DEERFIELD, Ill., April 25, 2012 – Patients with a rare, life-threatening genetic immune system disorder can receive treatment for sudden episodes more quickly and cost-effectively at home than if they go to the emergency room, according to a Walgreens Infusion Services study being presented today at the National Home Infusion Association Annual Conference and Exposition in Phoenix. The patients in the study, who have been diagnosed with hereditary angioedema (HAE), reported being highly satisfied with home treatment administered by Walgreens Infusion Services.
More than 92 percent of treatments in the study occurred within two hours, whereas the average emergency room stay lasts longer than two hours.1 Patients in the study received Kalbitor® (ecallantide) injections to treat episodes, which can include rapid swelling of the hands, feet, face and other parts of the body, as well as severe pain.
“These results demonstrate Walgreens Infusion Services’ commitment to providing personalized patient care promptly and cost effectively, even with complex diseases,” said Steve Kennedy, PharmD, National Director of Infusion Pharmacy Services for Walgreens Infusion Services. “Our experienced infusion nurses provide HAE patients necessary treatment in the comfort of their own home, saving them time and the additional stress that may accompany an emergency room visit.”
The program study included 50 patients who received 249 Kalbitor treatments provided in the home by Walgreens Infusion Services nurses nationwide during a five-month period (October 2011-Feburary 2012) as part of a therapy management program dedicated to improving quality of life for HAE patients. Walgreens Infusion Services, the nation’s largest provider of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, is the only home infusion provider of Kalbitor treatment in the United States.
Among the findings:
• 65 percent of treatments occurred in less than one hour, 92 percent within two hours and 100 percent within four hours. The median length of stay in an ER in 2008 was 2.6 hours and 65 percent of patients spent two hours or more – not including time to travel to the ER – with waiting time causing much of the delay, according to studies.1,2
• Patients’ insurance plans saved $648,147 over ER treatment, based on the average $2,603 cost3 of an ER visit for an HAE episode vs. the average $150 cost4 for a home infusion nurse visit.
• Patients reported an average overall satisfaction score of 4.85 out of 5.
Walgreens Infusion Services has more than 1,400 specially trained nurses, pharmacists and dietitians who provide expert care for patients nationwide – whether at home or at an alternate treatment site – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, via in-person visits as well as phone check-in, as indicated. In addition to the HAE program, Walgreens Infusion Services provides care for people with acute or chronic conditions, including bleeding disorders, advanced heart failure, immunoglobulin (IG) deficiencies, nutrition deficiencies, infections and more.
In the case of Kalbitor, HAE patients with a doctor’s referral contact their local Walgreens Infusion Services office for treatment when they experience an episode. A Walgreens infusion nurse administers the injections and stays with the patient to ensure the treatment is working and to monitor for any adverse reactions so they can be addressed immediately.
HAE, also known as Quincke’s disease, affects about 10,000 people in the United States.5 Patients have a genetic deficiency that results in periodic episodes of swelling, discomfort and pain triggered by anything from dental procedures to stress, sickness or surgery.6,7 HAE can also cause swelling of the throat, which is fatal 30 to 50 percent of the time when the disease is undiagnosed or improperly managed.8 Infused and injected treatments such as Kalbitor have helped improve quality of life for HAE patients, relieving their symptoms more effectively than in the past, when episodes might leave them out of commission for days.
About Walgreens Infusion Services
Walgreens is the nation’s largest provider of home and alternate treatment site infusion services. With a staff of more than 1,400 infusion nurses, infusion pharmacists and registered dietitians, Walgreens Infusion Services treats patients with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. Comprehensive therapy management programs are offered for patients with nutrition disorders, bleeding disorders, and heart failure, as well as those needing immunoglobulin (IG) therapy, antibiotic therapy, and transplant services. Walgreens Infusion Services reduces costs for the patient and the healthcare system, while increasing medication adherence and patient quality of life. Patients are supported 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Walgreens Infusion Services has more than through 70 infusion pharmacies and more than 80 alternate treatment sites across the country.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,830 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
1. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2008 Emergency Department Summary. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/nhamcs_emergency/nhamcsed2008.pdf
2. Kennedy J, Rhodes K, Walls CA, et al. Access to emergency care: restricted by long waiting times and cost and coverage concerns. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43:567-573.
3. Toscani M, Riedl M. Meeting the challenges and burdens associated with hereditary angioedema. Manag Care. 2011 Sep;20(9):44-51.
4. Walgreens data on file.
5. Food and Drug Administration press release on Kalbitor approval: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2009/ucm192687.htm
6. National Institutes of Health website on HAE: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002427/
7. U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association website: http://www.haea.org/
8. Farkas. Management of upper airway edema caused by hereditary angioedema. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2010; 6(1):19.
9. Kalbitor website: http://www.kalbitor.com/patient/why-kalbitor/how-kalbitor-works.html
More than 92 percent of treatments in the study occurred within two hours, whereas the average emergency room stay lasts longer than two hours.1 Patients in the study received Kalbitor® (ecallantide) injections to treat episodes, which can include rapid swelling of the hands, feet, face and other parts of the body, as well as severe pain.
“These results demonstrate Walgreens Infusion Services’ commitment to providing personalized patient care promptly and cost effectively, even with complex diseases,” said Steve Kennedy, PharmD, National Director of Infusion Pharmacy Services for Walgreens Infusion Services. “Our experienced infusion nurses provide HAE patients necessary treatment in the comfort of their own home, saving them time and the additional stress that may accompany an emergency room visit.”
The program study included 50 patients who received 249 Kalbitor treatments provided in the home by Walgreens Infusion Services nurses nationwide during a five-month period (October 2011-Feburary 2012) as part of a therapy management program dedicated to improving quality of life for HAE patients. Walgreens Infusion Services, the nation’s largest provider of home and alternate treatment site infusion services, is the only home infusion provider of Kalbitor treatment in the United States.
Among the findings:
• 65 percent of treatments occurred in less than one hour, 92 percent within two hours and 100 percent within four hours. The median length of stay in an ER in 2008 was 2.6 hours and 65 percent of patients spent two hours or more – not including time to travel to the ER – with waiting time causing much of the delay, according to studies.1,2
• Patients’ insurance plans saved $648,147 over ER treatment, based on the average $2,603 cost3 of an ER visit for an HAE episode vs. the average $150 cost4 for a home infusion nurse visit.
• Patients reported an average overall satisfaction score of 4.85 out of 5.
Walgreens Infusion Services has more than 1,400 specially trained nurses, pharmacists and dietitians who provide expert care for patients nationwide – whether at home or at an alternate treatment site – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, via in-person visits as well as phone check-in, as indicated. In addition to the HAE program, Walgreens Infusion Services provides care for people with acute or chronic conditions, including bleeding disorders, advanced heart failure, immunoglobulin (IG) deficiencies, nutrition deficiencies, infections and more.
In the case of Kalbitor, HAE patients with a doctor’s referral contact their local Walgreens Infusion Services office for treatment when they experience an episode. A Walgreens infusion nurse administers the injections and stays with the patient to ensure the treatment is working and to monitor for any adverse reactions so they can be addressed immediately.
HAE, also known as Quincke’s disease, affects about 10,000 people in the United States.5 Patients have a genetic deficiency that results in periodic episodes of swelling, discomfort and pain triggered by anything from dental procedures to stress, sickness or surgery.6,7 HAE can also cause swelling of the throat, which is fatal 30 to 50 percent of the time when the disease is undiagnosed or improperly managed.8 Infused and injected treatments such as Kalbitor have helped improve quality of life for HAE patients, relieving their symptoms more effectively than in the past, when episodes might leave them out of commission for days.
About Walgreens Infusion Services
Walgreens is the nation’s largest provider of home and alternate treatment site infusion services. With a staff of more than 1,400 infusion nurses, infusion pharmacists and registered dietitians, Walgreens Infusion Services treats patients with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. Comprehensive therapy management programs are offered for patients with nutrition disorders, bleeding disorders, and heart failure, as well as those needing immunoglobulin (IG) therapy, antibiotic therapy, and transplant services. Walgreens Infusion Services reduces costs for the patient and the healthcare system, while increasing medication adherence and patient quality of life. Patients are supported 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Walgreens Infusion Services has more than through 70 infusion pharmacies and more than 80 alternate treatment sites across the country.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,830 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
1. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2008 Emergency Department Summary. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/nhamcs_emergency/nhamcsed2008.pdf
2. Kennedy J, Rhodes K, Walls CA, et al. Access to emergency care: restricted by long waiting times and cost and coverage concerns. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43:567-573.
3. Toscani M, Riedl M. Meeting the challenges and burdens associated with hereditary angioedema. Manag Care. 2011 Sep;20(9):44-51.
4. Walgreens data on file.
5. Food and Drug Administration press release on Kalbitor approval: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2009/ucm192687.htm
6. National Institutes of Health website on HAE: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002427/
7. U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association website: http://www.haea.org/
8. Farkas. Management of upper airway edema caused by hereditary angioedema. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2010; 6(1):19.
9. Kalbitor website: http://www.kalbitor.com/patient/why-kalbitor/how-kalbitor-works.html