The Utilization and Impact of Interconnected Electronic Health Record Tools on Hepatitis C Elimination Efforts in a Large Municipal Healthcare System

New York State and New York City (NYC) developed hepatitis C (HCV) elimination plans to reduce premature deaths and new infections. NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H + H), the municipal healthcare system for NYC serving over a million individuals annually, designed electronic health record (EHR) tools that collaboratively facilitated screening, linkage, and tracking of patients diagnosed with HCV through to cure. This study reviews the impact of this group of EHR tools by comparing data on HCV testing, linkage, and cure for 12 months before tools were released and a second 12-month period coinciding with the release of tools. Indicators related to HCV screening, diagnoses, treatment initiation, and cure were assessed. All indicators reviewed improved following the implementation of EHR tools. The proportion of individuals screened increased from 34% pre-intervention to 46% during the implementation phase; the number of individuals on direct-acting antivirals increased by 11%; and the number of individuals reaching cure increased by 37%. Efforts to collaboratively develop custom interlinking EHR tools to establish a systematic process proved impactful. Integrating the needs and functions of different care settings and the structure of the local epidemic allowed for the successful development and implementation of impactful resources.