Now Is the Time to Reframe Your Health System Infusion Strategy – Starting with a Deliberate Design and the Right Partnerships

When health system leaders talk about infusion, the conversation often starts with capacity, after which it may drift into compliance or reimbursement. But rarely, or at least not often enough, does it begin where Prateek Bhatia, BPharm, PhD, MBA, Vice President/General Manager of Intrafusion at McKesson, believes it should – which is with a deliberate design, constructed by asking (and answering) the right questions. “If hospitals want to minimize leakage – and, more importantly, keep patients connected to their care – they can’t afford to build their infusion strategy on assumptions,” Bhatia urges. “We have to understand what we’re solving for,” he continues. “Is it access? Is it revenue? Is it payer steerage? Is it all three?” The point, Bhatia explains, is that many systems are reacting to infusion pressures rather than getting ahead of them. The result? Patients turn elsewhere. Data goes dark. Providers lose visibility into the therapies they prescribed. And, what keeps Bhatia awake some nights, is that health systems lose the chance to make infusion a strength versus a struggle.

Listen to the full interview with Prateek below.

It’s a sharp reframing he describes – one that positions infusion not as a revenue drain but as a strategic lever – and it comes at a time when more health system executives are asking whether their existing infusion footprint can support future growth. With new therapies gaining traction, biosimilars accelerating, and rare disease infusions on the rise, demand is only heading in one direction – but so, unsurprisingly, is competition.

2.  https://www.bourne-partners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/
Infusion-Therapy-Market-Update.pdf

Community-based infusion centers and payer-owned specialty pharmacies are increasingly stepping into the space, fueled and perhaps even aided in part by policy and benefit design. “Payers are moving infusions off the medical benefit and onto the prescription benefit,” Bhatia notes. “They’re requiring more patients to get therapy outside the health system.” That kind of steerage isn’t new, but the pace and volume have become more notable in recent years. For health systems already stretched thin, the solution isn’t to fight these changes with brute force or dig their heels in, nor is it to sit idly by – but to ask smarter questions about how, where, and why leakage is occurring. “You can’t design a capture strategy if you don’t know where your patients are going,” Bhatia says.

“If hospitals want to minimize leakage – and, more importantly, keep patients connected to their care – they can’t afford to build their infusion strategy on assumptions.”

Answering these questions through a technology-forward, partnership-led approach – deliberately designed and proactively implemented – may be the foundation of a healthy infusion strategy that supports continuity of care and positions the health system for long-term success. By applying data analytics and predictive models, layered in with the guidance of industry experts like McKesson’s Specialty and Infusion for Health Systems teams, health systems may find answers to the most telling of questions, like where gaps exist and which therapies are driving the greatest financial or clinical risk. In other words, they can begin to treat infusion like the imperative service line it is – with all the complexity and upside that entails. 

Like any other service or solution, of course, design without execution is little more than a blueprint. On this point, Bhatia calls out just a small number of the many infrastructural and operational realities health systems may face once they commit to modernizing infusion. Everything from real estate and ventilation systems to revenue cycle management (RCM) protocols and mixing workflows must be accounted for – though the weight of these considerations is often underestimated. “One misstep in the RCM process could delay treatment or jeopardize reimbursement to the tune of real financial and clinical consequences,” he warns.

Still, the message is hopeful – something important for Bhatia to emphasize whenever he speaks on the matter. “Are there challenges? Sure. Are there opportunities? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Unequivocally, yes. Anything that keeps the patient closer to their care team and supports positive clinical outcomes isn’t even a question for me,” he shares, “and we are here to help make that a reality.”

To learn more about partnering with McKesson’s Specialty and Infusion for Health Systems experts to achieve more, contact us today. In the meantime, consider reviewing our exclusive checklist: 5 Questions to Ask When Evaluating Next Steps for Your Health System’s Infusion Strategy – available for download below – as a first step in setting your health system up for success

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This document is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. The views expressed herein are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of McKesson Corporation or its affiliates. Any statements regarding operational, clinical, or financial outcomes are illustrative in nature and should not be interpreted as guarantees of performance or results.

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