV is curable and elimination is possible. Elimination is a state where HCV is no longer a public health threat, and where those few who become infected quickly learn their status and receive curative treatment, preventing the forward spread of the virus.