[PAGID] Home IVIG

[HOWARD M LEDERMAN]

About 2/3 of our patients get gamma globulin at home.  Most via IV, though an increasing number by SQ route.  We do not have problems with the home infusions for the vast majority of patients.  We schedule clinic f/u as often as necessary, and require compliance with scheduled f/u appts in order to get continued home infusions.

Reasons for coming to the clinic include:  clinically unstable or non-compliant patient; patient preference (some people enjoy the interaction with other pts and our nurses); occasional patient with difficult IV access; insurance that will pay only if IVIG is given in a doctor's office or clinic.

I suspect that the reluctance that some centers may have with home infusions is related to the  income from dispensing the drug.


Howard
Howard M. Lederman, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Johns Hopkins Hospital - CMSC 1102
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21287-3923
Phone:  410-955-5883
Fax:    410-955-0229
e-mail: Hlederm1 at jhem.jhmi.edu


----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Seroogy <cmseroogy at pediatrics.wisc.edu>
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 5:07 pm
Subject: [PAGID] Home IVIG
To: "pagid at list.clinimmsoc.org" <pagid at list.clinimmsoc.org>



> Dear Colleagues,

>  

>  I would like to poll people on home IVIG use.  I am typically opposed 

> to it

>  and have found more recently that insurance companies are requesting 

> it.

>  During my training, this was never done.  Is there are paradigm shift 

> in

>  facilitating home IVIG that I am not aware of?  Thank you for your comments,

>  Chris

>  

>  

>  Chris Seroogy, M.D.

>  

>  Assistant Professor

>  

>  Dept. of Pediatrics

>  

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>  

>  Shipping:  H4/431 CSC, Mailstop 4108

>  

>  600 Highland Ave.

>  

>  Madison, WI  53792

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>  

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>