Why Home Infusion Care is Emerging as a Smarter Option for Employers, Payers, and Patients

The Shifting Model of Specialty Infusion Care

Specialty infusion therapies are life-changing for patients with chronic and rare diseases but the current environment for these drugs are creating significant challenges for employers, patients, and payers. 

Here’s the big picture: The U.S. infusion therapy market has skyrocketed from $150B in 2015 to more than $360B in 2025. 10 to 20 new FDA-approved infusion drugs enter the market every year.  

Adding to this is the fact that 85% of infusions still happen in traditional settings like hospitals and infusion centers, which are high-cost settings.   

Besides cost, traditional hospital-based delivery often creates challenges for patients like long appointments that impact their work schedules, long drives for those living in rural areas, inconsistent staffing, hidden fees, and infection exposure and risk in crowded facilities.

Specialty drugs now account for more than half of U.S. prescription drug spending, according to the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. Given these costs, high barriers around infusion lead to missed treatments, complications, and preventable hospitalizations—making clear the need for reimagined delivery models. 

Home-based infusion offers an alternative that emphasizes access, coordination, and cost efficiency.

Efficiency Factor: Coordinating Care for Better Outcomes

Successful home infusion depends on strong care coordination among patients, providers, pharmacists, nurses, and payers. Clear communication reduces delays, ensures on-time delivery, and aligns nursing visits to treatment plans. Proactive patient education and monitoring can prevent minor concerns from escalating into costly hospitalizations.

Prioritizing convenience and accessibility are increasingly shaping decisions about where patients and payers choose to receive infusion care. A system that reduces barriers not only improves patient adherence but also lowers total costs over time.  Research has shown that well-coordinated home infusion programs significantly reduce hospital utilization while maintaining safety standards comparable to inpatient care.

Why Traditional Models Fall Short

Hospital and clinic-based infusion often requires patients to rearrange their lives around rigid schedules. Employees may need to take a full day off work, while parents juggle childcare just to keep an appointment. For patients living in remote areas, a single infusion can mean hours of driving. These hurdles discourage adherence, increasing the risk of flare-ups or hospitalizations that could have been avoided. Also, facility-based care exposes vulnerable patients to greater infection risk, a reality underscored during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many began to transition to at-home therapy. 

Adherence as a Cost and Health Driver

The importance of adherence cannot be overstated. Research cited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that missed or delayed doses in chronic disease management can increase hospitalization risk by 20–25 percent. Home infusion models directly address this startling statistic by streamlining therapy delivery of medications and scheduling follow-up visits. By making treatment more reliable and less disruptive, these models help patients stay on their therapy, leading to improved health outcomes and reducing long-term costs.

Moving Toward Transparent Pricing

Another challenge of traditional infusion centers is cost variability. Data shows that drug markups can reach two to five times the acquisition price. For patients with co-insurance, this can double out-of-pocket costs. For employers and payers, these markups translate to unpredictable expenses that put a strain on budgets.

Alternative approaches that eliminate drug markups and instead charge a flat service fee can reduce treatment costs by more than 50 percent. For patients, lower prices mean fewer skipped treatments and a greater likelihood of staying on the most effective therapy. For employers, predictable pricing translates into healthier employees, reduced absenteeism, and long-term savings.

Ensuring Safety Beyond the Hospital Walls

Safety is always a priority in complex therapy delivery. Home infusion programs reduce risk by carefully screening patients for eligibility, using highly trained nurses with emergency response skills, and following evidence-based protocols. The added benefit is that patients can receive care in a familiar environment, which reduces stress and enhances their overall treatment experience.

Care Coordination Technology

Technology further strengthens the case for home infusion. Secure electronic medical records allow for real-time communication between providers, pharmacists, and nursing teams. Telehealth check-ins provide patients with immediate support while reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital. Emerging tools, including AI-driven monitoring and patient engagement platforms, hold the potential to predict adherence risks and trigger timely interventions. By shifting the focus from crisis management to prevention, technology ensures that patients remain healthier longer while healthcare systems control costs.

A Strategic Advantage for Employers

For employers, the benefits extend far beyond healthcare spend. Employees who can receive infusions at home avoid the productivity loss of missing a full day of work. Transparent pricing reduces surprise costs and helps HR leaders design more effective benefits programs. Just as importantly, eliminating hidden costs such as parking, fuel, or childcare removes barriers that might otherwise discourage treatment adherence. The result is a healthier, more engaged workforce and a more sustainable benefits strategy.

Summary:

Home infusion supported by strong care coordination is more than convenience—it represents a modern approach to managing some of the costliest therapies in healthcare. As specialty drugs continue to dominate national spending, employers, payers, and providers who embrace patient-centered, transparent delivery models will provide what the healthcare system desperately needs: healthier patients and more sustainable costs.