5 Considerations for Opening an In-Office Infusion Suite
Before opening an in-office infusion suite, there are several considerations to keep in mind. As the demand for chronic disease infusion therapy continues to grow, many physicians are thinking about adding an infusion suite to their existing practice.
Their reasons may vary, but most are looking to simplify their patient’s care coordination, improve patient adherence, and provide a familiar environment for patient’s to receive their treatments.
If you are one of these physicians, you should know there is a lot that goes into opening and managing an in-office infusion center.
Here, we will discuss some of the top considerations you will need to address in deciding whether opening an in-office infusion suite is suitable for you and your practice.
Top 5 Considerations to Open an In-office Infusion Center
To ensure a smooth and successful addition of an in-office infusion center, you should consider the following five factors:
1. Patient Demographics
To ensure the potential long-term success of your infusion center, you will need to assess your possible patient demand for infusion treatments. This will determine whether you may have a steady and consistent patient flow.
Some medical specialties, including rheumatology, neurology, gastroenterology, and those dealing with respiratory disorders, can have success as infusion therapy providers. However, even within these specialties, physicians need to evaluate their current patient population to determine how many are currently receiving biological infusions.
Examining your practice’s population density, geography, and clinical demands will allow you to make an informed decision on whether an in-office infusion suite is viable.
2. Do You Have Dedicated Space
Your infusion suite will need its own dedicated space within your current practice. While the size of the area will vary depending on the number of patients you expect to treat at a time, you should always consider your patients’ needs, such as a quiet, comfortable space to receive their treatments.
Infusion therapy also requires specialized patient workflows, supplies, and inventory management systems. To ensure your patients’ and your infusion nurse’s safety, comfort, and satisfaction, you need to carve out a functional yet comfortable space for them.
3. Specialized and Dedicated Staff
Consider a dedicated infusion staff for your suite instead of delegating all of its management responsibilities to existing staff.
Managing an in-office infusion center can be very time-consuming and will likely require dedicated personnel to keep up with inventory, patient scheduling, and related administrative work.
From a clinical standpoint, you will need an infusion nurse to administer the therapies. Administering biologic infusion treatments requires specialized skills which may not already exist with your staff.
4. Investment Requirements
Expanding your practice to offer in-office infusion therapies will require an investment of time and resources. This can include the purchase of necessary equipment, building out the infusion space, hiring extra staff, and purchasing drugs and related supplies. The setup costs can be significant.
5. Find The Best and Most Reliable Solution
As we mentioned, a lot goes into setting up and managing an in-office infusion suite. Many physicians will feel overwhelmed and possibly discouraged when reviewing the above considerations.
However, Altus Biologics is a quick and efficient solution to setting up your infusion suite.
Altus Biologics is an in-office biologics management company that can help you implement your infusion center and start treating patients in a short amount of time.
Altus Biologics will help you assess whether an infusion center is right for your practice. We can help you design your infusion suite, source necessary equipment, assist in drug acquisition, and manage your inventory.
Our infusion nurse will work on-site administering your biologic orders while our back-office staff will submit biologic claims for reimbursement to ensure timely payment for services rendered.
Altus Biologics can make owning and operating a state-of-the-art in-office infusion center easy. Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help your practice.
