Sunday Recap from NHIA 2024
NHIA 2024 convened the largest gathering dedicated to the home and alternate site infusion in Austin for the 5-day event and shattered previous participation records. The event saw more than 1,600 industry professionals register to attend, including over 530 first time attendees.
Sharing Industry Trends and Initiatives
At Sunday morning’s Executive Preconference, NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan set the tone for the event, sharing trendlines and insights on the future of the infusion market and NHIA’s key initiatives. Encouraged by a 5-8% increase in home infusion service claims for 2023, NHIA continues its outreach efforts to commercial payors to reduce administrative burden and improve access to care. The association made a second series of specific commercial payor recommendations that can be included in provider contracts. In 2024, NHIA plans to engage payors in talks related to value-based purchasing for parenteral nutrition—a therapy that saw above-average growth of approximately 9% in 2023.
Contrasting growth in the commercial sector with the latest utilization data from Part B Medicare home infusion therapy (HIT) benefit reveals inadequate access to HIT services for beneficiaries, according to Sullivan. NHIA estimates that only 14% of eligible providers participate in the program with a handful of companies servicing more than half of the patients receiving services. NHIA will continue to dialogue with CMS about the poor intake and the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act as a solution for improving access.
In 2024, NHIA will also develop a list of drugs that can be infused in the home site of care. Such a comprehensive list can serve as a resource for payors, regulators and referring clinicians. The association is looking forward to publishing the results of a study documenting the time required to onboard patients prescribed specialty medications, as well as the results of nursing workforce study.
The Executive Preconference, also featured hot topics including:
- Upcoming changes to reimbursement policy as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
- New gene and cell-based therapies entering the health care space
- The post-pandemic momentum to move certain oncology therapies to the home
Heroes of Home Infusion
When you ask what heroes are, most people will tell you heroes are ordinary people do extraordinary things. NHIA 2024’s Opening Keynote Speaker Kevin Brown shared that ubiquitous definition requires us to accept that we are merely ordinary. But he believes—and we see this every day among the incredible professionals in our industry—that we are all born to be extraordinary and do extraordinary things. Kevin articulated that heroes are extraordinary people who choose not to be ordinary.
The home and alternate site infusion industry was born from a desire to move beyond the ordinary and provide new and better options for patients. Day after day we have the opportunity to show up as heroes for the patients we serve, continuing to make it easier to manage their treatment and their lives. We heard examples of how we can embrace this philosophy as we approach every moment in our work and in our lives and how one now moment can completely change the course of your life and those you are showing up for.
Kevin shared, “so many people take the story line life gives them and they make it come true. So many people accept that they are ordinary.” But we were all put on this Earth to do extraordinary things. As children we know this and believe we can do anything but somewhere along the way we forget.
We were so honored, during the session, to be able to recognize someone who has been a hero to us and the industry. We recognized and heard from infusion patient advocate Shane Bare as the NHIA Infusion Change Maker at the General Session.
Shane will tell you he is stubborn. He says it got him into trouble when he was a kid… but as an adult it has saved his life again and again. When life has thrown him challenge after challenge—when he lost coverage for his life-saving medication—he continued to fight. He never lost that stubbornness he harbored as a child; but what he calls stubbornness, is really his refusal to be ordinary and accept the story line that was told for him. Shane has not only advocated for himself countless time and continued to persevere after tragedy and rare disease, but he has been instrumental in sharing his story to advocate for home infusion policies that improve access to home infusion.
Other highlights
NHIA hosted its largest exhibit hall ever, featuring 137 product and service suppliers supporting the industry, including 39 first-time exhibitors and kicked it off with a buzzing and energetic Grand Opening Reception filled with valuable conversations and great food and drinks.
Additional education featuring on Sunday included the Sterile Compounding Preconference, a New Drugs and Biologics Lunch & Learn, 2024 Infusion Standards of Practice Lunch & Learn and a round of sessions ranging from the role of empathy in DE&I training and methods to apply this internally with colleagues and externally with patients to trends in lipid dosage and formulation in parenteral nutrition.
Thank you to our supporters:
McKesson for their support of the Executive Preconference and Sterile Compounding Preconference
Brightree for their support of the Opening General Session
Integrated Medical Systems, Inc. (IMS) for their support of the Expo Grand Opening Reception
Innovatix for their support of the New Drugs and Biologics Lunch and Learn
Kabafusion for their support of the 2024 Infusion Standards of Practice Lunch & Learn
