Hepatitis C testing and treatment outreach: screening pages, test events, same-visit testing, reminder texts and Part 2 referrals

Hepatitis C outreach is marketing with an unusual goal: reaching people who feel well, who may not know they were ever exposed, and who may have reasons not to ask. The program may be a primary care office that adds a testing reminder to its recall list, a community health center that runs testing days, a substance use treatment program or a syringe services partner that tests on site, a pharmacy, an urgent care clinic, or a specialist practice that takes referrals for treatment. This guide covers how to build a screening page on the federal recommendations, what to say about cure and treatment without overstating them, how to describe rapid and point-of-care tests, how to word outreach texts and mailers, how referrals from substance use programs meet 42 CFR Part 2, and how free tests, coverage and partners meet the federal rules.

Eight related topics have their own guides and are not repeated here. Cure wording, fatty liver pages and detox claims for liver clinics are covered in our guide to hepatology practice marketing, and testing for sexually transmitted infections in our guide to sexual health clinic marketing. Treatment programs are covered in our guide to addiction treatment marketing, health centers in our guide to community health center marketing, and pop-up testing in our guides to health fair and screening event marketing and mobile health clinic marketing. Pharmacy testing is covered in our guide to pharmacist test and treat marketing, and reminder texts in our guide to text message appointment reminders.

What the federal sources say

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the CDC, NIDDK at NIH, MedlinePlus from the National Library of Medicine and FDA publish the federal positions on hepatitis C testing and treatment. The points that shape an outreach program’s marketing:

• The USPSTF final recommendation Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adolescents and Adults: Screening (March 2, 2020) recommends screening for hepatitis C virus infection in adults aged 18 to 79 years, a grade B recommendation. It applies to adults without symptoms and without known liver disease, including pregnant persons, and it replaced the 2013 recommendation, which covered adults born between 1945 and 1965 and others at high risk. It says to screen with an antibody test followed by a confirmatory PCR test.
• The CDC page Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for Hepatitis C (January 31, 2025, read through an archived copy) says CDC recommends screening all adults 18 and older at least once in a lifetime and all pregnant women during each pregnancy, except in settings where the share of people with current infection is under 0.1 percent. It recommends one-time testing for people with recognized risk factors or exposures, routine periodic testing for people with ongoing risk factors, and testing for anyone who asks, regardless of stated risk factors, because patients may be hesitant to share stigmatizing risks. It says nearly one in three people with hepatitis C do not know they are infected, and that about 75 to 85 percent of people with hepatitis C do not have symptoms.
• The same CDC page tells clinicians to collect all samples needed for diagnosis in a single visit and to have the RNA test run automatically when the antibody test is reactive. It says a reactive antibody result can mean current infection, a past infection that has resolved, or a false positive, and that a detected RNA result is needed to diagnose current infection.
• The CDC page Clinical Care of Hepatitis C (January 31, 2025, read through an archived copy) says hepatitis C can be cured in more than 95 percent of cases with 8 to 12 weeks of oral treatment, that curative treatment is recommended for essentially everyone with hepatitis C, and that a person who has finished treatment should avoid the activities that can lead to reinfection. The NIDDK page Hepatitis C (last reviewed December 2024) gives the same figure, says the medicines may cause side effects in some people, and says that a person who had hepatitis C in the past can get it again.
• The MedlinePlus page Hepatitis C (last updated May 31, 2024) and the MedlinePlus encyclopedia article Hepatitis C (review date April 21, 2025) both say there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. The encyclopedia article tells people to contact their provider if they develop symptoms of hepatitis or believe they have been exposed.

The CDC care page says the treatments are not approved for pregnant patients or for children under 3, and MedlinePlus says a provider may wait to see whether a new infection becomes chronic before starting treatment. Because both pages are older than a year and agency statements about what is or is not approved can change, we searched approved drug labels through openFDA on October 30, 2026. The current labels we found list children as young as 3 years at the lowest, none lists pregnancy as an indication, and one current label now lists acute as well as chronic infection. A page should not repeat a timing rule for new infections, and should leave treatment timing to the clinician. The USPSTF recommendation is more than six years old; check the USPSTF site for an update at each review.

Two points shape the marketing. First, the federal recommendation is for all adults, so an outreach message does not need to ask anyone to admit to anything: it can say the test is recommended for adults, and that anyone who asks can have it. Second, the honest message is a hopeful one, but the cure figure describes a population, a reactive antibody result is not a diagnosis, and a person who is cured can be infected again, so the copy has to keep each of those lines straight.

Screening pages and claims that need rewriting

Google’s search suggestions, which we checked on October 30, 2026, offer “hepatitis c test near me”, “hepatitis c test reactive means”, “hepatitis c test at home”, “hepatitis c test in pregnancy” and “hepatitis c test cost” to a person who types “hepatitis c test”, “free hepatitis c treatment near me”, “free hepatitis c testing near me” and “free hepatitis c vaccine near me” after “free hepatitis c”, and “hepatitis c treatment cost” and “hepatitis c treatment side effects” after “hepatitis c treatment”. A screening page can answer each of those honestly: who the test is for, what a reactive result means and what happens next, what the test costs and who pays, that there is no vaccine, and that side effects are discussed with the clinician.

A page that holds up says that CDC and the USPSTF recommend a hepatitis C test for adults, that anyone who asks can be tested, how the sample is taken, when results come back, and what the next step is for a reactive result. Leave the risk factor list for the clinician conversation or link the CDC page, rather than making it the headline, and do not write a headline that singles out drug use.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Positive for hep C? We cure it in 8 weeks.” A personal promise and a timeline built from a population figure. Write that federal agencies report a cure in more than 95 percent of cases with 8 to 12 weeks of treatment, attribute it to CDC or NIDDK, and say the clinician explains the plan.
• “A positive test means you have hepatitis C.” CDC says a reactive antibody result can reflect a past infection or a false positive, and an RNA test is needed to diagnose current infection. Explain the two steps.
• “Cured for life” or “never worry about hep C again”. NIDDK and CDC both say a person can be infected again after treatment. Remove it.
• “Get your hep C vaccine here.” There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Remove it, and if the program offers hepatitis A and B vaccines, name those exactly.
• “Only people who used drugs need this test.” The recommendation covers all adults. Remove it.
• “Our clinic has cured 500 patients.” An outcome number with no source. Remove it unless it is drawn from the program’s own documented and reviewed records, with its date and limits stated.

Under 15 U.S.C. 45, deceptive acts or practices in commerce are unlawful, and 15 U.S.C. 52 prohibits false advertisements likely to induce the purchase of drugs, devices, services or cosmetics. The FTC staff Health Products Compliance Guidance says claims about the health benefits or safety of health-related products require competent and reliable scientific evidence, and that an advertiser is responsible for the claims its ads convey, including implied ones. Quoting CDC or NIDDK as written, with the source named, stays inside that standard; turning the figure into a promise to the reader does not.

Urgent signs and 911 on every page and in every tool

Testing outreach reaches people where they are, and some of the messages a program receives are not about a test at all. Put plain lines above the booking button and on event flyers: call [phone] if you have yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stool, belly pain or a fever, or if you think you were exposed to hepatitis C; the NIDDK page lists these among the symptoms of a new infection, and MedlinePlus tells people to contact their provider for symptoms of hepatitis or a possible exposure. Call 911 for any medical emergency, including an overdose. Ask the program’s clinicians to review both lines before they go live.

The same wording belongs in voicemail, after-hours greetings, portal replies, text replies, chat and AI front desk tools, and on the card handed out at a testing event. A tool should hand any message about an emergency or an overdose to the 911 line and alert staff, pass questions about results or symptoms to a clinician, and never explain a test result itself. Our guides to the AI chatbot on a practice website and answering service versus AI receptionist cover how tools hand off these messages.

Rapid tests and same-visit testing: describe the FDA record

Programs that test outside a lab want to say how fast results come. The FDA announcement FDA Permits Marketing of First Point-of-Care Hepatitis C RNA Test (content current as of June 27, 2024) says FDA granted marketing authorization through its De Novo pathway to the first hepatitis C RNA test for appropriately certified point-of-care settings, that it may be run in settings operating under a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, such as certain substance use treatment facilities, correctional facilities, syringe service programs, doctor’s offices, emergency departments and urgent care clinics, and that it allows a person who tests positive for RNA to be linked to care and potentially start treatment in the same visit. It says the test is indicated for adults with signs or symptoms of, or at risk for, hepatitis C, and is not intended for monitoring patients during treatment.

That gives a program clear words to use. A page can say the program offers a rapid test, that an RNA test confirms current infection, and, if the site runs an authorized RNA test under its own CLIA certificate, that results may come back during the visit. It should not call a test “FDA approved” when the FDA record says it was authorized or cleared: under 21 CFR 807.97, any representation that creates an impression of official approval of a device because of complying with the premarket notification regulations is misleading and constitutes misbranding. Name no test or product in ads, describe a mail-in or home kit only by what its own FDA record says, and follow our guide to medical device marketing claims.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Results in minutes, diagnosis on the spot” for an antibody-only test. CDC says an RNA test is needed to diagnose current infection. Say when the confirming result comes and how the program reaches the person.
• “FDA-approved rapid test” for a device with a De Novo authorization or a 510(k) clearance. Use the FDA term from the device’s own record.
• “Test today, treated today” as a promise. FDA says the RNA test allows a person to potentially start treatment in the same visit. Say same-visit treatment may be possible after the clinician’s review.

Supplements offered to people with hepatitis C need the same care. The FDA Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements (content current as of August 27, 2026) says FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. Name no product, make no claim that a supplement treats hepatitis C or protects the liver, and follow our guide to selling supplements in a medical practice.

Outreach texts, letters and recall lists

Outreach programs reach people through recall lists: adults with no test on file, people whose antibody test was reactive but who never had the RNA test, and people who tested positive but did not start treatment. Under 45 CFR 164.501, a communication about the practice’s own treatment for an individual, such as a reminder to come in for a recommended test or a follow-up visit, can fall outside the definition of marketing, while a message that promotes a third party’s product or service generally needs a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508.

The words in the message matter as much as the rule. A text, a postcard or a voicemail can be seen by someone else in the household. Keep these points:

• Name no condition, no test result and no risk factor in the message text. Write “[Practice name] has a recommended screening for you. Call [phone] or book online.” and give the details only after the person signs in or calls.
• Do not mention hepatitis C on an envelope or postcard, and do not leave a result on voicemail.
• Use the contact method the patient chose, and honor opt-out requests in every channel.
• Do not send recall lists, test results or appointment data to an ad platform to build an audience.

Our guides to text message appointment reminders and the patient recall system cover consent, timing and opt-outs.

Referrals from substance use programs and 42 CFR Part 2

Testing and treatment programs that work with substance use treatment providers receive referrals that may carry records protected by a stricter federal rule. Under 42 CFR 2.12, the Part 2 rules apply to records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of a patient kept in connection with a federally assisted substance use disorder program. Under 42 CFR 2.31, a written consent to use or disclose those records must include, among other elements, the patient’s name, who may make the disclosure, who receives it, a description of each purpose, and an expiration date or event.

For marketing and outreach, that means:

• Do not ask a treatment program for a list of its patients to contact for testing. A referral comes from the patient’s own consent, and the outreach message comes from the program that holds the relationship.
• Do not publish a partner program’s name beside a testing offer in a way that tells readers the people tested there are in substance use treatment, unless counsel has reviewed it.
• Keep referral forms off general web forms and away from tracking tools; route them through the secure channel the two programs agreed on in writing.
• Write about drug use without labels. Say “people who inject drugs” as CDC does, and never use a word that blames the reader.

Our guide to addiction treatment marketing covers Part 2 for treatment programs themselves.

Free tests, coverage and treatment costs

Coverage pages draw the “free hepatitis c testing near me” and “hepatitis c treatment cost” searches. The Medicare.gov page Hepatitis C virus infection screenings, checked on October 30, 2026, says Part B covers a screening ordered by a primary care doctor or other provider for people who use or have used illicit injection drugs, had a blood transfusion before 1992, or were born between 1945 and 1965, once in a lifetime or once a year for continued injection drug use, and that the person pays nothing if the provider accepts assignment. That description is narrower than the USPSTF and CDC recommendations for all adults, so a page should not write “Medicare covers hepatitis C testing for all adults”. Say the program checks coverage for each patient’s plan. Medicaid coverage of testing and treatment is set state by state; our guides to marketing to Medicare patients and marketing to Medicaid patients cover the wider rules.

Treatment costs belong in the clinician and billing conversation, not in an ad. Do not write “free cure” or “treatment at no cost to you” unless the program has confirmed it for each person it reaches. Cash testing prices follow our guides to advertising cash prices and good faith estimates for self-pay patients.

A “free” test, a gift card for getting tested or a meal at a testing event follows 16 CFR 251.1, which says a free offer must not be recouped through a raised price or a reduced quantity or quality elsewhere, and that the terms of the offer should be stated at the outset. Under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7a(a)(5), civil penalties can apply to a person who offers or transfers remuneration to a Medicare or state health care program beneficiary that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary to order or receive items or services from a particular provider, practitioner or supplier. Incentives for testing or for finishing treatment need counsel’s review before they run, and a grant-funded program should also check its grant terms.

Partners, sponsors and referral payments

Under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b), the federal anti-kickback statute, it is a crime to knowingly and willfully offer, pay, solicit or receive any remuneration to induce or reward referrals of items or services payable by a federal health care program. Rules on referral fees are also set state by state.

For a hepatitis C testing and treatment program, keep these points:

• Do not accept free staff, testing supplies, event funding or marketing help from a drug maker, a lab or a pharmacy tied to the tests or prescriptions the program orders, without counsel’s review; our guide to Open Payments covers reported payments from manufacturers.
• Give patients a choice of pharmacy and lab, and do not steer prescriptions or samples to one company in exchange for anything of value.
• Do not pay a shelter, a treatment program, an outreach worker or a marketing company per person tested or per person who starts treatment without counsel’s review.
• Referral arrangements with primary care offices, liver clinics and community partners follow our guide to patient and physician referrals.

Privacy, pixels and ads

A visit to a hepatitis C testing page, a results question or a booking form says something about a person’s health and may hint at drug use. Keep form answers, bookings and page clicks out of tracking pixels and ad platform tools unless a written agreement covers them; our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites covers the setup. The Google Ads personalized advertising policy lists health among its sensitive interest categories and restricts targeting based on it. Ads can target by place and by search terms, and should not be built from a list of patients or people who were tested.

Tone and patient stories

People who hear about a hepatitis C test may carry fear about the result and shame about how they might have been exposed. Lead with the recommendation for all adults, explain each step in plain words, say who will call with results and how, and say that people who test positive can be treated. Avoid photos or wording that suggest who “looks like” a person with hepatitis C, and offer the page in the languages the program’s patients read.

A story from a person who was tested, treated and cured is a strong message for outreach. Under 16 CFR 255.2, an ad that shows one person’s result on a key attribute is likely to be read as what others will generally achieve, unless the advertiser has substantiation for that or clearly and conspicuously discloses what people can generally expect. Pair the story with the attributed federal figure, say results differ, and get a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508 where the program is a covered entity. A story should not say how the person was infected unless they chose to share it, and should name no medicine; say if the person received anything for taking part, and let them review the final version. Our guides to patient photo consent and testimonials and before and after photos cover the full rules.

Illustration: two testing outreach messages

Illustration: a flyer reads “Shot up or slept around? Get your hep C test! FDA-approved rapid test gives your diagnosis in 20 minutes. We cure hep C in 8 weeks, for life. Free treatment, free gift card, and get your hep C vaccine while you are here!” It singles out drug use and sex, calls a test approved without checking its FDA record, treats a rapid result as a diagnosis, promises a personal cure and a timeline, denies reinfection, offers a vaccine that does not exist, promises free treatment without checking coverage, and offers a gift card without counsel’s review.

Illustration: a second flyer for the same program reads “CDC recommends a hepatitis C test for adults at least once in a lifetime, and anyone who asks can be tested. At [Practice name] the test takes a small blood sample. If the first test is reactive, a second test checks for a current infection, and we call you with results within [days]. Federal health agencies report that treatment cures hepatitis C in more than 95 percent of cases; our clinicians will explain your options and the cost for your plan. Call [phone] if you have yellow skin or eyes or think you were exposed. Call 911 for an emergency. Call [phone] during [days and hours] to book.” It speaks to all adults, explains the two steps, attributes the figure, and puts the contact lines first.

Checklist before a hepatitis C outreach campaign goes live

• Screening copy built on the USPSTF and CDC recommendations for adults, with both named and dated, and the USPSTF page checked for an update at each review.
• No headline that singles out drug use or sex; the risk factor list left for the clinician or linked to CDC.
• The cure figure attributed to CDC or NIDDK, never written as a promise or a timeline; reinfection stated; no vaccine claim for hepatitis C.
• Reactive antibody results explained as a first step, with the RNA test named as the step that diagnoses current infection.
• Treatment age and pregnancy limits checked against approved drug labels before any statement about them; no drug names in marketing copy.
• Rapid and point-of-care tests described by their own FDA record; no “FDA approved” for an authorized or cleared device; same-visit treatment written as possible, not promised.
• The contact lines for symptoms and exposure, and the 911 line for emergencies, on pages, flyers, event cards, voicemail, after-hours greetings, portal replies, text replies, chat and AI front desk tools.
• Outreach texts, postcards and voicemails name no condition, result or risk factor; opt-outs honored.
• Referrals from substance use programs only with the patient’s written consent under 42 CFR 2.31; no patient lists from partners.
• Medicare coverage described as Medicare.gov states it; coverage checked per patient; no “free cure” unless confirmed.
• Free tests, gift cards and event incentives reviewed by counsel under 16 CFR 251.1 and 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7a(a)(5), and against grant terms.
• No free staff, supplies or funding from drug makers, labs or pharmacies tied to orders, and no per-person payments to partners, without counsel’s review.
• Form answers, bookings and test lists stay out of pixels and ad audiences; stories have signed authorizations, name no medicine and say results differ.

How we help

We build websites, local search, Google Ads and AI front desk tools for independent practices and health businesses, including primary care, community health, liver and addiction medicine practices. For a hepatitis C testing and treatment program, that means a site that builds its screening page on the USPSTF and CDC recommendations as written and dated, explains the two test steps in plain words, attributes the cure figure, puts the contact and 911 lines above the booking button, and answers “hepatitis c test near me” and “free hepatitis c testing” searches without a promise, plus appointment request pages that keep answers off the web and away from tracking tools. Our front desk tools hand emergencies and overdoses to the 911 line and questions about results or symptoms to a clinician, and do not explain test results. We do not decide who needs testing or treatment; your clinicians do. Our tools are built with HIPAA in mind. We confirm in writing what a BAA covers before any patient information flows through a tool, and if it is not covered, we do not route patient information through it. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not give legal or medical advice. We do not sell lead lists and we do not pay for referrals. For the wider rules, see our healthcare marketing rules hub.

Sources

• USPSTF: Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adolescents and Adults: Screening (final recommendation, March 2, 2020)
• CDC: Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for Hepatitis C (January 31, 2025)
• CDC: Clinical Care of Hepatitis C (January 31, 2025)
• NIDDK: Hepatitis C (last reviewed December 2024)
• MedlinePlus: Hepatitis C (last updated May 31, 2024)
• MedlinePlus encyclopedia: Hepatitis C (review date April 21, 2025)
• FDA: FDA Permits Marketing of First Point-of-Care Hepatitis C RNA Test (content current as of June 27, 2024)
• openFDA: Drug labeling API (searched October 30, 2026)
• Medicare.gov: Hepatitis C virus infection screenings (checked October 30, 2026)
• 42 CFR 2.12: Applicability
• 42 CFR 2.31: Consent requirements
• 45 CFR 164.501: Definitions
• 45 CFR 164.508: Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required
• 15 U.S.C. 45: Unfair methods of competition unlawful
• 15 U.S.C. 52: Dissemination of false advertisements
• FTC: Health Products Compliance Guidance (December 2022)
• 21 CFR 807.97: Misbranding by reference to premarket notification
• FDA: Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements (content current as of August 27, 2026)
• 16 CFR 251.1: Guide concerning use of the word free and similar representations
• 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7a: Civil monetary penalties
• 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b: Criminal penalties for acts involving Federal health care programs
• 16 CFR 255.2: Consumer endorsements
• Google Ads: Personalized advertising policy

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