National Infusion Center Association

National Infusion Center Association Urges Infusion Patients to Share Their Story

New patient engagement campaign encourages infusion patients to share why having access to an infusion center matters to them.

 

Austin, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/26/2018 --On Wednesday, the National Infusion Center Association (NICA) an Austin-based nonprofit organization, launched a new patient engagement campaign called, Share Your Chair.

NICA was formed in 2010 to advocate for patients' access to the non-hospital, non-oncology infusion delivery channel, and highlight the differential advantage of receiving infusion treatment in an office setting. Since then, NICA has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts to address common patient access barriers such as non-medical switching, step therapy, and increased Pharmacy Benefit Manager transparency.

Every year, millions of patients are treated for an autoimmune disease by intravenous medications. These medications are typically administered in hospitals, physician's offices, or standalone infusion centers. These centers often offer amenities for the comfort and convenience of their patients, such as extended office hours and increased appointment availability for patients whose treatment plan depends upon consistent, timely medication administration.

Share Your Chair is a campaign to raise awareness of the office infusion delivery channel from the patients who depend upon it the most. NICA believes that many infusion patients can attest to the differential advantage of receiving infusions in an office-based setting. For many, it's the convenient office hours, the amenities, or the physicians and staff who provide exemplary care and build a significant rapport with patients who regularly receive infusions.

If infusion patients are interested in participating in the campaign, they can take a selfie in their infusion chair and upload to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag, "#ShareYourChair" and share what they like the most about where they receive infusions and why having access to infusion therapy matters to them.

Further information regarding the Share Your Chair can be found at the NICA website at www.infusioncenter.org/share-your-chair.