CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment is a specialty pharmacy provider of intravenous medication, nutritional support for patients with feeding challenges and home medical equipment.

Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include:

• TPN
• IV antibiotics
• Pain management
• Chemotherapy
• IVIG
• Chelation therapy
• Catheter care
• Hydration

Educational offerings are also available to clinical staff. CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment cares for patients of all ages, from infants to older adults.

Who is eligible for infusion health services?
At CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment we have identified several basic characteristics that help define appropriate candidates for successful home infusion services. Some of these are:

• Patient and physician agreement with the home infusion care plan
• Patient ability to participate in their care
• A willing and able caregiver/support person in the home
• Access to telephone and refrigeration

What to Expect

Before discharge
The hospitalized patient will receive a visit from one of CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment's Coordinators before they are discharged. This nurse will give you basic information services and answer any questions you or your family may have about your care. If the plan for home infusion therapy is made several days before your discharge date, the Coordinator will visit you and talk with you specifically about the infusion process to be used. It is important for you to have as much time as possible for this instruction going home. It also allows us time to match the appropriate administration method with your needs and abilities. We are able to select from a large variety of infusion devices from stationary pumps, portable pumps, several "non" pump options, IV push, etc. We also use a completely needle-free system so that you and your family will not need to worry about needle sticks.

Day of Discharge
The day you are discharged from the hospital or the first day of your home IV therapy, you will receive a call from an IV Team nurse. They will ask directions to your home and will schedule a visit time. It is important that any family members who will assist with the IV therapy be at this visit. The visit time will be around the time your next dose of medicine is due. The IV nurse may bring your medication and supplies or a delivery technician may deliver them. On the first home visit the IV nurse will perform a basic physical assessment, obtain a health history and begin/continue the IV teaching with you and your family. Independence in the daily management of infusion therapy is usually achieved during the first week of therapy at home.

Throughout Therapy
Once you and your family are independent with your home infusion therapy, the IV nurse will visit one to two times per week to check the IV catheter site, draw any lab work ordered by your physician and to perform a basic physical assessment. If you and your family are unable to participate in your IV therapy, CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment will work with you and your insurance payer to make arrangements for additional nursing visits. If the insurance carrier will not cover these charges, there may be other options for your care. We will provide the services you need with consideration for your financial responsibilities.

Reimbursement - What is Covered?
CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment accepts patients for service with most payer sources. As a hospital affiliated service, we view our mission as supporting the cost efficiency of patient care across the healthcare system. We are a JCAHO accredited agency. A brief description of the coverage for home infusion services by different payers follows:

Medicare - coverage is very specific and defined as follows:

• Recipients must be homebound.
• A mechanical infusion pump must be used to administer medication and, in case of chemotherapy, inotropics and parenteral nutrition, must be administered over at least eight hours.
• Medications covered:
  • Anti-Infective - Amphotericin B, Acyclovir, Foscarnet, Ganciclovir
  • Chemotherapy - Bleomycin, Cladribine, Cytarabine, Doxorubicin, Fluorouracil, Floxuridine, Vincristine, Vinblastine
  • Desferoxamine - for chronic iron overload
  • Inotropics - Dobutamine, Dopamine, Milrinone
  • Pain Management - (covered only for intractable pain from cancer) Fentanyl, Hydromorphone, Meperidine, Morphine
  • Parenteral Nutrition is covered only after the trial and failure of enteral nutrition and with a diagnosis of malabsorption, the infusion must be over at least eight hours.
  • Patient Responsibility - the patient would be responsible for any Medicare deductible and co-pay, this is generally about 20 percent of charges for medications and supplies.
• Medicaid - coverage for home infusion is very similar to Medicare requirements. The basic criteria are as follows:
  • Medicaid recipients must be homebound to receive services.
  • Medication coverage is not limited to specific drugs, but must fall within five categories. They are parenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition, chemotherapy, antibiotic therapy and pain management.
  • HIT Program (Home Infusion Therapy) is a program for Medicaid of North Carolina recipients.
  • Patient/Caregiver MUST participate in care and learn to self-administer their medication.
  • Patient Responsibility - Blue card recipients have minimal co-pay, buff card-MBQ are supplements to Medicare coverage or for recipients with personal assists. Patients have deductible or spend down.
• Managed Care - Managed care payers generally cover home infusion. The home infusion provider needs to be a member of the payer's network.
• Patient/Caregiver refusal to participate does not create grounds for medical necessity requiring a nurse to visit.
• Most managed care payers reimburse the provider in a per diem method.
• Patient responsibility will vary by payer.
• Private pay - for patients without a payer source, services can be provided and a payment plan will be arranged with the patient.

For IV referrals, please call 704-355-7227.

For equipment referrals, please call 704-512-5327 or
fax 704-512-5353.

For more information, call CMC-Home Infusion and Equipment at 704-512-5333.