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To achieve maximum benefit from HIV care, patients need prompt clinical follow-up after their initial diagnosis. In this study, investigators assessed the timing of follow-up HIV care (defined as determination of CD4-cell count, viral load, or both) among 1928 individuals in New York City who received new HIV, non-AIDS diagnoses (defined as new positive results on Western blot tests) in 2003. All data were drawn from a citywide population-based registry of HIV patients.
Sixty-four percent of patients initiated HIV care within 3 months of diagnosis, 19% initiated care >3 months after diagnosis, and 17% did not initiate care at all between 2003 and 2006. The likelihood of delayed care was significantly higher for patients who had their Western…