Author information

¹Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

²Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research, New York, New York, USA.

³Division of Infectious Diseases, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

⁴Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination is an important global public health goal. However, the United States is not on track to meet the World Health Organization's 2030 targets for HCV elimination. Recently, the White House proposed an HCV elimination plan that includes point-of-care (POC) HCV RNA testing, which is currently in use in many countries but is not approved in the United States. POC HCV RNA testing is crucial for implementing community-based testing and for enabling test-and-treat programs, assessing cure, and monitoring for reinfection. Here, we review the status of POC HCV RNA testing in the United States, discuss factors that are needed for successful implementation, and issue specific public health and policy recommendations that would allow for the use of POC HCV RNA testing to support HCV elimination.