June 27^th has been designated by the US Department of Health and Human Services to be National HIV Testing Day.

Since the discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the 1980’s, HIV has affected numerous millions of people in the United States alone.   The CDC estimates more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection currently and about 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

The CDC also reports that almost 1 in 5 (18.1%) of infected individuals are unaware of their infection.  As with any disease, the ideal way to fight the spread of HIV is with early detection.  It allows those who are diagnosed to initiate treatment as soon as possible, increasing survival chances and quality of life. This also helps to eliminate the chance of unknowingly spreading the disease to others. 

Healthcare professionals should take this opportunity to encourage high risk individuals to be screened for HIV.  Information on testing that is geared to provider education is provided on the aids.gov website.

For patients, a screening location finder can be found on the CDC website by clicking here or also at http://aids.gov/.

The table below lists basic on the Medicare coverage for HIV Screening.  Please consult the CMS Preventive Services website for complete detailed information.