The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) and Melinta Therapeutics, LLC (Melinta), a commercial-stage company providing innovative therapies for acute and life-threatening illnesses, are pleased to announce the addition of Melinta to NHIA’s Future of Infusion Advisory Council (FIAC).
Angela Nguyen, PharmD Fairview Home Infusion | R. May O’Donnell, MS Fairview Pharmacy Services | C. Brett Benfield PharmD, MS, FNHIA Fairview Infusion Consulting Services | Marrea Peters, PharmD Fairview Home Infusion | Alicia L. Zagel, PhD, MPH Fairview Pharmacy Services
Oncology infusions are a cornerstone of cancer treatment, often administered in hospitalbased outpatient departments (HOPDs) due to the controlled environment they offer. However, with the rise of patient-centered care and cost reduction efforts, home infusion services are an increasingly viable alternative for oncology treatments, though some professional groups have concerns about safety. To address these concerns, this study compares safety outcomes of oncology infusions administered through home infusion (HI) to those administered in HOPDs.
Katherine Yang, PharmD, BCPS | Wendy Morimoto, PharmD | Kristina Wong, PharmD | Mehrnaz Zahiri, PharmD | Meredith Silverman, MD
This study evaluates the cost differences between administering and monitoring vancomycin and daptomycin in a home infusion pharmacy (HIP) setting. Both antibiotics are widely used for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other gram-positive infections in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT), but vancomycin requires more intensive therapeutic monitoring than daptomycin. The study aims to quantify pharmacist time spent monitoring patients, lab costs, and overall drug administration costs associated with each therapy in a HIP serving 16 medical centers in Northern California.
A diverse group of more than 35 patient and stakeholder groups are calling on Congress to address Medicare beneficiary access to home infusion services. In a letter to lawmakers, which brings together stakeholders from across the care continuum, the groups urge congressional leaders to advance the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (S. 1976/H.R. 4104) and increase access to home infusion therapy for Medicare beneficiaries.
Momentum has been building for legislators to address Medicare’s broken home infusion benefit as part of a year-end legislative package. After considerable engagement from NHIA, the groundwork has been laid for Congress to pass the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 4104; S. 1976) and enhance access to home infusion services for Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.
Michelle C. Simpson, PharmD, BCSCP, MWC | David Vermeulen, PharmD, MS | Danell Haines, PhD
Specialty infusion and injection medications are key growth areas in home infusion services. According to the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), over 315,000 specialty patients were served by home infusion pharmacies in 2019, with specialty infusions consistently representing approximately 10% of total patients. Despite the well-documented positive impact of specialty pharmacists on clinical and non-clinical patient outcomes, there is a lack of data on the specific tasks and time that pharmacists dedicate to furnishing specialty medications in home infusion settings. This study aims to fill this gap by quantifying the
time spent and categorizing tasks performed by home infusion pharmacists caring for patients receiving specialty medications.
Registration is now open for the National Home Infusion Association’s 2025 Annual Conference (NHIA 2025), to be held March 29 – April 2, 2025, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington D.C. in National Harbor, MD.
NHIA has developed resources and is urging HHS action in response to the recent operational disruption at Baxter’s North Cove, NC facility due to Hurricane Helene. See the latest resources in NHIA’s IV Fluid Shortage Resource Center.
As part of ongoing quality improvement activities, the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) has released a draft standard definition for measuring home infusion medication adherence.
After years playing Rugby at the international level, Lyons, Colorado-based artist Sonny Smith went through several surgeries and eventually total replacement of both knees. But, post-surgery, the left knee experienced persistent infection. Sonny has received antibiotic infusions across every major site of care and favors home infusion.
The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) has developed a list of medications to serve as a reference when making site of care decisions for patients requiring intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) infusions. The list of medications reflects current U.S. prescribing practices and was compiled from home infusion providers medication dispensing reports and reviewed by NHIA’s Quality and Standards Committee.
Everyone’s favorite wellness challenge is back! Join the National Home Infusion Foundation and NHIA Staff as we Infuse Wellness across our community this September.
In 2017, the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) took the lead in developing the validated and standardized Uniform Patient Satisfaction Survey for Home Infusion Providers. While satisfaction scores have been stellar across 5 years of survey data from more than 43,000 patients, patient satisfaction with home infusion services reached an all-time high in 2023.
Barbara McElroy, MSN, CRNI®, VA-BC™ Infusion Nursing Consultant | Danell Haines, PhD Research Consultant | Jennifer Charron RN, MSN, MBA National Home Infusion Association
The Infusion Nurses Society recommends selecting the optimal vascular access device (VAD) for the therapy plan. These recommendations are primarily driven to identify peripheral vs. central vascular access based on infusate properties, the frequency and duration of infusions, unique patient features, and resources available. The objectives of this study are to describe the utilization of VADs in the home infusion setting and identify trends in specific medication treatments and patient populations.
Johanna Bezjak, PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx | Kayla Szabo PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx | Rebecca Tokarski PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx
The total number of home parenteral nutrition patients in the United States grew steadily from 2011-2015 based on data from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition National Patient Registry for Nutrition Care. In the absence of an active national registry, some sources estimate 40,000 patients in the U.S. are prescribed home parenteral nutrition. The role and necessity of pharmacists within multidisciplinary nutrition support teams is described in numerous domestic and international studies, yet outpatient-based nutritional care for home patients is underrepresented in the literature. This descriptive analysis investigated the value of specially trained home infusion pharmacists and their roles in the management of home parenteral nutrition. The clinical initiative we describe introduces a unique partnership and shared service between 2 practice sites within an integrated health delivery system.
Danell Haines, PhD Research Consultant | Jeannie Counce, FNHIA NHIA | Jennifer Charron RN, MSN, MBA NHIA
Home infusion nursing involves caring for complex patients, thus incorporates clinical training from a variety of practice settings and requires skills and competence often recognized through certifications and past nursing experience. There is a void in research that describes the experience, education, and credentials specific to home infusion nurses. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the educational training and certifications that home infusion nurses possess. The secondary objective was to determine the demographics, years of nursing and home infusion experience, and future professional plans as a home infusion nurse. This information is needed to inform the health care professional and industry about the credentials, training, and experience needed to be a home infusion nurse.
As a person who relies on regular IV antibiotics to fight chronic infection, Savannah learned how to become the best person to administer her own therapy, and her home infusion provider supported her by ensuring access to medication and supplies whether she was at home, at college, or traveling for performances.
The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) and Melinta Therapeutics, LLC (Melinta), a commercial-stage company providing innovative therapies for acute and life-threatening illnesses, are pleased to announce the addition of Melinta to NHIA’s Future of Infusion Advisory Council (FIAC).
Angela Nguyen, PharmD Fairview Home Infusion | R. May O’Donnell, MS Fairview Pharmacy Services | C. Brett Benfield PharmD, MS, FNHIA Fairview Infusion Consulting Services | Marrea Peters, PharmD Fairview Home Infusion | Alicia L. Zagel, PhD, MPH Fairview Pharmacy Services
Oncology infusions are a cornerstone of cancer treatment, often administered in hospitalbased outpatient departments (HOPDs) due to the controlled environment they offer. However, with the rise of patient-centered care and cost reduction efforts, home infusion services are an increasingly viable alternative for oncology treatments, though some professional groups have concerns about safety. To address these concerns, this study compares safety outcomes of oncology infusions administered through home infusion (HI) to those administered in HOPDs.
Katherine Yang, PharmD, BCPS | Wendy Morimoto, PharmD | Kristina Wong, PharmD | Mehrnaz Zahiri, PharmD | Meredith Silverman, MD
This study evaluates the cost differences between administering and monitoring vancomycin and daptomycin in a home infusion pharmacy (HIP) setting. Both antibiotics are widely used for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other gram-positive infections in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT), but vancomycin requires more intensive therapeutic monitoring than daptomycin. The study aims to quantify pharmacist time spent monitoring patients, lab costs, and overall drug administration costs associated with each therapy in a HIP serving 16 medical centers in Northern California.
A diverse group of more than 35 patient and stakeholder groups are calling on Congress to address Medicare beneficiary access to home infusion services. In a letter to lawmakers, which brings together stakeholders from across the care continuum, the groups urge congressional leaders to advance the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (S. 1976/H.R. 4104) and increase access to home infusion therapy for Medicare beneficiaries.
Momentum has been building for legislators to address Medicare’s broken home infusion benefit as part of a year-end legislative package. After considerable engagement from NHIA, the groundwork has been laid for Congress to pass the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 4104; S. 1976) and enhance access to home infusion services for Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.
Michelle C. Simpson, PharmD, BCSCP, MWC | David Vermeulen, PharmD, MS | Danell Haines, PhD
Specialty infusion and injection medications are key growth areas in home infusion services. According to the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), over 315,000 specialty patients were served by home infusion pharmacies in 2019, with specialty infusions consistently representing approximately 10% of total patients. Despite the well-documented positive impact of specialty pharmacists on clinical and non-clinical patient outcomes, there is a lack of data on the specific tasks and time that pharmacists dedicate to furnishing specialty medications in home infusion settings. This study aims to fill this gap by quantifying the
time spent and categorizing tasks performed by home infusion pharmacists caring for patients receiving specialty medications.
Registration is now open for the National Home Infusion Association’s 2025 Annual Conference (NHIA 2025), to be held March 29 – April 2, 2025, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington D.C. in National Harbor, MD.
NHIA has developed resources and is urging HHS action in response to the recent operational disruption at Baxter’s North Cove, NC facility due to Hurricane Helene. See the latest resources in NHIA’s IV Fluid Shortage Resource Center.
As part of ongoing quality improvement activities, the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) has released a draft standard definition for measuring home infusion medication adherence.
After years playing Rugby at the international level, Lyons, Colorado-based artist Sonny Smith went through several surgeries and eventually total replacement of both knees. But, post-surgery, the left knee experienced persistent infection. Sonny has received antibiotic infusions across every major site of care and favors home infusion.
The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) has developed a list of medications to serve as a reference when making site of care decisions for patients requiring intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) infusions. The list of medications reflects current U.S. prescribing practices and was compiled from home infusion providers medication dispensing reports and reviewed by NHIA’s Quality and Standards Committee.
Everyone’s favorite wellness challenge is back! Join the National Home Infusion Foundation and NHIA Staff as we Infuse Wellness across our community this September.
In 2017, the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) took the lead in developing the validated and standardized Uniform Patient Satisfaction Survey for Home Infusion Providers. While satisfaction scores have been stellar across 5 years of survey data from more than 43,000 patients, patient satisfaction with home infusion services reached an all-time high in 2023.
Barbara McElroy, MSN, CRNI®, VA-BC™ Infusion Nursing Consultant | Danell Haines, PhD Research Consultant | Jennifer Charron RN, MSN, MBA National Home Infusion Association
The Infusion Nurses Society recommends selecting the optimal vascular access device (VAD) for the therapy plan. These recommendations are primarily driven to identify peripheral vs. central vascular access based on infusate properties, the frequency and duration of infusions, unique patient features, and resources available. The objectives of this study are to describe the utilization of VADs in the home infusion setting and identify trends in specific medication treatments and patient populations.
Johanna Bezjak, PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx | Kayla Szabo PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx | Rebecca Tokarski PharmD, BCNSP CarepathRx
The total number of home parenteral nutrition patients in the United States grew steadily from 2011-2015 based on data from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition National Patient Registry for Nutrition Care. In the absence of an active national registry, some sources estimate 40,000 patients in the U.S. are prescribed home parenteral nutrition. The role and necessity of pharmacists within multidisciplinary nutrition support teams is described in numerous domestic and international studies, yet outpatient-based nutritional care for home patients is underrepresented in the literature. This descriptive analysis investigated the value of specially trained home infusion pharmacists and their roles in the management of home parenteral nutrition. The clinical initiative we describe introduces a unique partnership and shared service between 2 practice sites within an integrated health delivery system.
Danell Haines, PhD Research Consultant | Jeannie Counce, FNHIA NHIA | Jennifer Charron RN, MSN, MBA NHIA
Home infusion nursing involves caring for complex patients, thus incorporates clinical training from a variety of practice settings and requires skills and competence often recognized through certifications and past nursing experience. There is a void in research that describes the experience, education, and credentials specific to home infusion nurses. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the educational training and certifications that home infusion nurses possess. The secondary objective was to determine the demographics, years of nursing and home infusion experience, and future professional plans as a home infusion nurse. This information is needed to inform the health care professional and industry about the credentials, training, and experience needed to be a home infusion nurse.
As a person who relies on regular IV antibiotics to fight chronic infection, Savannah learned how to become the best person to administer her own therapy, and her home infusion provider supported her by ensuring access to medication and supplies whether she was at home, at college, or traveling for performances.
