Background: High-risk sexual behaviors (HRSB) are associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Preventive Services Task Force recommend routine testing for patients with HRSB. Providers can classify patients with HRSB based on the sex of their sex partners using the International Classification of Disease Tenth Revision. We analyzed STI/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing frequencies among patients with HRSB.
Methods: This study used a large US administrative outpatient medical claims data set from 2015 to 2017. Patients aged 15 to 64 years were identified with HRSB using International Classification of Disease Tenth Revision codes. An initial HRSB diagnosis in 2016 served as the index date. We assessed chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV testing by HRSB at the index date, and 4 time intervals of 1 to 6 months, and 7 to 12 months before and after the index date.
Results: We identified 52,160 patients with HRSB: 90.3% were patients with opposite-sex partners, 7.7% patients with same-sex partners, and 2.1% patients with same- and opposite-sex partners. There were 77.5% and 82.1% of the patients insured 6 months before and after the index, respectively. On the index date, patients with opposite-sex partners tested most for chlamydia (65.3%) and gonorrhea (65.2%), patients with same-sex partners tested most for syphilis (51.5%) and HIV (57.8%). Among insured patients, follow-up STI/HIV testing was 89.5% during 1 to 6 months and 33.1% during 7 to 12 months after the index date. Patients tested on the index date were more likely to have an STI/HIV test within 1 to 6 months after the index date.
Conclusions: The STI/HIV testing among patients with HRSB could improve. It is important for patients identified as HRSB to get tested and continue testing patients based on recommendations.