What is home infusion therapy?

Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter.  It is prescribed when a patient’s condition is so severe that it cannot be treated effectively by oral medications.  Typically, “infusion therapy” means that a drug is administered intravenously, but the term also may refer to situations where drugs are provided through other non-oral routes, such as intramuscular injections and epidural routes (into the membranes surrounding the spinal cord).

Diseases commonly requiring infusion therapy include infections that are unresponsive to oral antibiotics, cancer and cancer-related pain, dehydration, gastrointestinal diseases or disorders which prevent normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and more.  Other conditions treated with specialty infusion therapies may include cancer, congestive heart failure, Crohn's Disease, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.

Until the 1980’s, patients receiving infusion therapy had to remain in the hospital setting for the duration of their therapy. Heightened emphasis on cost-containment in health care, as well as developments in the clinical administration of the therapy, led to strategies to administer infusion therapy in alternate settings.  For individuals requiring long-term therapy, inpatient care is not only tremendously expensive but also prevents the individual from resuming normal lifestyle and work activities.

Home infusion has been proven to be a safe and effective alternative to inpatient care for many disease states and therapies.  For many patients, receiving treatment at home or in an outpatient infusion suite setting is preferable to being in the hospital.  Many home infusion therapy providers operate one or more ambulatory infusion suites which are ideally suited for certain patient-therapy situations.

An infusion therapy provider is most normally a “closed-door”, state-licensed pharmacy that specializes in provision of infusion therapies to patients in their homes or other alternate-sites—called a home infusion therapy pharmacy.  The infusion therapy always originates with a prescription order from a qualified physician who is overseeing the care of the patient.

What types of patients receive home infusion therapy?

Many different types of patients can receive infusions at home. 

• Patients with infections can receive intravenous antibiotics.
• Patients with cancer can receive chemotherapy. 
• Patients with severe pain can receive intraspinal or intravenous pain medications.

These are just a few examples of therapies that can be received in the safety and comfort of your own home.

Would home infusion be right for me?

Home infusion therapy might be right for you if your doctor prescribes a treatment that can be safely given in your home by skilled nurses and pharmacists.

Home infusion might be right for you if your doctor instructs you to go to a clinic on a routine basis for a treatment that can be given in the home. Though some medications need to be given in a controlled setting, like a hospital or clinic, most medications can be given safely and cost-effectively in the home.

What does a home infusion pharmacy do?

As your community home infusion pharmacy, Vital Care's responsibility is to prepare your medications under sterile conditions in our preparation rooms, also called ‘clean rooms’, dispense all of the necessary supplies that you and your nurses will need to give the medication, dispose of your medical waste and provide professional pharmacy consultation on the use and monitoring of the medication the doctor has prescribed. Many times our pharmacists, physicians, or dieticians are involved in monitoring patient’s lab results and suggesting changes in therapy to your healthcare provider.

Will I have to give the medication to myself? Will someone in my family have to do it?

There is amazing technology today that can make even some of the most complex therapies easier to administer. Many patients are taught to give their own medication, and learn to do it easily and safely.

However, in many situations nurses from a community home health agency are involved.  They come to your home as needed to administer the medication for you.