Why Local Infusion

Why we're building Local Infusion, how we're doing things differently, and our vision for the future. 

Today, in the US, there is an epidemic of patients with chronic autoimmune disease. Fortunately, science has progressed to the point that for many of these conditions, like Multiple Sclerosis, there are highly effective but expensive IV Drugs available. These therapies can be life changing, both for the patient and their family.

Unfortunately, in most parts of the country, patients’ only treatment option is to go to the hospital where the cost is two times higher than what it should be. Where low cost options exist, the patient experience is an afterthought. As consumer tech-enabled companies emerge in other areas of healthcare (One Medical for Primary Care; Kindbody for Fertility; Tend for Dental), tech-enabled patient centric options have yet to emerge for patients requiring specialty infusion therapy.

Enter Local Infusion

We have invested heavily into brand, patient experience, and technology to offer those modern and hospitality-like experiences to patients on infusion therapy. We are truly putting the patient at the center of everything we do — from offering flexibility in scheduling evening and weekend hours to the selection of chairs that patients sit in for hours at a time. We’re also investing heavily in technology that can make the entire process much more seamless, for the patient, physician and payer. 

Imagine the status quo: 

You have a monthly visit to the hospital. Parking is a challenge. You have to wait 45 minutes to register and wait another hour before the nurse brings your medications. You then sit in an open infusion room, with no privacy, for two hours while you get your treatment. To make matters worse, you have to request PTO to get this treatment, because they only offer appointments during business hours.

Now compare this to our offering:

Night and weekend appointments. Convenient parking. Zero wait time. Spa-like experience with private rooms. A digital onboarding process for patients that takes two minutes on their phone. And Local Infusion can do this for half the cost. What does this mean for infusion patients? No more requesting PTO to get medical care; more time with family; less money spent on healthcare; less stress worrying about the disease, and more time living their life.

Why New England

We chose New England to launch Local Infusion. We will see patients in Concord, NH starting December, and in Augusta, ME and Bedford, NH in February (with several other locations planned for 2023). Choosing New England was straightforward and an easy decision. We wanted to start with Maine and New Hampshire because several C-suite payor executives from that region called me to ask if we could open locations there!  The cost of infusion therapy was causing real pain to New England employers.

We researched the care options for patients in those states and our findings echoed the opinions of these executives. For example, in Concord, New Hampshire’s capital, it is impossible for patients to receive a non-hospital infusion most days. The lack of access can have a debilitating impact on patients’ health. We are talking about patients with progressive illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis for whom delays in treatment can lead to permanent consequences.

Where are we going

We will have 7-8 locations in Maine and New Hampshire by the end of 2023, providing access to affordable infusion therapy to 95% of the region’s population. More important than the savings we will generate, Local Infusion will change the way specialty infusion care is delivered. By increasing the speed and ease at which patients get care, by designing thoughtful and modern infusion centers that make patients feel at home; by building technology that facilitates the referral process for prescribing physicians so that they may make better care plan decisions, we will elevate and disrupt the infusion market.  We intend on expanding our platform beyond New England, to become the local leader in every market where we see an opportunity to increase low cost access or elevate the patient experience.

Interested in learning more? Read up about our referral process (which takes less than 5 minutes).