THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR INFUSION SERVICES
The booming infusion market expands opportunities for integrated patient care – and health system revenue.
One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in healthcare today is the movement of patient care from more traditional acute care settings to a variety of ambulatory settings. And this growing shift is particularly apparent in the fast-growing infusion services market.
So what are the key drivers behind this site-of-care evolution, and how should health systems respond? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at today’s infusion landscape, and how health systems can navigate the right path forward.
What’s driving infusion market growth?
We have an aging population with increasing incidences of chronic disease. As these diseases advance, the medication therapies to treat them often become more complex. Injectable and infused products are commonplace, and the drug portfolios for these types of therapies are growing rapidly.
In addition, payers are mandating that patients receive certain types of care in a lower-cost setting. For infusion patients, this means they may be forced away from the hospital infusion clinic for treatments. Instead, they may be required to receive infused medication at a physician’s office, at a freestanding infusion suite, or even within their own home.
“Today’s infusion market is where the specialty pharmacy market was 10 years ago,” said Erick Siegenthaler, Visante Senior Director. “And it supports similar opportunities for health systems. Namely, it gives them an avenue to increase revenue while keeping patients in their system and enhancing the continuity of care.”
Infusion as a continuum of care
Health systems considering ambulatory or home infusion services may often have initial fears about the cannibalization of existing services, particularly for hospital-based infusion.
“This isn’t about competing with hospital-based infusion,” said Siegenthaler. “It’s about a need to have all the right levels of patient care. And it’s also about understanding where you’re losing opportunities for care today, and how you can mitigate those risks in the future.”
Cannibalization was an issue that our client, the University of Maryland, wanted to address with key stakeholders early on in their efforts to enhance infusion services. But interestingly, they found that those fears subsided when the leadership team began to think about infusion more holistically as a continuum of care.
“We’re not trying to take from the left hand and move it into the right hand, or hurt anyone’s P&L,” said Chris White, University of Maryland Director of Home Infusion Services. “We’re trying to attack leakage in our system. “And once we create a coordinated infusion service line with multiple levels of care, we can establish a sophisticated site of care algorithm, where we can determine the right volumes for infusion centers, suites, and home-based care.”
It’s a more nuanced view of infusion care that speaks to all the different levels of care that patients need (and that payers are mandating). Home infusion and pharmacy-based infusion suites fill those gaps while keeping patients in the system throughout their care journey.
Thinking outside the box
A COVID-19 facility repurposed for infusion
Visante is currently working with the University of Maryland to repurpose a mobile unit that was initially set up to deliver Remdesivir infusions to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Army-grade field hospital will become a hybrid infusion center, featuring 16 private patient rooms. Some suites will be negative pressure rooms, which will allow staff to safely use hazardous medications next to each other.
Overcoming common infusion challenges
Complexity and costs are the primary challenges for many health systems looking to build or expand an infusion program. There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and many stakeholders play key roles across this continuum of care.
USP 797 standards can be a significant barrier to entry for home infusion services. Visante can work with health systems to evaluate current compounding space and capacity that can be utilized, or support implementation of ambulatory infusion suites that do not require significant compounding.
Integrating infusion and specialty pharmacy
In our experience, we often find that specialty pharmacy and infusion programs have been set up separately. But as the market matures, bringing these two elements of care together will be critical.
“Today, some patients may be on an infused medication that’s changed to an oral or injectable medicine, then later they go back to an infused medication,” said Siegenthaler. “So a lot of patients will go back and forth between infusion and specialty pharmacy programs. And figuring out how you can create synergies across all those services while keeping care within the system will be an important factor for success.”
If the medications themselves are driving increased partnership between infusion and specialty, so are the logistics. We’re currently working with the University of Maryland to develop a Centralized Pharmacy Services Center (CPSC) so these groups can work together more efficiently. Both have needs for refrigerated, high-cost medications, for example. And they also have similar needs when it comes to things like shipping, cold chain custody, and accreditation.
The opportunities to merge forces extend beyond logistics too. From prior authorizations and medication access to clinical care and billing, an integrated infusion and specialty pharmacy program is well-positioned to coordinate a number of common needs.
“It’s an all-encompassing approach,” said White. “Visante’s insights, and their understanding of where and why infusions are leaving our system have really helped us to assess our opportunities at different hospitals and clinics. We’ve found that focusing our attention on key areas where we’re losing opportunity is quite valuable.”
Interested in learning more?
Listen to this episode of our Visante Innovators podcast, where we take a deeper look at what’s driving the expansion of the infusion market. Join Visante CEO Jim Jorgenson, University of Maryland Director of Home Infusion Services Chris White, and Visante Senior Director Erick Siegenthaler as they discuss infusion changes and challenges, plus how health systems should be thinking about their overall infusion strategy in today’s evolving landscape.
Link to the Infusion podcast
Your partner for infusion success
Visante can help you navigate infusion complexities and costs – and build (or expand) an integrated program that meets your unique needs. We start with an assessment that offers a holistic look at your current infusion challenges and opportunities. Then we help you build your roadmap to success and grow your program. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your infusion needs. Email solutions@visante.com or call (866) 388-7583 to speak to one of our team members.