In March 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a Letter to Health Care Personnel alerting personnel that prefilled Sodium chloride 0.9% injection (NS) syringes are in shortage due to increased demand, supply chain challenges, and manufacturer discontinuation. NS syringes are used for flushing venous access devices (VADs).
Prefilled NS syringe shortages impact patient care, particularly for home infusion patients, and NHIA is continually addressing the ongoing shortage by working with manufacturers and suppliers, other professional health care organizations, and clinicians. Through these efforts, the association is staying up to date on the status of the shortages, collaborating to resolve them, and providing resources for managing the limited supply.
NHIA has compiled product shortage recommendations to help clinicians manage patient care and conserve prefilled NS syringe supplies during this time when they may not be readily available.
NHIA submitted comments pointing out the advantages of home-based administration of subcutaneous Ig (SCIG) for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD).
NHIA submitted comments on a CMS proposed rule (CMS-1770-P) that would affect Medicare payments and coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and coding and billing requirements related to the use of single dose containers and drug waste.
As part of a strategic focus on promoting health equity, The National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) recently adopted standardized categories for race and ethnicity data collection and is encouraging all providers to include voluntary questions to capture this data. NHIF will utilize this data throughout its projects to evaluate equitable access to infusion treatments in alternate sites.
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