Reprinted from the BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy Blog on May 30th, 2013:
Bill Cook
Guest Blog: Bill Cook, Vice President of Sales at BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy
“I never knew it could be so easy to get IgG for my patients!” shares Mercedes Pernice, M.D., from Southeastern Integrated Medical in Gainesville, Florida, who worked with BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy the first time she prescribed IgG (immunoglobulin G) therapy for a patient.
Dr. Pernice had previously referred any patients who might need IgG therapy to an infectious disease doctor; she had never taken the plunge of prescribing IgG in her own practice, fearing it would be too complicated. But recently a patient with a type of primary immunodeficiency called common variable immunodeficiency had been seen at her office. “Perhaps,” thought Dr. Pernice, “this is the right time to prescribe IgG myself instead of referring out to another specialist.”
IgG therapy can seem tricky and overwhelming for patients – and even medical professionals can feel a bit intimidated at first if they don’t work with IgG very often. IgG is a blood product used either intravenously or subcutaneously to treat certain immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and acute infections. Considering that worldwide consumption of IgG increased from just 300 kilograms in 1980 to more than 100 tons per year today, it makes sense for providers to get comfortable prescribing this useful and increasingly applicable therapy.
Beth Durgee, A.R.N.P., the nurse practitioner at Dr. Pernice’s office, spearheaded the process with IgG therapy for their practice’s first patient. “You can’t imagine my surprise and relief when the entire process from our first call to BioPlus until the medication was ready to ship to the patient took just a couple of days,” shares Durgee. During that time, BioPlus handled every aspect of the prior authorization and insurance company paperwork.
Our job at BioPlus isn’t to just get specialty medications such as IgG therapy delivered to patients; we want the process from need to treatment to go as smoothly as possible. Our high-touch patient model relies on dedicated teams who manage specific programs and also serve as the physician’s main point of contact.
Our staff of clinical pharmacists partner with a prescriber’s office to make sure patients get the appropriate medication and we utilize only skilled IV nurses experienced in IgG therapy to administer the drug—making sure that the nurses stay for the entire infusion. Our support continues with tools for patient compliance, clinical support for patients, quickly trouble shooting any issues you may have with a specific drug, and offering 24/7 availability.
Sources: Imbach P. Treatment of immune thrombocytopenia with intravenous immunoglobulin and insights for other diseases. Swiss Med Wkly 2012;142:w13593.