NYC Health + Hospitals Study Shows EMR-Based Tools and Provider Training Expanded Access to HIV Prevention Medication
Study demonstrates how new EMR tools and provider training helped eliminate barriers to patient access and streamlined the identification, discussion, and prescription of PrEP The number of primary care patients using PrEP increased 112% between 2022 and 2025
Feb 12, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals announced today the results of a study conducted by its Population Health team that highlights how leveraging electronic medical record (EMR) tools, clinical decision supports, provider training, and patient education has helped expand the access to and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication for HIV prevention for patients across the city’s public health care system. The study demonstrates how the development and implementation of new EMR tools and provider training helped eliminate barriers to patient access and streamlined the identification, discussion, and prescription of PrEP. As a result, NYC Health + Hospitals observed a three-fold increase in patients’ uptake of PrEP medication. This progress builds on the public health care system’s proud legacy of leadership in HIV prevention, care, and treatment and efforts to address health inequities that have historically limited access to PrEP, including for populations most impacted by the HIV epidemic. In 2025, the public health care system tested over 250,000 people for HIV and provided antiretroviral therapy to thousands of New Yorkers living with HIV. Of the nearly 13,000 patients with HIV who engaged in primary care at NYC Health + Hospitals over the past 12 months, 98% were on antiretroviral therapy and 89% had suppressed viral loads.
“The increase in PrEP uptake across our system would not be possible without the commitment and compassion of our clinicians,” said principal study author and NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Quality Director of HIV/Hepatitis/Sexual Health Emma Kaplan-Lewis. “Tools and workflows matter, but it’s our clinical staff who have the conversations, build trust, and treat patients with dignity and respect. Their willingness to learn, adapt, and proactively discuss HIV prevention has helped normalize PrEP in primary care and ensure that more patients feel supported in making informed decisions about their health. That human connection is what ultimately drives equitable access and long-term impact.”
“This work shows that medical innovations and science alone aren’t enough — to end the HIV epidemic, we have to listen to our patients to understand the obstacles they face, and work to remove those barriers,” said study co-author and NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Director of HIV/Hepatitis/Sexual Health Eunice Casey. “By pairing EMR-based tools with provider training and patient education, we’ve made it easier for providers to offer PrEP as part of routine primary care and to do so with compassion and respect. Expanding access to HIV prevention is fundamentally about health equity, and this initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that all New Yorkers, especially those most impacted by HIV, can access lifesaving prevention and care.”
As the study details, since launching this coordinated PrEP expansion strategy in June 2023 — including providing dedicated staff trainings addressing staff awareness and patient educational material, training for clinical teams about patient eligibility, and the integration of new EMR prescription and documentation tools — NYC Health + Hospitals has seen substantial increase in the use of PrEP among primary care patients across the public health care system.
The number of primary care patients who started using PrEP increased from approximately 1,100 in January 2022 to over 2,300 in January 2025 — a 112% increase over three years. The initiative’s steady, sustained growth demonstrates that multipronged efforts can advance equity by expanding prevention services across diverse clinical settings.NYC Health + Hospitals will continue to enhance workflows and prioritize front-line staff trainings and patient education to address barriers and expand access to PrEP.
HIV prevention remains a key focus of NYC Health + Hospitals’ efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Both pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are essential tools used to strengthen sexual health and wellbeing. Long-acting injectable medications for PrEP are accessible to all individuals regardless of insurance or immigration status. PrEP is offered at Primary Care and Women’s Health clinics in addition to the system’s HIV clinics and Pride Centers.
NYC Health + Hospital’s HIV services include:
- HIV Testing – Easy and confidential tests are available at all 11 hospitals and community health centers in the five boroughs.
- HIV Prevention including long-acting injectable options – The health system offers HIV prevention services and access to medications that can be used to prevent HIV transmission, including long-acting PrEP options taken two to six times a year.
- PEP, emergency medication taken after HIV exposure, is available at all 11 hospitals.
- PrEP, medication taken before HIV exposure in order to prevent infection, is available at all 17 HIV clinics, seven Pride Centers, and at our primary care and women’s health clinics across the system. This includes long-acting injectable HIV prevention options that do not require taking daily pills.
- HIV Primary Care including long-acting injectable options – NYC Health + Hospitals’ HIV primary care clinics are recognized for their excellence and quality. People with HIV receive HIV treatment along with care for other mental and physical concerns, with a focus on dignity, respect, and self-empowerment.
- Compassionate and respectful care – All eligible facilities across the public health care system earned the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” designation in 2024 — a recognition we have received every year since 2015. To earn this, facilities must train staff in LGBTQIA+ health care, maintain LGBTQIA+ responsive policies, and make those policies available to the public and staff.
For more information on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention offered at NYC Health + Hospitals, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/services/hivaids-care/ or call 844-NYC-4NYC.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.