Health Is Everything: A Medical Blog

3 Reasons To Request Home Injection Services

Home injection services can be an invaluable tool for you or a loved one who relies on injectable medications or has the option to shift from infusions to injections. In addition to making the injection process easier, there are several advantages to doing your injections at home.

Efficiency

Many types of injections may be given at a physician's office or an outpatient center, which can be time-consuming. Additionally, some people have IV infusions of the same medication they could take at home in a subcutaneous form. For example, some biologics come in both an infusion and an injection. IV infusions are lengthy. In addition, when pre-loading medications like antihistamines to minimize the chance of a reaction, patients must remain in the infusion center for hours until their infusion is done. They may also be required to stay at the infusion center for a while after the infusion to be monitored for any adverse reactions.

Education

Part of home injection services includes significant education about the medication and the best way to utilize the medication. In some instances, a caregiver may be responsible for administering an injection to an older adult or a child, which can make some people apprehensive. Some information you might learn with a home injection is the best way to store the medication and how you can travel with the medication, if necessary. Many injections must remain refrigerated until use, whereas some can remain at room temperature for several weeks before they are unusable.

Learning how to properly inject the medication is also important. Generally, you may be advised of specific injection sites that are safe to help you avoid issues. You are often advised to rotate injection sites to minimize the buildup of scar tissue. Tips for helping people who are apprehensive about needles may include distracting them during the injection or using topical anesthetic before administering the injection to make them more comfortable. You will also be informed about ways to properly dispose of needles and other materials used with injections. Generally, you will receive a sharps container that may be dropped off at a medical facility or mailed in for proper disposal.

Economical

The economic difference between doing home injections versus having injections at a medical facility or doing infusions at an infusion center is significant. Depending on where or who is doing the injection, your insurance may be billed for an office visit or an outpatient visit, with outpatient visits being significantly more expensive. If the injection is done in the office, it is likely more expensive if a specialist does the injection versus your primary care provider. In addition to what is actually billed to your insurance, there may be significant co-payments that add up.

Depending on the medication, it may be more economical to do home injections. Injections are significantly less expensive than infusions. Even injections may be less expensive to do at home versus in-office simply because it may be less expensive to receive several weeks or months of medication and supplies at once, instead of billing the insurance company for each injection. For example, people who use biologics often receive a month or three-month of supplies at once.

Requesting home injection services has many advantages over having your injections done in-office or at an outpatient center. Many people find they are less apprehensive about injections when they can perform them in the comfort of their home, on their own schedule.