Find a Hepatitis C Doctor

Getting a hepatitis C diagnosis can take minutes, but finding a doctor who can treat the infection? That can take a little more time.

While some primary care physicians can treat hepatitis C (HCV), you’ll most likely be referred to a specialist, who may want to run additional testing (if necessary) and start treatment right away. According to the American Liver Foundation, the doctors who can best treat a hepatitis C infection are:

• Hepatologists, who specialize in liver diseases
• Gastroenterologists, who specialize in digestive diseases
• Infectious disease doctors
• Nurse practitioners who specialize in liver disease

Regardless of which doctor you choose, it’s important to seek treatment right away. The virus, if left untreated, can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis, or liver cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Hepatitis C can destroy the liver over many years,” says gastroenterologist Ype P. de Jong, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City who specializes in viral hepatitis and liver disease.

Over time, that means the liver can’t function as well as it once did. It’s no longer able, for instance, to efficiently clear toxins from the blood, produce the protein that keeps fluids from leaking into the bloodstream, or generate the bile that helps the body digest fats.

The good news is that there are newer, more effective oral antiviral drugs that can cure this disease in months. You just need to see the right specialist. Here’s how to narrow down your selection, plus ways to find the best hepatitis C doctor for yourself.

1. Ask for a Referral

Your doctor will likely have a network of specialists they work with regularly, so one of the easiest ways to find a hepatitis C specialist is to ask your primary care provider’s office for an in-network referral. That specialist will prescribe you antiviral drugs and run tests to monitor your viral loads until the infection disappears.

2. Call Your Insurance Company

The cost of treating hepatitis C isn’t always cheap. Always double-check with your insurance company that the doctor you choose is covered — or ask what additional fees you’ll incur if they’re not in your network — before going to the first appointment.

Keep in mind that if you have Medicaid, there’s a good chance your doctor will need to get advance approval from your insurance company before the costs of your treatment will be covered, so you may need to wait until you hear back from your insurance before you have a prescription for antiviral medication filled. (This is called prior authorization, and it affects about half of U.S. states, according to a project from both Harvard’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable.)

Some states’ Medicaid programs may also restrict treatment to people who have fibrosis or have been sober for at least 6 months. Other states may only allow certain specialists to prescribe antivirals. Learn as much as you can about your state’s Medicaid requirements. If your state does not require prior authorization, treatment will be more accessible.

3. Make Sure You’re Comfortable with Your Doctor

Your doctor should never judge you. And yet, some research, including a review published in the International Journal of Drug Policy in October 2021, suggests this happens all too often.

The study, which surveyed hepatitis C patients, found that some doctors continue to stigmatize their patients who inject drugs and may be less willing to give them treatment. In other cases, doctors won’t prescribe antivirals until the patient’s liver shows signs of inflammation.

That delay can cause complications. Even if your liver looks fine, Dr. de Jong points out that even before liver damage sets in, people with chronic hepatitis C have a slightly increased risk of developing diabetes or heart disease.

When de Jong meets with patients, he listens to their concerns and makes personalized recommendations, stressing that the goal, in most cases, is treatment.

Your doctor should be open to discussing your concerns in an open, nonjudgmental manner and give recommendations in a way that makes you feel comfortable. And, if your doctor is dismissive or unhelpful, don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion.

4. Choose a Specialist Nearby (If You Can)

Treating hepatitis C can require multiple rounds of follow-up blood tests, so you may want to be treated locally.

In all likelihood, your doctor will also do genomic testing to determine which type of hepatitis C you have, says de Jong. While there are varying genotypes around the world, there are three main types in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This can help determine what medication should be prescribed to you and how long you may need to take it.

Ask your provider how they follow up with their patients, not only during treatment, but also after treatment ends. Eight to twelve weeks after you’ve completed your antiviral regimen, your doctor will likely do another blood test. If the virus is undetectable in your blood, you’ll be considered cured, says de Jong.

If you have a liver condition, such as cirrhosis — advanced liver scarring and damage that can lead to liver failure — you’ll need additional testing that measures the extent of the scar tissue, says de Jong. So, it’s important to choose a clinic that has these capabilities.

Beyond cirrhosis, you should ask your doctor whether your health history — especially anything involving your liver or kidneys — will affect how you’ll be treated. People with kidney disease can’t take certain medications, for example.

Just remember, about 95 percent of people who have hepatitis C can be cured with antiviral drugs, says de Jong. Unlike older HCV treatments — which caused intense side effects such as nausea and were often ineffective — the newer medications are extremely well tolerated.

His advice? “Don’t wait for ‘better’ treatment to come along. It will not get better than this,” he says.