Menu
NHIA members are involved in all aspects of the home and alternate site infusion industry, taking on a wide array of roles, but the bond that ties them together is their dedication to ensuring that patients receive high-quality care in the setting they most prefer, enabling them to lead healthy, independent lives. We are excited for you to get to know who our members are, what they do to support this incredible industry, and learn what it is like working in home infusion.
Glenel Tillich
Glenel Tillich—President at TANYR—entered home infusion reimbursement in 1989 with no background in medical billing. An amazing mentor taught her the complex ins and outs of managing outstanding AR from billing to claims adjudication—in an all-manual system. Now she leads a company that provides revenue management services to provider clients. Over the years, Tillich has developed a passion for home infusion, noting that “the outcomes are better, compliance is better, and it makes for a healthier for patient all around.
Daniel Kyes, CPhT, CSPT, BCSCPT, FNHIA
Daniel Kyes—Regional Pharmacy Training and Quality Specialist, New England Life Care—explains how different his role as a pharmacy technician is in a home infusion pharmacy compared to retail where he started. Working in a clean room can be challenging—garbing up in personal protective equipment, following aseptic technique, and following practices to prevent microbial contamination—but knowing that he’s helping patients is rewarding to Kyes. He also appreciates the opportunities for career growth offered in home infusion. Moving up the career ladder can include responsibilities for ensuring regulatory compliance, building training programs, and conducting hands-on training of new technicians.
Kathy Puglise, MSN/ED, BSN, RN, CRNI®
Kathy Puglise—Clinical Manager, ICU Medical—who always wanted to be a nurse, recalls her journey to home infusion after providing acute care in the emergency room and ICU. With a strong clinical background and the ability to think on her feet, she discovered that in home infusion practice, so many things are possible—from treating cardiac patients at home to managing care for patients from ages 1 day to 106. Most of all, she says she appreciates the networking and collaborative feel in the industry—even among competitors.
Sina Refua, PharmD, BCNSP
Sina Refua—Chief Financial Officer/Director of Pharmacy at Premier Infusion Care—speaks about his journey as an immigrant refugee from Iran fleeing to the United States where he began working at a home infusion pharmacy at the age of 15. At 19, he started Premier Infusion Care with his partners performing roles from Director of Reimbursement and VP of Pharmacy to now serving as the Pharmacist in Charge (PIC) and the CFO. Sina talks about the ability of clinicians in home infusion to really affect change in patients’ lives as well as the challenges of running a business in the space and how his experience has served him in being successful.
Christina Ritchey, MS, RD, LD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA
Christina Ritchey—Vice President, Nutrition Services at Optum Infusion Pharmacy—talks about her journey working as a Dietitian in home infusion. She describes various types of Dietitians, what Dietitians do, what it’s like to work as a Nutrition Support Dietitian, and how they support patients. She also explains why diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are so important to her and the industry and why she has dedicated much of her work to the subject.
The technology involved in patient care and delivery, as well as the medications have changed since I first started. This includes how we deliver medications to home and ambulatory patients in suites. The regulations, accreditation, and greater government oversight has added to the complexity of furnishing high quality patient care. We have moved from being suppliers to being outcome-focused and data driven to deliver value and a greater quality of life for patients that require our services.
Working with patients of different backgrounds and meeting their needs has been the true benefit of my career. I'm a clinician at heart, so making a difference for a patient is what matters most.
Knowing that I’m only a few clicks away from accessing the educational resources housed on NHIA’s comprehensive website or an email away from receiving answers/feedback to a question from an NHIA Team member is a great source of comfort and feeling of community which makes my day to day tasks that much easier.
NHIA has been an invaluable guiding force throughout my career, providing support and guidance as the industry evolved from its early stages to its current state today. The resources, knowledge-sharing, and networking opportunities offered by NHIA have been instrumental in shaping my path to success.
I got involved with NHIA early in my career and have been surrounded by so many home infusion professionals that I have learned from over the years. The connections I have made and relationships I have built through NHIA have been invaluable to me as I have navigated my career in home infusion.
I hope to bring awareness to the importance of the role of the pharmacist in home infusion. My role is in helping pharmacists identify interventions in clinical care and the impact of those interventions whether they have implications in cost of care or patient outcomes. Understanding and documenting interventions in patient care can help to identify opportunities for patient education, dosing adjustments and medication management, all leading to better patient outcomes.
As an individual who has been involved in the home infusion profession from the beginning, I am driven by the dedication and passion of the professionals in this field who are committed to providing the best care possible to our patients. Being a part of this community has felt like being part of a family, where everyone is focused on helping patients return to their normal lives as quickly as possible.
The views expressed herein are solely the views of the individual and are not necessarily representative of NHIA or the home infusion community.