Sorry, the best answer is D. Although involvement of a care team potentially including case management and behavioral health have been shown to improve viral suppression, they do not need to delay access to ARV medications. Rather they serve as a support as a patient embarks on treatment. Although DTG/3TC is considered a first line regimen per DHHS guidelines, it should not be started if a patient’s viral load is >500,000 copies/mL and therefore would not be appropriate for an immediate start prior to labs. However, there are other regimens, such as BIC/TAF/FTC or DTG + TXF/XTC that may be started prior having labs like viral load or genotype. Therefore there is no need to delay starting ART while awaiting lab results.
Reference: Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at
https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/adult-and-adolescent-arv. Accessed 9/5/24