Fresh off the 2026 NICA Conference, Bailey Klingaman breaks down the major news and changes affecting the ambulatory infusion industry. From market growth to advocacy efforts to the events of the NICA Conference, check in on the industry trends and tools powering infusion.
After last year’s National Infusion Center Association (NICA) Conference in Miami, which hosted nearly 1,300 attendees, we had high expectations for the 2026 NICA Conference. This year’s event was held at the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas, and embraced an Art Heist Adventure theme to symbolize unlocking new strategies and connections for infusion providers. Like previous conferences, this year featured educational sessions, networking opportunities, innovative exhibitors, and policy updates for the industry.
Recently in the Ambulatory Infusion Center Industry
Market Growth
In the most recent market research updates, the global ambulatory infusion center (AIC) market accounts for $56.03 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach approximately $137.70 billion by 2035. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.52% from 2026 to 2035, this is noticeable growth from what was reported after the 2024 NICA Conference, which was a CAGR of 8.9% from 2022 to 2031.
Of the regions contributing to the expected market growth, North America leads the charge with 43.43% of the revenue share in 2025. However, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be a major contributor in the AIC space, with an expected CAGR of 11.54% through 2031.
Immunoglobulin therapy holds the largest market share (29.88%) and is expected to expand as plasma supplies stabilize by 2028. Antibiotic and anti-infective treatments are projected to increase at a CAGR of 12.76% through 2031. And both oncology and neurology make up large sections of the AIC market and are major contributors to its growth.
Why is the AIC market growing?
One of the factors driving the increased demand for infusion centers is the rise in chronic diseases requiring frequent and recurring treatments. With rising healthcare costs, outpatient services are in high demand, and AICs are comfortable, accessible options for patients.
Autoimmune conditions now affect around 8% of the global population, and the prevalence of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis rose by 15% across Asia-Pacific from 2020 to 2025. Newborn screening in the United States found double the number of primary immunodeficiency diagnoses, which requires lifelong immunoglobulin replacement. And the increased approval and adoption of biologic and specialty drugs requiring intravenous administration calls for an expanded network of ambulatory infusion services to deliver these treatments safely and effectively.
Technological advancements are also catalysts for AIC market growth, helping providers deliver care more efficiently, improve clinical outcomes, and drive financial sustainability.
What can restrain AIC market growth?
One of the primary challenges facing infusion providers and impacting industry growth is the inconsistencies and constraints of insurance reimbursement. Many outpatient infusion therapies, particularly for expensive biologic medications that treat chronic and autoimmune conditions, are not consistently fully covered by government programs or insurance plans.
Differences in reimbursement rates, pre-authorizations, and plan coverage can create uncertainty for providers and patients. For patients with long-term conditions requiring frequent therapy, high out-of-pocket costs are not feasible and may discourage them from continuing the therapies they need.
Another factor that may hold the market back is the shortage of infusion-certified nurses and specialty-trained pharmacists. In 2025, the U.S. had a deficit of 78,000 infusion nurses, with staff turnover hitting 22%. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 5% increase in registered nurse employment through 2034, dissatisfaction with current staffing ratios, burnout, and educational requirements make it difficult to meet the already high demand for trained nurses. However, a recent trend in RNs shifting to ambulatory settings bodes well for infusion centers and their development.
2026 NICA Conference
With the recent growth in the ambulatory infusion market, it’s no surprise that the 2026 NICA Conference was as impactful as it was. The NICA Conference is an annual event prioritizing the professional development of infusion providers, managers, advocates, and other industry professionals, while connecting them at one central conference.
The Art Heist Adventure theme for this year’s event embraced the fun of Las Vegas and encouraged attendees to spend time in clinical presentations, educational sessions, and the exhibit hall to unlock the true potential of their practice and operations.
The 2026 Conference went above and beyond, featuring:
- Ask an Advocate Booth – A dedicated space for providers to learn more about advocacy efforts, sign up for updates, connect with NICA’s advocacy team, and explore policy issues impacting the industry.
- Foundations of Excellence Seminar – A nursing management workshop providing strategies to optimize onboarding, implement best practices, refine processes, and equip nursing managers with the tools they need to help their team succeed.
- NICA Infusion Center of Excellence (NICE) Experience – An interactive, mock infusion center showcasing “best-in-class products and equipment” to help AICs provide the highest-quality care and promote patient safety.
- Training Sessions – Operational sessions designed to help infusion operators stay compliant, retain staff, navigate reimbursement, and optimize their workflows.
- Tradeshow Exhibit Hours – Dedicated time for attendees to explore products, software, and solutions to challenges they face in the industry, including those for patient safety and resource management.
In addition to the activities and education held by NICA, attendees wouldn’t have wanted to miss the WeInfuse University Meeting, Toast fundraising gala, and party with Tennr.
WeInfuse University – LIVE Users Meeting
To kick off the 2026 NICA Conference, RxToolKit was invited to the LIVE WeInfuse University Users Meeting, an exclusive event for WeInfuse clients.
At the 2025 Users Meeting, WeInfuse’s inaugural event, topics included: WeInfuse’s Enhanced Patient Engagement features, Patient Flow highlights, Revenue Cycle Management & Reporting, and RxToolKit’s software solutions.
At the 2026 Users Meeting, the two-hour event featured an interactive station setup where attendees could explore six different features and software solutions at their leisure: the WeInfuse Billing & Claims Module, Enhanced Patient Engagement, Intake & Clinical Inventory, Pharmacy WorkFlow, InfuseTrack’s software, and RxToolKit’s software.
Clients who weren’t able to attend the meeting, or interested parties who weren’t users of WeInfuse’s software, were able to find WeInfuse, RxToolKit, and InfuseTrack in the exhibit hall or at the fundraising gala later that evening.
To learn more about what WeInfuse was up to at the 2026 NICA Conference, check out their recent article, “All the Right Cards: Our NICA2026 Experience was the Perfect Combo of Energy, Insights, and Infusion Community.”
IAF Toast Gala: Disco Inferno
As Media sponsors for the Infusion Access Foundation (IAF) Toast: Together for Treatment gala, our team was excited to indulge in the Disco Inferno theme and head into the conference with a fun night fresh in our minds.
As the official sendoff for the 2026 NICA Conference, the Toast gala is an annual fundraising event that brings the infusion community together to enjoy a night of music, dinner, dancing, games, and patient advocacy. Toast galas in the past have sold out in advance, and this year was no exception.
The 2025 gala set records, with donations during the live paddle-raise auction at 500% of those from 2024. Last year’s proceeds helped fund the Champions’ Weekend event, and this year raised over $98,000 to not only support IAF’s programs, but power patient advocacy and training policy changemakers.
Current programs and resources provided by the Infusion Access Foundation include:
- Champions’ Weekend – An annual retreat for patient advocates to gain the skills, confidence, and connections they need to enact change in the industry. Learn more about what goes on at Champions’ Weekend and how you can get involved at “Empowering Advocacy: A Look Inside Champions’ Weekend.”
- Hill Day – A two-day advocacy experience bringing patients and caregivers to Washington, D.C. to share their experiences with policymakers and amplify patient voices.
- Needle Fear Resources – The development of resources for patients experiencing needle phobia, designed to reduce the psychological barriers to safe and comfortable infusion therapy.
- Healthcare Literacy – Resources to help patients understand their treatment and the terminology of the policies impacting their experiences.
- Education Guides – Educational assets equipping patients with the knowledge they need to make decisions regarding their health and infusion treatments, supporting them as they advocate for themselves.
Among IAF’s programs is the new Advocacy Academy, which is directly funded by the contributions from the 2026 Toast gala. According to IAF, the Advocacy Academy will expand the work of Champions’ Weekend and help send patient advocates from the training room to Capitol Hill.
Proceeds were raised from ticket sales, a live auction, silent auction, and additional donations. The event consisted of groovy disco music, dinner and drinks, and prize-awarding games, making for an unforgettable night.
Tennr Party: Welcome to the Jungle
Another night to remember was the Welcome to the Jungle party thrown by Tennr. The Fontainebleau’s LIV Beach was transformed into a wild jungle, with fire breathers, dancers, a giant snake parade puppet, and a Tarzan impersonator.
Guests who attended the Tennr party enjoyed a live DJ, fresh poke, specialty cocktails, and free Starbucks gift cards (if they were lucky enough to scan the QR code on the napkins).
Exhibiting at the Conference
But while the parties and galas were loads of fun, the 2026 NICA Conference also included ample opportunities to network and walk away with impactful industry insights.
RxToolKit’s booth at the exhibit hall was manned by our Account Executives, who spent Thursday and Friday showcasing our software solutions and connecting with infusion experts. Those who stopped by during the Opening Reception enjoyed a refreshing IV drink bag, and we were excited to have so many faces (familiar and new) by our booth.
If you weren’t able to visit us at NICA or meet with our team outside of exhibiting hours, we’re always happy to chat. You can call us at (888)798-5548, email us at sales@rxtoolkit.com, or keep up with us by following our socials (all accounts – @RxToolKit).
What’s next for ambulatory infusion centers?
Infusion Center Advocacy
Last year, NICA provided an exclusive update on recent legislation and advocacy efforts impacting infusion centers in the Summer ‘25 issue of the WeInfuse Magazine. Updates included pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, the proposed 2.5% Medicare physician payment fix, and cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant.
NICA had also announced several state-level legislative wins across 12 states, including enacting “All Copays Count” laws, forcing insurance companies to include drug manufacturer copay cards and assistance programs in patients’ out-of-pocket deductibles; mandating 90-day coverage protections when patients switch insurance plans; establishing clearer exceptions for step therapy; exempting rare and autoimmune diseases from prior authorization and step therapy; passing comprehensive step therapy reform and copay accumulator adjustments; banning PBMs from holding pharmacy licenses; enacting non-medical switching language, preventing insurers from forcing patients off their current medication for purely financial reasons; protecting a patient’s right to choose their provider; and mandating that insurers must offer alternative payment methods without transaction fees for providers.
In the most recent Summer ‘26 issue of the WeInfuse Magazine, NICA again shared exclusive advocacy updates. Developments include support for the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act (PACTA) and concerns about reimbursement rates and foreign pricing benchmarks, among others.
After gaining the authority to negotiate drug prices, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) selected Part B drugs for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPNP), with lower prices set to take effect in 2028. However, because the program uses the negotiated prices to calculate the percentage-based add-on payments, providers face steeper revenue cuts impacting administrative and staffing costs that may threaten patient access. In response to the risks, NICA has advanced its support of PACTA, a bill that would safeguard providers from any unintended consequences of MDPNP and protect reimbursement.
In February, President Trump signed a bill into law separating PBM compensation from drug list prices in Medicare Part D, requiring PBMs to pass manufacturer discounts to employers and banning “spread pricing” (where PBMs charge more for a medication than they pay a pharmacy and pocket the difference) in Medicaid.
Medicaid’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreements and CMS’s GLOBE model are attempting to link Medicare and Medicaid drug payments to drug prices in other countries. Worried about how this could impact providers’ ability to offer certain treatments, NICA has submitted formal comments to CMS expressing their concerns.
In addition to the state-level successes from 2025, additional progress has been made across the United States, including expanded coverage requirements to include biomarker testing in Mississippi and the blockage of proposed legislation in Florida that would have linked reimbursement rates to foreign prices.
Navigating shifting policies can be confusing, and providers can benefit from NICA’s advocacy updates, as well as ensuring compliance and resource management at every turn. Along with NICA, companies are developing solutions to common challenges facing infusion providers that are designed to improve operational efficiency and put patients first.
Infusion Medication Software
In addition to exhibiting at the 2026 NICA Conference, attending a few parties, and networking with infusion experts, we also bring innovative software solutions to the infusion industry.
RxToolKit includes two solutions in one software package: RxWorkFlow and RxELearning.
The RxWorkFlow platform contains an online library of user-friendly medication guides designed and maintained by our pharmacy team. Accompanied by drug-specific calculators, patient resources, and many more tools, 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. Medications featured in our library include biologics, antibiotics, vaccines, hemophilia drugs, and oncology medications.
The RxELearning platform offers training and drug-specific assessments for clinicians to enhance clinical competency. Clinical managers can follow course progression and receive competency verification reporting to ensure comprehension. RxELearning also includes a vast selection of continuing education (CE) units provided by the Infusion Nurses Society and offers free educational access to the Immunoglobulin National Society’s library of continuing medical education (CME) units.
To learn more about RxToolKit and how it makes infusion therapy safer, see a demo of our software.
Where to Find Us Next
2026 isn’t over just yet, and neither is the conference season. We’ll be headed to a few more events this year, and we’d love to connect with you there.
If you weren’t at the 2026 NICA Conference—or if you just want to see us again—we’ll be attending the 2026 inSPire Conference (formerly known as the NASP Annual Meeting & Expo) in Maryland and the Immunoglobulin National Society (IgNS) 2026 National Conference in Las Vegas.
NICA 2027 Conference
Missed us this year? Don’t worry, we’ll be at the 2027 NICA Conference!
Next year’s event will be in our backyard at the Dallas Hilton Anatole from July 28-30. Historically, the WeInfuse University Users Meeting and the Infusion Access Foundation Toast gala are the day before the NICA Conference officially starts, so mark your calendars for a trip to Dallas starting July 27th.
We loved seeing everyone at the 2026 NICA Conference, and can’t wait to see you next year!
