Senate, House reintroduce infusion access bill

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., have reintroduced legislation that will ensure patients maintain access to home infusion therapy.  

The Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act, is also sponsored by Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Chairman of the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala. 

The legislation protects access to Medicare’s home infusion benefit by making clear that pharmacy services for home infusion therapy can be reimbursed and sets an appropriate rate for such services. 

“We have seen for years that patients are better off when they can receive quality care from the comfort of their own homes,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation would ensure that millions of Americans who suffer from life threatening conditions such as immune diseases, cancer, serious infections, and heart failure can receive the care they need without having to make frequent, sometimes costly trips to the hospital.” 

Specifically, the legislation would: 

• include pharmacy services as part of covered home infusion therapy under Medicare, encompassing assessments, drug preparation and compounding, and care coordination and documentation; 
• direct CMS to pay 50% of the nursing rate on home infusion days when a nurse is not present; 
• allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to establish and review the plan of care for home infusion therapy. 

The National Home Infusion Association supports the legislation, which is similar to bills in previous sessions of Congress and garnered widespread support among health care stakeholders. 

“Home-based infusion services are a critical component in improving access to life-sustaining IV treatments and enhancing the quality of life for patients and their families, while adding capacity to the health care system,” said NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan, BSPharm. “Passage of the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act is critical to ensuring Medicare beneficiaries maintain access to home infusion, allowing them to safely receive treatment in the setting they overwhelmingly prefer: their homes.”