Effectiveness of a screening program for hepatitis C.

We sought to determine the outcomes of a screening program for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Of 536 veterans initially screened between July 2000 and June 2001 for risk factors and then tested positive for antibody for HCV, only 260 (48.5%) kept their initial appointments for further evaluation; 51 were not viremic and only 19 (9.1%) were treatment eligible. Of the 276 who did not keep their initial appointments, 92 were subsequently evaluated over the next 2 years and 23 (25%) were treatment eligible, along with another 15 from the first group. Thus, with appropriate intervention and long-term follow-up, there were 57 treatment candidates. In conclusion, most veterans who tested positive either failed to keep their appointment or were ineligible for treatment when first evaluated. Over the following 2 years, some were lost to follow-up, many continued to have contraindication(s) to antiviral therapy, and relatively few were treatment candidates.