Reimbursement is a major barrier to primary care practitioner treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, along with purported barriers such as complexity of the patients, time commitment, and the need for expertise. This according a recent nationwide survey of general practitioners that sought to identify barriers to HCV treatment among general practitioners. Among the details:

• 3,817 general practitioners were surveyed; 925 (24.2%) participated.
• 187 (21%) practitioners indicated they prescribed HCV medications.
• 620 (70%) indicated that no general practitioner in their practice had interest in managing HCV therapy.
• HCV training was associated with increased prescribing activity.
• Inadequate reimbursement (44%), too few HCV patients (40%), and caseload with other patients (40%) were the most frequently identified barriers to treatment.
• A lack of awareness to the prevalence of HCV in the general population was also identified as an important barrier.