Vivo Infusion

NICA’s Infusion Center Spotlight aims to recognize the exemplary infusion providers who have supported NICA’s mission through membership. Provider members operate infusion centers that improve patients’ access to high-quality and cost-effective care in the communities they serve.

Vivo Infusion centers are designed by an infusion patient, for infusion patients. They focus on proficiency and compassionate care and everything they do is centered around ensuring the patient’s infusion process is as convenient and comfortable as possible.

NICA is honored to share this special Infusion Center Spotlight on Vivo Infusion®.

This special Infusion Center Spotlight will share general background info on the history, mission, services, and amenities that Vivo Infusion centers work hard to provide for their patients. Additionally, through a Q&A style interview, this spotlight will serve as a deeper look into what it took an ambulatory infusion center to transition into a pop-up model for administering these life-giving COVID-19 antibody therapeutics.

Vivo Infusion is one of the first infusion centers in the country to successfully administer COVID-19 antibody therapies to patients in your centers, can you speak to what you believe has been the greatest factor to your success?

“The entire Vivo Infusion team really stepped up to the plate when it came to preparing, administering, and monitoring the infusion of COVID-19 antibody therapies to patients in our centers. We knew that we would be a less costly site of care for the state of Texas, and that we could also service a plethora of patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, especially in rural areas. We spent a lot of time having conversations with our staff educating them on how to refer physicians and prescribe medications and what resources they would need. Overall, our patients have been so grateful and appreciative, and we are honored to have played a part in their healing.”

When did you start treating patients?

“Treatment became available at the Irving and Fort Worth centers on January 11, 2021.”

How did you prepare and educate your staff to assist with referrals, administration, etc.?

“We initially were provided with EAU guidelines around the criterial and administration of Lilly’s Bam, and Regeneron’s COVID cocktail. Our compliance team developed policies and procedures from the guidelines in conjunction with the drug manufacturers clinical services team. From there we deployed education to staff to review and attest to. We also posted the criteria for our intake teams, and added the criteria to our referral forms for easier utilization for our referring partners.”

How did you manage staffing to allow for COVID infusion days without disrupting normal infusion operations for existing patients?

“We reached a maximum of 50 patients per day with 5-6 infusion chairs on site. For 12 days, we supplemented with our per diem staff pool. Our dialysis nurses in the per diem pool usually only work Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, so on their off days, they were able to pick up COVID infusion days. These nurses are used to dealing with high acuity patients and situations. They also have an excellent infection prevention training background since they are responsible for preventing occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens in dialysis facilities. Additionally, staff with past COVID infections – and therefore COVID antibodies – became the primary mAb clinic staff.”

How did MPP separate their native non-positive patient population from COVID-positive patients coming in to receive mAbs?

“MPP dedicated two infusion sites in Irving, Texas and Fort Worth, Texas to COVID-19 therapy administration on specific days of the week. There was no integration of COVID-positive and non-positive patients in the same facility to maximize safety and health.”

Did you implement any special cleaning processes to decontaminate at the end of a COVID mAb treatment day?

“We utilized an electrostatic cleaning terminal, and our janitorial services were already prepared to deal with additional cleanings for pandemic precautions.”

One of the biggest challenges with COVID-19 antibody treatments is getting patients into the chair before their 10 day window ends. What was the turnaround time like between receiving a new order for an antibody infusion to scheduling a patient for treatment?

“We are treating most patients about 2-3 days after a positive COVID-19 test result.”

How did you manage to turn referrals around so quickly?

“Primary delays around infusion therapy are in the lanes of insurance authorizations/predeterminations and provider credentialing. Due to the tight 10-day window for these patients to get the therapy and the variety of payers within the marketplace, we communicated that a direct contract with the State can overcome these initial hurdles and can get patients in quickly.”

What outlets and platforms did you use to spread awareness of your sites within the community?

“Website, social media, state sponsored sites, local news channels such as FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, emails blasts to hospital systems, and aligned communication efforts with various medical societies.”

What would you say to other infusion operators who may be reluctant to administer COVID mAbs?

“Ensure that there is a good understanding around the criteria for therapy especially around O2 levels. We do not want to infuse patients who have substantially progressed in their disease state or those who do not truly fit the criteria due to potential supply chain issues. The medications themselves are fairly easy to compound and administer. Adverse reactions that have been reported through studies and from our experience have been very minimal.”

History/Mission: The Vivo Infusion experience is crafted from the high expectations of their founder, an infusion patient herself, with a focus on proficiency and compassionate care. Everything Vivo Infusion does is centered on ensuring the patient’s infusion process is as convenient and comfortable as possible. Vivo Infusion has earned The Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission.

VIVO Infusion has over 100 infusion sites across 14 states nationwide, including:

Connecticut
Colorado
Florida
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

Amenities: Every Vivo Infusion location has comfy & cozy heated chairs, flat screen televisions, free wifi, and a refreshment menu so that patients can reclaim treatment time for rest, relaxation, or even work.

Services: At Vivo Infusion's infusion locations, they offer IV therapy by certified medical personnel for patients with prescribed medical approval. Their professional staff have experience with a wide range of diagnoses and are certified to administer treatment as prescribed. Their modern centers feature electronic health records, patient-friendly atmospheres, entertainment, and top-of-the-line comforts. With the finest patient care provided by their staff in multiple locations, patients can receive quality treatment with peace of mind.

Migraines
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Crohn's Disease
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Multiple Sclerosis
Osteoporosis
Psoriasis
Genetic Emphysema
Anemia
Lupus
Fabry's Disease
Asthma
Gout
Other Autoimmune Conditions

Number of infusion chairs per center: Vivo Infusion has between 5 and 12 chairs per clinic.

Number of treatments furnished annually: Vivo Infusion furnishes close to 23,000 treatments annually.

Contact Vivo Infusion:

Phone number: 855-478-1578

Call to schedule a facility tour and learn more about our easy referral process.

Website: https://vivoinfusion.com/