Emerging Trends in Public Health
Sharing Session - 60 Minutes
Umair Shah, MD, MPH
Executive Director
Harris County Public Health
Hevert Rios-Benitez, BS
Field Supervisor
Harris County Public Health
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) is the county health department serving Harris County, TX. The county’s tuberculosis (TB) case rate is significantly higher than the United States and TX rate (6.6 cases per 100,000 population). Video Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT) for TB disease and infection was adopted by HCPH in 2014 to offer patients increased flexibility while reducing the enormous cost of providing traditional Directly Observed Therapy (DOT). HCPH analyzed the costs averted by placing 167 patients on VDOT between 2014 and 2017 and found that the county achieved significant cost savings each year since VDOT was adopted. Additionally, patients using VDOT achieved similar adherence rates compared to those whose doses were observed in-person.