Four years ago, Sherry Hambly, 56, developed a painful rash, that constantly felt as if she had a terrible sunburn. Her skin burned every time she washed her hands or took a shower and her muscles were weak. After a long journey searching for answers, she was diagnosed with dermatomyositis, an autoimmune disorder. She’s now receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) at the Option Care Health Infusion Suite in Troy, Mich., and is grateful to have her life back.

Prior to finding the right diagnosis and treatment, Sherry was so uncomfortable she had to take pain medicine daily and could barely perform her job as an accountant, due to weakness. She didn’t sleep well and was too exhausted to relish the things that brought her joy, including playing with her grandchildren, golfing, bowling and doing yoga.

“I love the employees at the Troy infusion suite because I never have to lift a finger – they take care of everything and made sure my care plan was personalized for me,” said Sherry, of Rochester Hills, Mich.

Early on, she was taking hydroxychloroquine, a high dose of steroids and an anti-rejection drug. Her original IVIG prescription involved four-hour IVIG infusions three days in a row once a month, but by the end of the month the benefits wore off and she didn’t have the energy to go to the office. The Option Care Health team worked with Sherry, her doctor and pharmacist to devise a care plan that worked best for her and she now receives the infusions two days a week every other week.

“It’s made all the difference in the world,” she said. “I no longer take any pain pills and am completely off all the steroids I relied on to keep me moving, because my IVIG treatment is helping so dramatically.”

She lives with her husband, son and two grandchildren. Now that she has her energy back, she’s able to assist her 11-year-old grandson with his home schooling and watch her 16-month old granddaughter. She’s back to golfing and doing yoga and can perform her job to her fullest potential.

“I really like the infusion suite – it’s nice being in your own little space during COVID-19 – the room has windows, comfortable chairs and a kitchen where I can warm up my coffee. It’s quiet and I can even work while I’m there,” she said. “The staff is always going above and beyond to make sure we’re safe and comfortable.”

Frequently ill with pneumonia, bronchitis and other serious infections, Cambria Hooven, 35, limited her contact with people and didn’t leave her house much. After finally learning the reason for her near-constant sickness was a weakened immune system due to common variable immune deficiency (CVID), she began receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) at home through Option Care Health. She felt free to get out more and socialize, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Because Cambria was afraid to risk having visitors come to her home, her Option Care Health nurse, Kola devised a plan. He suggested she receive treatments at the Option Care Health Langhorne Infusion Suite where he works, which is a 35-minute drive from her home in Philadelphia.

“I was nervous about it as I hesitate to go anywhere during this pandemic, so he sent me a video of the suite before my first appointment, walking through everything and showing me exactly what doors to enter,” said Cambria, who gets teary eyed at the memory. “Kola has been my nurse for two years and he’s like family to me. I don’t know what I would do without him in my life!”

She now receives her four-hour monthly treatments in a clean and sanitized room, which has its own comfortable lounge chair and large windows. Because she otherwise stays home during the pandemic, she really enjoys going for her monthly infusions. “It’s a little retreat center,” says Cambria.

Cambria is relieved to finally have a diagnosis and receive treatment. For years, she saw one doctor after the next to try to figure out why she was always sick. Eight years ago, she had her appendix removed, got a serious blood infection and spent 33 days in the hospital, unsure if she would survive. Determined to get to the bottom of her problem, she took a leave from her job as a social worker in child welfare to have one test after the other.

She finally saw an immune specialist who diagnosed her condition and prescribed IVIG. As a result, she hasn’t been hospitalized since. Initially, she began self-infusing at home, but wasn’t comfortable with it. Option Care Health recommended a nurse come to her home to provide the infusions and that’s how she met Kola.

Now that she’s receiving treatment, Cambria feels healthier and is able to do her work as a social worker remotely, often from the Langhorne infusion suite.

“I know how to stay safe and the treatment I get at Option Care Health helps so I don’t have to live in fear and isolation. I can get outside safely to hike and backpack,” she said. “It’s great going to the Langhorne suite, which is safe and clean and I have so much respect for the nurses and their families. They’re so considerate.”

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., November 29, 2016 — Option Care Enterprises, Inc., one of the nation’s leading providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, has been selected as a contracted provider of a new 20% formulation of subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) therapy for primary immunodeficiency (PI). CUVITRU™ [Immune Globulin Subcutaneous (Human), 20% Solution] is manufactured by Shire plc.

CUVITRU™ recently was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult and pediatric patients two years and older with PI, a group of more than 300 genetic disorders in which part of the body’s immune system is missing or functions improperly.

“Option Care has a proven track record of providing compassionate, high-quality clinical care in the home or at alternate treatment sites to patients undergoing therapy for a variety of complex conditions, including those with primary immunodeficiency,” said Lisa Betts, Vice President, Specialty Programs, Option Care. “As one of the largest national providers of immunoglobulin therapy, we are pleased to offer CUVITRU™ to support primary immunodeficiency patients as we continue to spread awareness and improve treatment options. “

Immunoglobulin (IG) is a lifelong therapy provided to prevent recurrent infections in patients with PI, which affects as many as six million people worldwide.

Option Care has a staff of more than 1,800 clinical experts, including pharmacists and more than 1,200 infusion nurses. This multidisciplinary team of specially trained clinicians provides individualized patient care plans, clinical monitoring of each infusion and comprehensive patient and caregiver education. For more information, call Option Care’s IG Specialty Center of Excellence at 1-877-974-4844 or fax 877-974-4845.

About Option Care

Option Care Enterprises, Inc. (Option Care) is one of the nation’s largest and most trusted providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services. An industry leader, the company draws on nearly 40 years of clinical care experience to offer patient-centered therapy management. Option Care’s signature Home Infusion Plus services include the clinical management of infusion medicines, nursing support and care coordination. Option Care’s more than 1,800 clinicians — including pharmacists, nurses and dietitians — are able to provide home infusion service coverage for nearly all acute and chronic patients across the United States. Learn more at www.OptionCare.com.

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Effective March 1, 2016, Option Care Enterprises, Inc. will be a preferred provider of intravenous and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (IVIG/SCIG) drugs provided in the home[*]Members can continue to receive IVIG/SCIG from home infusion vendors currently owned by a hospital or health system participating in the Independence Blue Cross provider network. for members covered by affiliates of Independence Blue Cross. [*]Independence Blue Cross is a holding company and is not the name, or in the name, of an entity that “writes insurance.

As one of the nation’s largest providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, Option Care’s specially trained nurses and pharmacists provide high-quality, high-touch clinical support to patients treated for complex conditions, including those receiving IG. Option Care IG patients report very high levels of satisfaction — 98 percent — with Option Care’s in-home visits and ongoing support calls to help them manage their conditions.[*]Option Care Enterprises, Inc. Data on file 2016.

IG therapy is prescribed to patients with immune system-related conditions, including primary immunodeficiency disorders (the body’s immune system doesn’t function properly), autoimmune disorders (the body attacks itself) and other conditions that benefit from the treatment. IG therapy is delivered one of two ways: IVIG is infused through a vein, and SCIG is delivered into the fatty tissue just below the skin. Including IVIG and SCIG, Option Care manages more than 55,000 IG infusions each year.[*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.

In a recent first-of-its kind study, Option Care home IG patients, who receive a high level of clinical oversight, had better outcomes when compared to a large national database of patients who received IG therapy in other settings.

Option Care provides access to all IG products, and its more than 1,700 clinicians, including nurses and pharmacists specially trained in IVIG/SCIG, provide high-quality care, including individualized patient care plans, clinical monitoring of each infusion and comprehensive patient and caregiver education.

Effective March 1, 2016, Option Care Enterprises, Inc. will be a preferred provider of intravenous and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (IVIG/SCIG) drugs provided in the home* for members covered by AmeriHealth New Jersey.

As one of the nation’s largest providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, Option Care’s specially trained nurses and pharmacists provide high-quality, high-touch clinical support to patients treated for complex conditions, including those receiving IG.  Option Care IG patients report very high levels of satisfaction — 98 percent — with Option Care’s in-home visits and ongoing support calls to help them manage their conditions.[*]Option Care Enterprises, Inc. Data on file 2016.

IG therapy is prescribed to patients with immune system-related conditions, including primary immunodeficiency disorders (the body’s immune system doesn’t function properly), autoimmune disorders (the body attacks itself) and other conditions that benefit from the treatment. IG therapy is delivered one of two ways: IVIG is infused through a vein, and SCIG is delivered into the fatty tissue just below the skin. Including IVIG and SCIG, Option Care manages more than 55,000 IG infusions each year.[*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.

Home Infusion IG Therapy in Focus

In a recent first-of-its kind study, Option Care home IG patients, who receive a high level of clinical oversight, had better outcomes when compared to a large national database of patients who received IG therapy in other settings.

Option Care provides access to all IG products, and its more than 1,700 clinicians, including nurses and pharmacists specially trained in IVIG/SCIG, provide high-quality care, including individualized patient care plans, clinical monitoring of each infusion and comprehensive patient and caregiver education.

*Members can continue to receive IVIG/SCIG from home infusion vendors currently owned by a hospital or health system participating in the AmeriHealth New Jersey provider network.

SAN ANTONIO — Option Care patients treated with immunoglobulin (IG) therapy at home with a high level of clinical oversight had better outcomes compared to others receiving the therapy according to a first-of-its-kind study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting this week. The researchers, who evaluated data from Option Care as compared to a large national database, also determined that the cost of therapy was lower. [*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.

One of the nation’s largest providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, Option Care provides high-quality, high-touch clinical support to patients undergoing treatment for complex conditions, including those receiving IG. Option Care’s unique treatment model combines locally delivered care with nationally managed treatment protocols and outcomes data collection. Specially trained infusion nurses and pharmacists provide individualized, expert IG treatment and patient education in the home. Patient-reported outcome measures — a scientific way of capturing patient experience — are collected by a dedicated team of IG experts and shared with patient’s broader health care team to keep everyone on the same page about the patient’s health status and to optimize the treatment plan.

“We conducted this research to test the hypothesis that patients who receive higher levels of clinical care in the home end up having better outcomes, ” said Jordan Orange, M.D., Ph.D., lead investigator of the study and professor of pediatrics and immunology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “We found that the provision of comprehensive and consistent care in a patient’s own home does indeed lead to better outcomes. And an added benefit was that it was actually more cost effective.”

IG therapy is provided to patients who have disorders of the immune system such as immune deficiencies or autoimmune diseases, including some neuromuscular disorders. The site of care for the treatment may be the hospital inpatient setting, a hospital outpatient infusion center, a physician’s office, a community infusion center or at home.

In the retrospective study from Aug. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014, Dr. Orange and his colleagues assessed outcomes of Option Care patients receiving in-home IG therapy in comparison with control patients included in a large national administrative claims database (IMS Pharmetrics Plus). Patients received therapy one of two ways: intravenous IG (IVIG) in which it is injected directly into the bloodstream, and subcutaneous IG (SCIG), in which the therapy is injected just beneath the first layer of skin. Researchers matched each Option Care patient to four patients in the database: 227 Option Care IVIG patients were compared to 908 controls, and 59 Option Care SCIG patients were compared to 236 controls. Researchers found:

• Serious bacterial infections were lower in Option Care IVIG patients (.16 per patient per year) compared to control IVIG patients (.29 per patient per year)[*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.  
• Serious adverse events (renal impairment, hepatitis, anaphylaxis and aseptic meningitis) were lower in Option Care SCIG patients (.08 per patient per year) compared to SCIG control patients (.34 per patient per year). [*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.
• Costs were lower overall for Option Care IVIG patients compared to controls ($112,756 vs. $120,567 per patient per year).[*]Orange J, Kirkham H, Ayer G, et al. Improved clinical outcomes for patients receiving immunoglobulin therapy through specialty pharmacy or home infusion services. Paper presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting: Nov 5-9, 2015; San Antonio.  

“Delivering high quality care for all of our patients is our top priority. We believe that our high-touch care model benefits patients, and we are pleased that this IG data bears that out,” said Paul Mastrapa, CEO of Option Care. “Not only do our patients appreciate the quality of life benefits of receiving care in the home, this research shows they also are getting the best quality care at a lower cost.”

About the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

The ACAAI is a professional medical organization of more than 6,000 allergists-immunologists and allied health professionals, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill. The College fosters a culture of collaboration and congeniality in which its members work together and with others toward the common goals of patient care, education, advocacy and research. ACAAI allergists are board-certified physicians trained to diagnose allergies and asthma, administer immunotherapy, and provide patients with the best treatment outcomes. For more information and to find relief, visit  www.AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org.

About Option Care

Option Care Enterprises, Inc., formerly Walgreens Infusion Services, Inc., offers high quality clinical care provided by specially trained infusion nurses, pharmacists and dietitians who treat patients with a wide range of acute, chronic and rare conditions. As one of the nation’s largest providers of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, Option Care has 92 infusion pharmacies and 110 alternate treatment sites across the country. Learn more at www.OptionCare.com.  

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Media Contact Information

Option Care
Lauren Kotarski
312-558-1770
LKotarski@pcipr.com