Following the 2024 NHIA Conference in Austin, TX, Bailey Klingaman comprises a brief recap of the latest news in the home infusion industry, including the events that took place at the conference and topics for industry leaders to keep an eye on moving forward.
Last week, the 2024 National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) Conference came to a close, and it was an undeniable success. In a recent article, NHIA reported that this year’s numbers reached a record high, featuring over 135 companies showcasing products and services to the 1,600+ home infusion and alternate site professionals in attendance. The five-day conference served as an opportunity to advance education, build relationships, and discuss recent industry trends.
Recently in the Home Infusion Industry
In the last few months, we’ve seen some significant developments within the infusion industry. From projected market growth to a cyberattack that shocked the U.S. healthcare system to sunsetting software, those within this field have experienced unprecedented change.
Market Growth
To start off with some good news, the global home infusion market is projected to reach $64.56 billion by 2023, according to a forecast report featured in a recent Yahoo Finance article. This expected growth is largely credited to the increasing geriatric population, advances in technology, reimbursement policies, and the convenience and cost-efficiency of home infusion therapy.
At the beginning of the year, the Population Reference Bureau released a fact sheet detailing demographic shifts in the United States. Led by the baby boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1964), our country is seeing record high growth in the population of Americans aged 65 and older. With age comes additional healthcare needs, and this is no exception for the elderly population we are seeing now. As this demographic grows, so do chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and many more.
Fortunately, many of these conditions can be treated or managed with infusion therapy. Among its many benefits, home infusion and alternate site therapy provide patients with the convenience and comfortability of receiving their treatment at home or in a familiar environment while also reducing costs. With recent advances in infusion pump technology (e.g. precision-flow pumps), infusion care quality and safety is more accessible than ever before.
Infusion in the News
While the expected market growth is something for the industry to look forward to, there have been a few big events that have impacted those in the field presently.
Change Healthcare Outage
On February 21, American health insurance and services company UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare experienced an unparalleled cyberattack that disrupted the claims submissions and financial services of countless healthcare providers and practices.
In an update released by UnitedHealth on March 14, the company detailed the progress made over the last month, claiming “On March 15, the company restored Change Healthcare’s electronic payments platform and is proceeding with payer implementations. On March 7, the company restored 99% of Change Healthcare pharmacy network services, and continues to work on remaining issues.”
While these claims are optimistic and some connectivity has been restored, many providers are still not reeling from the outage. The National Infusion Center Association (NICA) is working to bring awareness to the severity of this issue and has the following resources available: read NICA’s letter to Congress from President & CEO Bryan Nyquist, providers can undersign this letter to show their support and emphasize the urgency of this crisis, and/or send a pre-drafted letter to a Congress Member.
For the latest updates regarding the Change Healthcare Response and for more information on the options available to providers, visit unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/changehealthcare.html.
Paragon Healthcare Acquired by Elevance Health
Also in the news recently was the announcement that Paragon Healthcare would be acquired by Elevance Health, a managed healthcare company serving patients “through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, digital, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, and complex care solutions.”
Paragon Healthcare, founded in 2002, provides infusion services through its ambulatory infusion centers, home infusion pharmacies, and specialty pharmacy services. Elevance Health plans to increase and diversify Paragon Healthcare’s reach to improve access and affordability of specialty medications.
Sunsetting WellSky CPR+
If you attended the 2024 NHIA Conference, you likely are already aware that WellSky is sunsetting its home infusion and pharmacy software platform, CPR+. The platform was originally co-founded by Jeff Johnston, who now serves on the board of the Infusion Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) and joins other industry leaders from the AIC, home infusion, SpecRx, and healthcare technology sectors to provide expertise and stay up-to-date with the ever-evolving infusion space.
Latest on the ITAC’s agenda has been assessing and improving WeInfuse’s Pharmacy Workflow to curate its features for optimal operation. As a leading software option for users that will no longer have access to CPR+ for their home infusion and pharmacy management, WeInfuse’s software includes “easy-to-use features for automated PDMP reporting, dashboard monitoring, label customization, supply and preparation instruction templating, real-time inventory & supplies tracking, and more.”
2024 NHIA Conference at a Glance
The RxToolKit & WeInfuse NHIA Welcome Party
With all the big changes and news in the industry, it was time to have a little fun. After arriving in Austin, TX on Sunday to exhibit at the conference, RxToolKit and WeInfuse threw an NHIA Conference Welcome Party at Moonshine Bar & Grill across the street from the Austin Convention Center. Equipped with live music, free food and signature drinks, a photo booth, and a Yeti Backpack giveaway, the party was a hit.
After the Welcome Party, our RxToolKit team spent a few days in the exhibit hall showcasing our infusion medication information and clinical training platforms, and networking with the attendees and other exhibitors.
If you weren’t able to stop by the RxToolKit booth or chat with our team outside of exhibiting hours, we would still love to talk. Give us a call at (888)798-5548, email us at sales@rxtoolkit.com, or stay up-to-date with our social media (all accounts – @rxtoolkit).
The Second Victim of Medication Errors Presentation
On the last day of the conference, RxToolKit Founder Chuck DiTrapano, RPh hosted an educational session accompanied by pharmacist and friend, Eric Cropp. This presentation, titled “The Second Victim of Medication Errors”, followed DiTrapano and Cropp’s own experiences with near misses and medication errors.
The objectives of the session were to (1) communicate the consequences of medication errors for all parties involved and evaluate appropriate responses, (2) analyze the environmental and process-related factors that impact infusion safety, and (3) identify the steps to creating a culture of safety in healthcare practices in order to eliminate the potential for preventative medication errors.
Despite being among the last educational sessions of the conference, the presentation was well attended. It featured a brief introduction by both speakers before diving into their respective error experiences, the components that contributed to them, and what needs to change to prevent these instances in the future.
If you couldn’t make it to this live presentation at the NHIA Conference, RxToolKit has recorded “The Second Victim” as a free webinar and can be found at rxtoolkit.com/resources. The webinar is also available to all RxToolKit users for self-enrollment via RxELearning, the clinical training platform.
What’s Next for Home Infusion?
Advocacy
There’s no doubt that it has been an eventful start to 2024 for the home infusion and pharmacy industry, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. In addition to hosting the NHIA Conference and coordinating the numerous events and forums that accompany the symposium, the National Home Infusion Association has been busy advocating for those in the industry.
Expanding Care in the Home Act (H.R. 2853)
Supported by Moving Health Home, an advocacy group dedicated to making the home “a clinical site of care”, the Expanding Care in the Home Act (H.R. 2853) was first introduced in early 2023. According to a recent NHIA article applauding the bill, it would “expand coverage for home-based services, such as home infusion, dialysis, diagnostic imaging, and personal care services for Medicare beneficiaries.”
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 4101, S. 1976)
While NHIA praises the vision and effectiveness of the Expanding Care in the Home Act, it also acknowledges other more immediate options, such as the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 4104).
The Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act was recently reintroduced to the 118th Congress. This bill would “require Medicare to pay home infusion providers for professional services each day the drug is administered and remove the requirement that a skilled professional be present in the home for billing to occur,” according to an update in the Nov./Dec. 2023 issue of NHIA’s INFUSION Magazine.
Included in an NHIA document detailing reasons for its support of this act are studies showcasing the safety and effectiveness of home infusion, patient preferences, cost savings, and more. Specifically, the document cites that the bill would save $93 million over 10 years.
Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 5397)
Unlike the previous two bills, the Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 5397) is not expressly supported by NHIA.
The objective of the bill is to expand the drugs and biologics under the Part B Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) external infusion pump benefit by “modifying the ‘appropriate for use in the home’ requirement for durable medical equipment,” assuming they meet the following criteria:
- The FDA prescribing information instructs that the drug associated with the pump should be administered by or under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
- A home infusion supplier either administers or supervises the administration in the patient’s home.
- The FDA prescribing information instructs that the drug be infused either at least 12 times per year or at infusion rates that would require an external pump.
In an advocacy report included in the Jan./Feb. 2024 issue of INFUSION, NHIA President & CEO Connie Sullivan writes, “While NHIA supports expanding Medicare coverage that could improve access to care for patients, the association has concerns about the Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 5397). The association is not advocating for passage of this bill, but believes that members should be aware of what it is proposing.”
Infusion & Pharmacy Software
As previously mentioned, one of the major pharmacy management software platforms announced its sunsetting recently, opening the door for software companies like WeInfuse to model its own pharmacy solution.
In addition to practice management workflows, the infusion industry is also in need of solutions to improve education, update administration and preparation processes, and enhance safety for patients and clinicians. RxToolKit’s web-based software applications achieve exactly these goals and more.
The RxWorkFlow platform contains an online library of over 280 user-friendly medication guides designed and maintained by a team of clinicians. Accompanied by drug-specific calculators, printable patient education resources, and safety data sheets, each guide distills the lengthy medication package insert into an easy-to-navigate monograph with informative graphics, quick links, and personal note taking abilities for users.
Included in the software is the RxELearning platform, which offers training and drug-specific assessments for clinicians to enhance medication competency. Clinical managers have the option to assign specialty-driven Learning Paths to users and follow course progression, while receiving competency verification reporting. RxELearning also includes continuing education (CE) and continuing medical education (CME) units provided by the Infusion Nurses Society and the Immunoglobulin National Society.
This year, RxToolKit has upgraded its software application to improve platform resiliency and modernize the interface. To learn more about RxWorkFlow and RxELearning, visit rxtoolkit.com/solutions, or schedule a demo of the software at rxtoolkit.com/request-demo.
