BioScrip, Inc. Joins Coalition to Advocate for Vulnerable Medicare Patients Losing Access to Home Infusion Care
February 06 2017 - 4:23PM
Business Wire
Calls on Congress to Fix Unintended
Consequence of 21st Century Cures Act; Encourages
Patients, Families, Others to Join Outreach
BioScrip, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIOS), a leading national provider of
infusion and home care management solutions, announced today it has
joined a newly established coalition, Keep My Infusion Care at
Home, which spans several leading industry constituents working
diligently to persuade the U.S. Congress to fix a new law that has
caused critically ill, vulnerable Medicare patients to lose access
to home infusion care. The mission of Keep My Infusion Care at Home
is to encourage those affected by this new law, known as the 21st
Century Cures Act, to join in advocacy efforts.
The 21st Century Cures Act, which promises to help millions of
patients via a variety of wide-ranging measures, also includes
important provisions that impact patients requiring home infusion
therapy for the treatment of advanced heart failure and other
conditions. Effective January 1, 2017, the Cures Act included a
provision changing the payment structure for certain infusion drugs
under the Part B Durable Medical Equipment (DME) benefit. This
created a dramatic reduction in reimbursement that effectively
covers only the drug costs and provides no compensation for
clinical services necessary to administer the infusion therapy in
the home. While a separate provision in the law does provide for
clinical services payment, it does not take effect until 2021,
creating a four-year gap for home infusion companies to receive any
payment for services.
As a sponsor, BioScrip joined Option Care, a founding member of
Keep My Infusion Care at Home. The coalition, which includes
patients, family members, caregivers, healthcare providers and
related industry organizations, is reaching out to legislators to
advocate for a change to the law to ensure that Medicare patients
have access to high quality home infusion care to support their
health and sustain their quality of life.
The 21st Century Cures Act stands to impact the lives of nearly
six million high-risk, heart failure patients across the nation
currently benefitting from receiving inotrope infusion care in the
home. The bill significantly disrupts patient care as home infusion
providers -- who deliver care similar to that of a hospital but in
the preferred-home setting -- will be forced to transfer patients
receiving care in the home to a hospital or post-acute type care
center, thereby actually costing the healthcare system
considerably more dollars and further taxing its
resources.
Home infusion care reaps significant savings for the system and
brings patients many advantages. For example, an average monthly
cost for a patient receiving inotrope therapy in a hospital setting
costs $90,000 versus approximately $10,000 per month at home.
Keep My Infusion Care at Home is urging legislators to close the
four-year gap in care by advancing the implementation date for the
new clinical services payment.
“The Cures legislation has significantly undermined the
importance, value and benefits of home infusion. It has caused
patients’ lives to be at risk by taking away care that has proven
to increase quality of life and survival rates. We intend to
advocate for a home infusion provision for as long as it takes to
ensure our patients receive the care they deserve,” explained Dan
Greenleaf, president and chief executive officer at BioScrip.
In addition to BioScrip and Option Care, Keep My Infusion Care
at Home sponsors include the National Home Infusion Association
(NHIA) and other leading industry providers.
For more information, please visit KeepMyInfusionCareAtHome.org.
Patients and families are encouraged to join the effort by sharing
their stories showing about how this law affects real patients, and
writing their congressmen to encourage them to amend the law.
Organizations interested in joining the coalition should email
info@keepmyinfusioncareathome.org.
About BioScrip
BioScrip, Inc. is a leading national provider of infusion and
home care management solutions. BioScrip partners with physicians,
hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities, healthcare payers,
and pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide patients access to
post-acute care services. BioScrip operates with a commitment to
bring customer-focused pharmacy and related healthcare infusion
therapy services into the home or alternate-site setting. By
collaborating with the full spectrum of healthcare professionals
and the patient, BioScrip provides cost-effective care that is
driven by clinical excellence, customer service, and values that
promote positive outcomes and an enhanced quality of life for those
it serves.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170206006123/en/
for BioScripSusan J. Lewis,
303-766-4343slewis@pairelations.com
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