Infusion Therapy at an Outpatient Center vs. The Hospital

While many chronic conditions can be managed with oral medications, some require, or are more effectively managed, using IV-infused medications, and for decades the only place to receive such care was the hospital. Now, however, with the growth of outpatient IV therapy centers, patients have a viable alternative.

The hospital is, of course, a medically sound place to receive infusion therapy; however, it can be an impersonal and otherwise uncomfortable experience. Hospitals are busy places that tend to the needs of large groups of people, which means longer waits for treatment, less privacy and more patients per caregiver. Hospitals are often cold and provide only the barest of creature comforts. You’re often surrounded by sterility, medical equipment and other disheartening reminders that you’re in the hospital. Navigating the maze of entrances, exits, hallways and parking lots can be a challenge as is filling out forms, referral requests and insurance-related documents often without guidance. Lastly, the expense can be as much as 10 times greater, or even more, at a hospital for essentially the same
treatment that you can receive at a Heartland Infusion Pharmacy center.

Enter the outpatient IV therapy center: all the professional medically sound infusion therapy services of a hospital in a much more friendly, comfortable and homelike setting. At Heartland Infusion Pharmacy, our infusion technicians are trained and experienced just like in a hospital. Our staff is backed by experts including a pharmacist, physician, registered nurse and nurse’s assistant just like in a hospital. We stock the 40 most commonly used IV medications under sterile temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions, and can immediately procure some 600 others when necessary.

But that’s where the similarities end. At Heartland Infusion Pharmacy, the ratio of caregiver to patient is substantially less than that of a hospital infusion department, often one to one depending on the time and day of your appointment. We offer private treatment rooms as well as open seating. We provide WiFi, television and reading material. Family, children or friends are welcome to accompany you. We can often help you with transportation to and from treatment, and our expert administrators are always happy to help you navigate the insurance paperwork and communication with your physician. Plus, infusion therapy for chronic conditions and general wellness is all we do—so our services, experience and compassion are not spread thin over hundreds of medical specialties the way they are at a hospital.

Infusion therapy at a Heartland Infusion Pharmacy is truly the best of all worlds: experienced, professional, hospital-grade IV care in a friendly, comfortable, compassionate homelike setting.