HME Business

  • Home
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Accreditation
    • Competitive Bidding
    • DME Pharmacy
    • Legislative
    • Mobility
    • Oxygen
    • Pain Management
    • Retail
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Sleep Therapy
    • Software/IT
  • News
  • Resources
    • Whitepapers
    • Buyers Guide
    • DME Associations
  • Podcasts
  • Request Media Kit
  • Webinars
  • Digital Edition
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

NHIA Submits Home Infusion Comments to Congressional Committees
The association noted how home infusion can improve outcomes while saving money.

October 17, 2023 by Laurie Watanabe

The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) recently submitted comments to two Congressional committees seeking information on healthcare-related issues.

In an Oct. 18 news announcement, the NHIA said it had given comments to the U.S. House Budget Committee’s Health Care Task Force, which issued a request for information (RFI) “on improving health outcomes while reducing spending,” the announcement said.

The NHIA also submitted comments to the House Ways & Means Committee, which had put out an RFI “on improving access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas.”

In both cases, the association said, it “pointed out that unlike other stakeholders — including health systems, drug manufacturers, epidemiologists, pharmacists, nurses, and more — the federal government has failed to take full advantage of capacity and efficiencies provided by home infusion.”

Taking on Medicare’s Current Home Infusion Policy

The NHIA reported it “described the faulty design and resulting poor uptake of the current Medicare Home Infusion Therapy benefit and recommended that Congress provide for the coverage of home infusion services and supplies regardless of whether the medication they need requires a pump to administer — including treatments that are covered under Medicare Part D.”

In that scenario, Medicare beneficiaries would be able to access home infusion whether or not a mechanical pump was required. “This model has been overwhelmingly effective in commercial plan coverage at providing access to patients in rural and underserved communities while also shortening hospital stays and avoiding long-term care admissions,” the NHIA said.

In its comments to the Health Care Task Force, the NHIA said it “presented data from payor studies, medical literature, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to support the relative cost savings of home infusion compared to other sites of care in addition to patient preference. NHIA also noted the difficulty in obtaining Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scores, which are essential to the legislative process and can inadvertently become an obstacle to the advancement of otherwise well-vetted policies. The association asked the task force to consider providing additional resources to CBO to increase the number of analysts working on healthcare legislation.”

And in its comments to the House Ways & Means Committee, “NHIA shared research from the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) concluding that most home infusion providers serve rural patients and the percentage of rural patients increased year over year from 2018 to 2020,” the announcement said. “Utilizing the particularly conservative rural designation defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, the study found that 13.1 percent of patients served by home infusion providers lived in rural areas, alleviating patient travel barriers and making treatments more accessible to patients with limited healthcare options due to lack of proximity to urban centers.

“Without home infusion, patients in rural areas would have to travel great distances to receive these medications. In addition to the quality-of-life benefits to patients, home infusion therapy benefits families and the whole health system by providing an alternative to the long-distance burdens associated with receiving care in rural settings.”

Related Articles Read More >

Rotech’s Robin Menchen Named VGM’s 2025 HME Woman of the Year
The VGM Group announced the honoree at its Heartland Conference in Waterloo, Iowa.
AAHomecare Publishes White Paper Comparing Ventilators, RADs
Released June 11, the paper explains the functions and goals of the different devices.
Last Chance: Take the HME Business Survey
HME providers, we want to hear from you!
Pride Mobility Introduces Hard-Top Canopy for Outdoor Scooters
The new canopy fits the Baja Wrangler 2, PX4, and Pursuit 2 lines.

Get the free newsletter

Home Healthcare Softare

Subscribe to HME Business for industry & product news, trends and resources.
HME Business Directory
HME Podcasts
continuum event
HME Business
  • Mobility Management
  • Senior Housing News
  • Home Health Care News
  • Skilled Nursing News
  • Hospice News
  • Behavioral Health Business
  • About HME Business
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search HME Business

  • Home
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Accreditation
    • Competitive Bidding
    • DME Pharmacy
    • Legislative
    • Mobility
    • Oxygen
    • Pain Management
    • Retail
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Sleep Therapy
    • Software/IT
  • News
  • Resources
    • Whitepapers
    • Buyers Guide
    • DME Associations
  • Podcasts
  • Request Media Kit
  • Webinars
  • Digital Edition
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe