American Academy of HIV Medicine and the Institute for Technology in Health Care Announce the 2017 HIV Practice Award Winner

The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) is pleased to announce Dr. Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH, of Jordan Health in Rochester, NY, as the winner of the sixth annual AAHIVM/Institute for Technology in Health Care HIV Practice Award. Dr. Fiscella will receive $20,000 in recognition of his innovative use of technology in caring for people living with HIV.

“While technology plays a vital role in HIV, often patients are socially disadvantaged and many, particularly the older patients, are on the wrong side of the digital divide,” stated Dr. Fiscella. “I think this award highlights the power of technology, but also the need for technology to be brought to everyone.”

Using a community-based participatory research approach involving persons living with HIV (PLWH), clinicians and AIDS organizations, Dr. Fiscella and his team developed URHealth, an electronic patient health record (ePHR) for PLWH. It is unique because it uses the patient’s own data to prompt him or her to ask their HIV clinicians about specific gaps in care.

Provided as an app, URHealth, prompts patients to take action when their viral load is not undetectable or when they are missing key preventive steps. It also provides links to high quality HIV related information. Most importantly, peer-facilitated trainings ensure that patients not only understand how to use their smart device and URHealth, but that they also understand the significance of lab results, various medications, and immunizations, and have the skills and confidence to discuss their questions and concerns with their HIV clinicians.

Staff from eight HIV practices in Rochester and New York, NY have engaged in this use of technology.

In its sixth year, the AAHIVM/Institute for Technology HIV Practice Award seeks to acknowledge those who have created, adapted and/or used innovative technology in their HIV practice and to share that technological knowledge with others in the practice of HIV medicine to improve patient care.

As the winner of the AAHIVM/Institute for Technology in Healthcare HIV Practice Award, Dr. Fiscella recently presented URHealth at the ACTHIV conference in Dallas, TX.

“It’s a really powerful tool in bringing patients together all committed to the same goal, which is improving self-management through technology,” stated Dr. Fiscella.

About AAHIVM

The American Academy of HIV Medicine is a professional organization that supports the HIV practitioner and promotes accessible, quality care for all Americans living with HIV disease. Our membership of HIV practitioners and credentialed providers give direct care to the majority of HIV patients in the US.

About ITHC

The Institute for Technology in Health Care (ITHC) encourages the use of technology in various fields to benefit health care. ITHC wishes to stimulate users, researchers, and students to present papers to groups of their peers, or write articles that demonstrate how they have used technology from any field to benefit the practices of medicine to improve health in any community. It is also interested in stimulating innovative projects that use technology from any field to benefit health.