Medical Monitoring Project

What is the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP)?

The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is conducted by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As one of 23 project areas, Virginia seeks to learn more about the health-related experiences and needs of people who are HIV infected in Virginia.

The aim of MMP is to provide locally and nationally representative data of clinical and behavioral outcomes among a sample of HIV-infected persons in the United States. By collecting these representative data from people living with HIV, MMP can 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?

Program Significance

MMP provides valuable local and national information about the behaviors, medical care, and health status of people living with HIV infection.  In previous cycles of MMP, a representative sample of HIV-infected patients receiving care was selected from HIV care facilities around Virginia, so only people receiving HIV medical care were included in the project.  In 2015, MMP was expanded to include all people living with HIV regardless of their care status. Collecting information from people not in care for their infection is important for guiding policy and funding decisions aimed at linkage, engagement, and retention in care for the HIV-diagnosed population in Virginia, as well as throughout the United States.

Program Procedures

With the start of the MMP 2015 cycle, MMP introduced a new sampling methodology, called Case Surveillance Based Sampling (CSBS), to include all adults diagnosed with HIV, regardless of their care status.  To accomplish this new sampling methodology, instead of sampling through HIV care facilities around Virginia, the MMP sample is drawn from the National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS), which is the national HIV surveillance registry. The new sampling frame for MMP 2015 will include all persons living with HIV/AIDS residing in Virginia, regardless of whether they are receiving care.  These sampled patients are then invited to participate in MMP, and those who agree, are interviewed and their medical records are abstracted.

  • In-Person and Telephone interview:MMP staff members from VDH invite selected participants to participate in a face-to-face or telephone interview. The interview takes approximately 60 minutes to complete and includes questions concerning the patient’s medical history, use of medical and social services, met/unmet needs, treatment adherence, and risk behaviors. Participants are compensated for their time. You cannot participate in a MMP interview unless you are randomly sampled.
  • Medical record abstraction: Trained medical record abstractors collect additional information from the patient’s medical chart, which complements the data collected during the interview.

Participation

The success of MMP depends on the patients selected to participate and by the assistance of providers and facilities providing HIV care around the state. Maximum participation by patients and providers will increase the likelihood of obtaining information that is truly representative of the HIV population in Virginia.

Confidentiality

Protocols are strictly followed at the local and national level to ensure the integrity, confidentiality and security of all MMP data. All information collected is kept confidential, including health care facility, health care provider, and patient names. Facility, provider, and patient names are not sent to CDC and are not used in any reports. Names or other identifying information are not collected.

Community Advisory Board (CAB)

A Community Advisory Board (CAB) advises the Virginia MMP program. Its members represent different regions of the state and demographically diverse populations. CAB members provide feedback regarding MMP operational considerations and facilitate program awareness and participation. If you are interested in joining Virginia’s CAB, visit the Get Involved page.

Provider Advisory Board (PAB)

Virginia MMP has an HIV medical care provider who serves as Virginia’s representative to the national MMP Provider Advisory Board (PAB). The PAB advises the national and local MMP programs, provides important input and assistance on analysis of MMP data, and promotes MMP activities within the medical community.

Additional Resources

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Summary Reports

Virginia MMP Fact Sheets

Infographics

 

Virginia MMP Stakeholder Meeting

Click here for the MMP Stakeholder Meeting slide show. The PDF version is here.

CDC Website

You can also read more about MMP at the CDC’s website:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/systems/mmp/index.html

MMP National Publications

Behavioral and Clinical Characteristics of Persons with Diagnosed HIV Infection- Medical Monitoring Project, United States, 2017 Cycle

Last updated: December 19, 2023