NHIA 2026: Sunday, April 19 Recap

NHIA 2026 convened the largest gathering dedicated to the home and alternate site infusion industry in Denver, Colorado, featuring the event’s most extensive Expo ever with more than 150 product and service suppliers supporting the industry, including 40 first-time exhibitors. The conference drew record attendance with more than 1,700 industry professionals investing in the 5-day event.

Setting the Stage
At Sunday morning’s Executive Preconference, NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan set the tone for the event, offering an overview of findings from NHIA’s recent Industry Trends Report. Home infusion remains solid with steady growth in providers. There is some consolidation with acquisitions of small and medium-sized organizations, as well as larger providers stepping back from certain markets and locations while other providers move in to fill the void, but the overall trend is an growing market. There is also a lot of cross-over interest from compounding and specialty pharmacy and free-standing providers, making for a decentralized, “fiercely local” presence.

Claims data show that anti-infectives are still the largest therapeutic category in the industry despite challenges in obtaining meaningful reimbursement. Sullivan noted that this is prompting conversations about whether the per diem model is still appropriate for anti-infectives, which can vary in length of treatment and involve significant up-front resources. Parenteral nutrition (PN) utilization is stable but provider participation in the therapy category is declining due to reimbursement not keeping up with the rapidly increasing cost of providing these therapies. If the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act passes it might bring more providers into this space, Sullivan noted. IVIG utilization continues to grow and leans into commercial and Medicare Part D payor sources because the economics and fragmented coverage under the Part B benefit and other coverage mechanisms “just don’t work.” Specialty therapies are showing strong growth in both patients and providers and hold great promise with a strong pipeline and, post-COVID, much less payor and referral trepidation about outpatient administration.

Other Executive Preconference speakers touched on trends and topics important to NHIA members. An expert panel discussed strategies around ambulatory infusion suites (AISs) and ambulatory infusion centers (AICs), which are increasingly being used as a means for provider organizations to offer site of care choices, health systems to capture revenue, and physicians to grow their practices. A technologist explored why AI—specifically large language models—marks a fundamental shift for home infusion providers, what is immediately possible today without major cost or IT investment, and how organizations can adopt AI responsibly through strategy, governance, and phased pilots. And a health care economist delved into PBM reform and efforts to lower drug prices in a supply chain where the revenue of each entity in the chain is linked to ever-increasing list prices and vertical integration frustrates transparency efforts.

Changemaker Award
NHIA presented its second Changemaker Award—which recognizes individuals who depend on home infusion services and participate in advocacy to help others whose voices are not being heard—to Crystal Killian. Killian is a recognized patient advocate in the parenteral nutrition community, known for her work raising awareness about life on long-term IV nutrition and supporting others with complex GI conditions. She often shares her personal health journey to educate patients, health care professionals, and legislators through public speaking, social media, and involvement in patient organizations.

Killian joined NHIA members on Capitol Hill to advocate for the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act and to share how access to home infusion care impacts her quality of life, mental health, and to describe the daily realities of living with a chronic disease. “A single patient voice can be the tipping point when it comes to advocacy,” said NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan.

“Thank you to everyone in this room and thank you to the industry for all the work you do give many of us a chance to live our best lives,” said Killian. “Advocacy and making actual changes that impact people including myself, has always been a core part of who I am.”

A Community of Positive Support
The conference kicked off with keynote speaker Joel Zeff, a dynamic speaker, work-culture expert, and improvisational humorist. His interactive performance got attendees laughing and learning to celebrate all of life’s “Ta-Das!” By improvising with attendees, Joel demonstrated how working as a team, taking ownership, and supporting one another better prepares us for embracing change and working outside of our comfort zones.

“Improv forces people to make choices help the people around you be successful,” said Zeff. “You’re working in the moment and when you’re present, you’re at your best.”

The improv participants also stayed in the game when new challenges arose, he added. “It’s an important choice to be open and flexible—to know that change happens and embrace it.”

Noting that the improv sketches prompted laughter and applause, Zeff observed “All people need is opportunity and positive support,” challenging attendees to think of all the people they deal with in a day and offer their support in an email, text, or other gesture. “It’s the best gift you can give; there’s never an expiration date; and it results in success and joy.”

NHIA Expo
NHIA hosted its largest Expo ever, featuring more than 150 product and service suppliers supporting the industry, including dozens of first-time exhibitors and kicked it off with a buzzing and energetic Grand Opening Reception filled with valuable conversations and great food and drinks. The Infusion Experience was exceedingly popular and took attendees through simulated infusion suite and home infusion setting to identify deficiencies and educate on the proper standards references for each.

Other Highlights
Additional education featuring on Sunday included our first-ever Foundations of Home Infusion Preconference, which provided those new to home infusion or those looking to gain a better cross-functional understanding a complete overview of the key components of the home infusion model. The specialized Sterile Compounding Preconference drew practitioners with it’s engaging session formats and infectious energy. We also ran two popular Lunch & Learn sessions, including an overview of New Drugs and Biologics as well as Real-Life Lessons Learned from Medicare Audits. There were also a block of sessions ranging from clinical confidence in sales strategy, to executive leadership strategies, to building high-impact nursing teams.

One attendee favorite from Sunday, was the highly engaging “Good Compounding Morning” session, which made exploring sterile compounding regulatory compliance into the most exciting conversation at the conference.