Are In-Office Infusion Suites Better for Patients?

Biologic infusion therapy is a safe and effective way to treat and manage chronic disease flareups. When these treatments first became available, there were significant hurdles for patients such as accessibility and cost.

Originally, infusion treatments were only available in hospitals. This meant long waiting lists, and for many patients, it also meant long commutes to receive their much-needed medication.

However, this all changed with the rise of in-office infusion management services, which provide physicians administrative and clinical support expertise, allowing them to provide biologic infusion therapies within their practice.

As in-office biologics management solutions for physicians become increasingly popular, patients benefited by having access to a broader network to receive their infusion therapy sessions.

Benefits of In-Office Infusion Suites vs. Hospital Infusion Centers

In-office infusion suites provide many of the same medications as hospital infusion centers. Medical professionals administer the therapies in both settings. So what sets in-office biologic infusion suites apart from hospital infusion centers?

There are five key benefits to choosing to receive infusion treatments at a doctor’s office rather than hospitals.

Accessibility

Many chronic disease patients have limited mobility which makes it challenging to use public transportation. Therefore, it is vial to have access to ample parking in a location closer to home that also provides more efficient processing.

In-office infusion suites provide these conveniences.

Location

The size and location of medical departments in any given hospital network considers the community’s broader needs. For this reason, not every hospital provides infusion therapies, and those that do, may be with limited capacity.

This lack of available hospital infusion centers means that many patients may need to travel long distances to receive treatment.

In-office infusion suites can be found at the same physician’s office patients already visit to manage their disease.

In most cases, when choosing a physician, patients look for options close to home to make it easier to keep their appointments. This means, in many instances, an in-office infusion center provides a more convenient location for patients.

Personalized Care

As mentioned earlier, in-office infusion centers are located within the patient’s physician’s office. This in itself provides a range of benefits:

• The treating physician and other clinical staff are intimately aware of the patient’s condition, current and past treatments, flareup frequency, and severity of symptoms.
• Smaller, less intimidating environment
• The patient is on a first-name basis with the entire staff, from the receptionist to the infusion nurses, and of course, their doctor.

All these conditions make it easier for the patient to receive individualized care, which makes them feel more at ease and increases their chance of treatment compliance.

Shorter Wait Times

Hospitals typically treat more patients per day than in-office infusion centers. Therefore, patients may experience longer wait times when trying to schedule their biologics infusion treatments.

In-office infusion centers can potentially have shorter wait times with easier rescheduling as compared to hospital settings.

Increased Treatment Compliance

Due to the potential ease of access and personalized care, patients are more likely to keep their appointments at in-office infusion centers.

Treatment compliance is critical to disease management. Missing or postponing treatment sessions increases the likelihood of more frequent and severe disease flareups, directly impacting the patient’s quality of life.

Altus Biologics in-office biologics management solutions offer safe, effective, and hassle-free care with a medical team you know and trust.

Our mission is to make biologic infusion therapy accessible and cost-effective for every patient that requires it.