Home infusion therapy benefit increases length of time subcutaneous immune globulin can be delivered

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s home infusion therapy benefit currently allows a seven-day supply of medication and a 10-day supply if there’s a holiday weekend. Blue Cross recently changed the maximum number of supply days of subcutaneous immune globulin to a patient’s home.

Starting Jan. 1, 2016, a two-week supply of subcutaneous immune globulin can be delivered to an established home infusion patient.

However, Blue Cross will require a minimum of four weeks of weekly deliveries for all start-up patients receiving subcutaneous immune globulin. The weekly delivery will continue until there is supporting documentation that the patient has been on subcutaneous immune globulin for all four weeks without interruption from side effects.

In addition, the patient or caregiver needs to be independent from the administration of subcutaneous immune globulin therapy.

The bi-weekly deliveries apply only to subcutaneous immune globulin. The bi-weekly delivery doesn’t apply to any other immunotherapy. Once a patient receives two weeks of subcutaneous immune globulin, later deliveries may be made no sooner than 12 to 14 days after the previous delivery.

Due to the high cost of subcutaneous immune globulin, Blue Cross expects the home infusion therapy providers to perform frequent supply inventory checks with the patient to prevent the stock piling of the drug in the home. This is important for patients who have been hospitalized or have compliance issues with administration.