Eliminating hepatitis C

The Health Care Authority (HCA) is partnering with the Department of Health (DOH) and AbbVie US LLC, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, in an effort to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) in Washington State by 2030.

On this page

Learn more about eliminating hepatitis C in Washington.

Read the Governor's directive

Mavyret allowed to be dispensed up to a 12-week supply

Effective for claims on or after March 1, 2024, Apple Health has increased the maximum allowable days’ supply for Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir).

Pharmacies may dispense and submit claims for up to a 12-week (84 days) supply of Mavyret in a single fill. Mavyret is preferred and does not require prior authorization.

See HCA's hepatitis C treatment policy for more information or email Apple Health pharmacy.

Strategy

HCA, DOH, and AbbVie are coordinating efforts to find individuals who are not yet treated; educate the health care workforce about screening and providing curative HCV treatment; and address barriers to care such as stigma, access to HCV providers, and the lack of urgency to treat among patients and providers.

In order to achieve HCV elimination in Washington State, DOH convened partners and stakeholders to develop the Hep C Free Washington plan. These include:

  • People affected by HCV
  • Local health jurisdictions
  • Tribal Nations
  • Medical providers
  • Others with an interest in HCV elimination

What we need from providers

Action! This is a huge opportunity to rid our state of the most common blood borne disease in the United States – and now it is possible.

Effective immediately, we would like all providers licensed to treat HCV to screen and treat the target population. In order to support our provider community in this monumental effort, Apple Health (Medicaid) has made important policy changes:

  • The antiviral Mavyret™ no longer requires prior authorization (PA). Other direct-acting antivirals will require review and will be approved only when Mavyret™ is not clinically appropriate.
  • Anyone licensed to prescribe direct acting antiviral medications is allowed to screen and treat Apple Health members to support this effort.

Hepatitis C data dashboard

The Health Care Authority (HCA) has built a hepatitis C (HCV) elimination dashboard for your use.

This interactive dashboard shows the total number of Washingtonians diagnosed and treated for hepatitis C since 2015. The map is broken into counties so you can see the impact in your community. You can filter by age, race/ethnicity, and gender. The graph shows the total patients diagnosed and total patients treated per year with denotations of HCA policy changes.

How is the data determined?

  • Patients are counted by their first date of service for diagnosis and first treatment date
  • If numbers are less than or equal to 10, the county shows 0
  • Treatment numbers are cumulative by year

View the hepatitis C data dashboard.

Webinars, virtual learnings, and updates

HCA has launched a webinar series dedicated to highlighting efforts to eliminate HCV in Washington State.

Date Recording Topics
July 28, 2024   World Hepatitis Day

April 20, 2023

  

Presenter: Anthony Martinez, M.D.

  • Treating hepatitis C in addiction recovery settings
  • Co-managing substance use disorders and liver disease

November 6, 2020

 HCA webinar series recording:
Myth busting: treating hepatitis C in primary care

Presenter: John Scott, MD, MSc

  • Disease state
  • Treatment review and myth busting
  • Care models including treating patients in the telemedicine environment

October 6, 2020

HCA webinar series recording:
Eliminating hepatitis C in Washington State
  • Hepatitis C in Washington State
  • Governor Inslee’s 2018 Directive 18-13
  • Department of Health (DOH) and Hep C Free Washington
  • The role of Primary Care Providers (PCPs)
  • What’s to come in future webinars
  • Questions and closing

Elimination awareness bus

HCA and AbbVie are deploying an HCV elimination awareness bus to areas of Washington State with high-risk HCV populations. This strategy is part of a national program to educate the population about the importance of screening and linkage to care. When a person visits the bus, they are able to get hep C antibody testing to determine if they may have the virus.

2024 bus stops

Date Event Event details
July 15 ElimiNATION Awareness Tour

Time: 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Location:
1450 S Wenatchee Ave
Wenatchee, WA 98801

Resources

Contact

Email: Eliminate HCV

Related links