Home Infusion Solutions

Last updated on February 8, 2018

In the 1980s, infusion therapy began to be offered in the home in response to developments in clinical administration and pressure to reduce costs. For the patient, home infusion offers more convenience and allows them to live more normal lives while undergoing treatment. Today, the industry has continued to grow, making up $9-11 billion dollars spent each year in the U.S. healthcare market. Part of that money is spent on the disposal of regulated wastes and management of equipment in both the pharmacy and the patient’s home. Sharps Compliance offers a variety of home infusion solutions.

Pharmacy and Infusion Suite Waste

Home infusion pharmacies typically need larger containers to dispose of their medical waste. Sharps Compliance offers a system consisting of two 3.5-gallon pails that stack conveniently at the compounding hood. Sharps’ 20-gallon and 28-gallon systems are designed for the collection of sharps containers and other regulated medical waste. In the infusion suite, Sharps Compliance offers sharps container systems that can be placed by each chair or mounted for use. The 2-, 3.5-, and 20-Gallon Sharps Recovery System are available in “High Heat or Incineration” versions for use with trace chemo and non-hazardous drug disposal. The prepaid, pre-addressed systems are transported through the mail and treated with the most environmentally-friendly method for the specific type of waste.

Patient Waste

Mailback systems are also very convenient for home infusion patients. The Sharps Recovery Systems are safe, cost-effective disposal solutions for used needles, syringes, vials, and other regulated medical waste, such as items contaminated with trace chemo. These systems are filled, packaged, and mailed by the patient, eliminating the risk and cost of nurses or couriers transporting filled sharps containers in their vehicles. These mailback systems also eliminate the confusion that patients have when trying to determine what to do once containers are full. Sharps Compliance offers a variety of sizes of disposal solutions for patient use. When providing these systems, patients and their families are assured that medical waste is managed with the same care as it would be in a treatment facility.

IV Poles and Pump Return

Sharps’ Pitch-It IV Poles are perfect for IV or enteral therapy in the home. These lightweight disposable poles come boxed for shipping/delivery to the patient and are easily extended and set up for use by the patient. The Pitch-It Poles eliminate the retrieval, cleaning, bagging, and tagging of old IV poles. The patient simply uses the pole and then pitches it into recycling when therapy is completed.

The safe return of infusion pumps, TENS units, and other equipment to the home infusion branch or other designated location can be challenging. Sharps AssetReturn System limits the risk of losing expensive IV pumps and other devices and saves time and money by reducing trips to and from the patient’s home. And unlike regular cardboard boxes sometimes used for shipping of expensive assets, the Sharps AssetReturn System boxes are designed specifically to safely transport pumps and other equipment. When the patient completes therapy, the equipment is simply boxed and shipped directly from the patient’s home using the UPS-prepaid return Sharps AssetReturn System shipping box, which includes tracking and insurance.

All of these products and services help reduce branch costs and make home infusion therapy more convenient and affordable.