Consenting participants interviewed confidentially about their medical care experiences and needs
May 23, 2019 — The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is an HIV surveillance system designed to learn more about the experiences and needs of people who are living with HIV. MMP is being conducted by 23 state and local health departments throughout the United States, including the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MMP randomly samples approximately 600 HIV-positive people living with HIV in Illinois each year to participate in a one-time, confidential telephone interview with a project interviewer from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Participants will receive a $50 Mastercard as a token of appreciation for their time and effort.
Participants will help answer the following questions:
- How many people living with HIV are receiving medical care for HIV?
- How easy is it to access medical care, prevention, and support services?
- What are the met and unmet needs of people living with HIV?
- How is treatment affecting people living with HIV?
The answers to these questions will be used to guide policy and funding decisions aimed at increasing engagement in care and improving quality of care for people living with HIV throughout the United States.
All information collected from participants will be kept confidential including name, contact information, and provider’s name or the facility where he or she practices. Participants’ names, facility names and provider names are not sent to the CDC and will not be used in any reports. With the participant’s permission, the care provider may be asked to provide access to medical records.
If you receive a phone call or a letter from the Illinois Department of Public Health asking you to participate in this project, you are one of the 200 HIV-diagnosed individuals who were randomly selected to participate in this project. By participating, you will have a chance to share your experiences as a person living with HIV. Not everyone with HIV will have this opportunity, so you will represent others living with HIV. This is vitally important, as your responses help to collect information that truly represents the experiences of the HIV population. To get more information about the project and to schedule a time to complete the interview, call the individual at the Illinois Department of Public Health whose name and number is listed in the letter you received.
Information for Health Care Providers and Case Managers
MMP has great potential to shape recommendations related to HIV care, treatment, prevention, and support services. Providers of HIV care are essential to the success of MMP. Patients may have a reported HIV-related test result that suggests they have received care at a particular facility. MMP staff may ask if this facility is willing to provide recent contact information for those patients. Providers may also be asked to provide access to the medical records of participating patients. Providers and case managers may also be asked to facilitate contacting a person: for example, providing patient contact information or reaching out to the sampled individual via a phone call or during the patient’s clinic visit.