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Coram: Quality Infusion Care that Improves Outcomes and Lowers Costs

July 31, 2018 | Prescription Savings

For patients with complex conditions requiring infusion therapies, care provided in the home or at an infusion suite can improve quality of life, patient safety, and health outcomes while helping to reduce health care costs.

With more than 35 years of experience, Coram CVS Specialty Infusion Services (Coram) includes a clinical team of nurses, dietitians and pharmacists who deliver infusion therapies, education and support services to more than 50,000 patients each month with a range of conditions including immune deficiencies, rheumatoid arthritis, digestive diseases and serious infections.

Outpatient Infusion Care Can Deliver Better Results

A recent annual review of Coram quality and outcomes data shows the health and economic benefits of home infusion care. Specifically, in 2017, the combined catheter infection rate was 22 percent better than the national average for Coram patients, who also reported high patient satisfaction with services received. In addition, the 30-day, unplanned, all-cause hospital readmission rate for Coram infusion patients nationwide was nearly half that of the national average for patients receiving care in in-patient settings. This is significant as hospital readmissions can total more than $17 billion in annual, often avoidable, costs to Medicare alone.

Rethinking Where We Treat Patients

Receiving therapy at home, outside the hospital or clinic setting, can be a beneficial alternative for many people, including those facing a chronic illness, recuperating from surgery, or being treated for an infection. It can also be a safe and cost-effective alternative to an extended hospital stay or placement in a nursing home, and it allows individuals to maintain their normal daily activities.

In fact, additional research published by CVS Health in Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation underscored the value of home infusion services, demonstrating that patients receiving intravenous therapy at home had as good or better clinical outcomes as those patients who received the same therapy in a traditional health care setting. Additionally, patients overwhelmingly preferred receiving their infusion therapy at home, reporting fewer disruptions in personal schedules and responsibilities. The costs associated with home infusion were also consistently lower than services provided in a health care facility, with savings ranging between $1,928 and $2,974 per course of treatment.

At CVS Health, we are rethinking how and where we treat patients to improve patient quality of life and access to lower overall health care costs. Coram is one way we are serving patients with complex conditions as we seek to help people on their path to better health.

For more information about CVS Health’s efforts to improve access to quality care across the nation, visit our Quality & Access information center and the CVS Health Impact Dashboard. To stay informed about the latest updates and innovations from CVS Health, register for content alerts and our bi-weekly health care newsletter.