Infusion Information

HOURS OF OPERATION

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Monday through Thursday

8:00 a.m. to Noon – Friday

INFUSION APPOINTMENTS

Although we attempt to schedule your infusion sessions at times convenient to your schedule, please understand that we may not always be able to do so.

If you know you will be late, please call and notify the infusion department. We allow 30 minutes past the scheduled appointment time for you to check in at the front desk. If you have not arrived within 30 minutes or notified us that you will be late, your appointment will be considered a “no-show” and you may be billed for that time.

If you routinely “no-show” or cancel and reschedule, your appointment prescribing physician will be notified. You will be required to see your prescribing physician before being allowed to schedule additional infusion appointments.

INSURANCE VERIFICATION

When your physician orders infusion treatment, we automatically conduct a benefit investigation, which determines if the prescribed treatment is covered by your insurance provider. In some instances, your insurance provider will leave a portion of the bill for you to pay.

We will not initiate infusion services until you have been informed of the approximate amount that the insurance will require you to pay for the treatment. We require that this amount be paid, or that you have made payment arrangements, at the time the service is rendered.

NOTE: We conduct benefit re-verification every January on every infusion patient. There are some rare instances that this will cause a short interruption in your infusion schedule while we are waiting on your insurance to “re-approve” your infusion treatments.

WALK-IN PATIENTS

Due to HIPAA regulations, we are not able to accommodate “walk-in” patents to the infusion department.

Although we enjoy seeing you, please refrain from walking in to visit. This takes our focus away from our scheduled patients and violates the privacy of patients who are actively undergoing treatment.

CHILDREN IN THE INFUSION AREA

Due to the nature of treatments that are administered in the infusion area, we strongly discourage you from bringing children to your infusion appointment

.

If your child is receiving treatment, please do not bring other children with you. In most instances, we will not have enough seating available.

Minor children receiving treatment must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. We will make accommodations for you to remain in the infusion area at the time treatment is being administered.

FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE INFUSION AREA

In most instances, we will not be able to facilitate family members in the infusion area. If you require assistance of a family member to read or sign consent forms, we will allow them to assist you but will ask them to wait in the outside waiting area while you receive treatment.

MEDICATION REFILLS AND SAMPLE REQUESTS

The infusion staff are not involved in the medication refill process for the Allergy A.R.T.S. clinic or your prescribing physician’s office if you are a referred patient.

The only medication refills we are authorized to assist you with are antibiotics that were prescribed to take with your infusion treatment.

NOTE: Not all patients take prophylactic antibiotics.

SICK VISITS

If you feel that you are becoming ill at the time of your infusion, please call the Infusion Department to reschedule your infusion. We encourage you to either be seen as a sick visit in the clinic (if you are an Allergy A.R.T.S. patient), your prescribing physician (if you are not an Allergy A.R.T.S. patient) or by your primary care physician. In most instances, we will not administer your treatment if you are actively receiving treatment for an illness or infection.

TB (PPD) TESTING

It is our protocol to maintain yearly TB testing on all infusion patients. If you are non-compliant with this requirement, your infusions may be postponed until this testing has been completed.

SURGERY/OTHER INVASIVE PROCEDURES

Allergy A.R.T.S.’s established protocol is that you do not receive an immunosuppressant any sooner than 3 to 4 weeks prior to your procedure or 3 to 4 weeks post-procedure.

Re-infusion following an invasive procedure is dependent upon your healing well from the procedure and that your surgeon/physician is aware and approves restarting infusions. Please make all of your other medical providers aware that you receive an immunosuppressive medication at your clinic.

The following procedures constitute an invasive procedure:

• Surgery of any type

• Invasive dental work (other than routine cleanings)

• EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy)

• Colonoscopy

• Heart catheterization

If you are unsure, please call the Infusion Department for guidance.

LABORATORY TESTING

Per guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology, we require routine lab testing on all infusion patients. The type of blood work and the frequency depend upon the infusion treatment you receive.