By Shane Reeves, PharmD, CEO, TwelveStone Health
For years, infusion therapy almost always meant going to the hospital. Hospital outpatient departments were built into the system as the default place for infusions. Referrals went there automatically, and most patients were never told there might be another option.
This default is now being rethought. Research has shown that patients experience similar safety and clinical outcomes whether care is delivered in a hospital or in community settings. And when outcomes are comparable, attention shifts toward what’s sustainable for patients, hospitals, and the healthcare system as a whole.
When treatment is ongoing, patient experience matters
For people living with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or immune disorders, infusion therapy isn’t a one-off event. It’s something you need every few weeks or months, often for years. When that’s the case, the experience matters hugely.
Community infusion centers are designed for patients who come back regularly. They’re quieter, easier to access, and appointments are more predictable. And because patients return regularly, the care team gets to know them. Not only their chart, but their routine, their preferences, and what helps them feel comfortable.
The shift helps more than just patients
Patients aren’t the only ones who benefit from moving routine infusion care out of hospitals. Hospitals are under pressure from staffing shortages, rising patient complexity, and growing demand for oncology and acute care. Routine, recurring infusions take up space and staff, even when they don’t require hospital-level resources.
When stable infusion care moves into community settings, hospitals can refocus their resources on patients who truly need hospital-level care, while still ensuring others receive safe, high-quality treatment elsewhere.
Why insurance plans support the change
Cost is another, if not the major, driver. Hospital outpatient infusions are 40% more expensive than the same treatments delivered in community-based settings. For long-term therapy spanning months and years, those higher costs add up quickly.
That’s why many payers now encourage stable patients to receive infusion therapy in freestanding centers when clinically appropriate. Public payers like Medicare are also narrowing the payment differences between hospital outpatient departments and community settings, reinforcing the move toward lower-cost sites for routine care.
Freestanding infusion centers: The new preferred option
The shift to stand-alone infusion centers as a “preferred” doesn’t mean better care. It means care that delivers the same outcomes in a setting that makes more sense for long-term treatment while considering payer restrictions and cost, and patient experience.
When insurers talk about a “preferred site of care,” they’re usually looking for a setting that offers:
- The same medication and clinical oversight
- Better experience for patients who live on these therapies
- Comparable safety and outcomes
- Lower overall cost for ongoing treatment
- Relief for hospitals under real strain
For many routine infusions, community-based infusion centers meet those criteria. And as more infusion medications are developed for chronic conditions, the preferred setting for routine care will continue to swing more in favor of freestanding centers.
What this means for you
If you’re currently receiving infusion therapy in a hospital outpatient department, you may have more options than you realize. At TwelveStone Health Partners, we support long-term infusion care in community settings, coordinating closely with your provider, following established clinical protocols, and focusing on an experience designed for patients who return regularly.
It may be worth asking whether community-based infusion care is an option for you. Because infusion therapy may be part of your life, but it doesn’t have to take over your life.
