Infusion Supply and Inventory Management
By Nufactor - July 15, 2022
The most important things you will need in the home as a field nurse are proper supplies. If anything is missing, it may delay a start of care (SOC). Nufactor provides the ancillary supplies a nurse needs to complete an infusion except for a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer, which the nurse should provide. Upon a SOC, the pharmacy will send a small amount of extra supplies in case extras are needed to complete the infusion without delay.
Some patients may benefit from obtaining an inexpensive storage container for their supplies. Ideally, the storage container would have drawers to separate supplies so it is easier to find necessary supplies upon arrival, but a well-organized single medium-sized bin may work just as well. Storing supplies in a container of this nature may help. This is to protect them from environmental elements and pets. If the patient has a storage container with drawers, a recommendation may be to store the anaphylaxis kit in the top drawer, flushes in the second drawer, IV start kits/central venous catheter dressing kits, and alcohol prep pads in the third drawer, CURLIN Pump tubing/IV tubing in the fourth drawer, and CURLIN Pump/batteries in the last drawer. This may make it easier to assess inventory and reorder supplies for subsequent visits. If/when a fill-in nurse is doing a follow-up visit, it helps them to find equipment when it is organized. The nurse subbing may be newer to home infusion therapy and may be nervous. So, this is helpful to the nurse and patient.
Each patient is assigned a Client Services Specialist (CSS) at the start of therapy. The patient is provided the name, phone number, and email address for their dedicated CSS. Ongoing scheduling, refill, and supply management is a joint effort between the CSS and the nurse in the field. Nufactor relies on the nurses in the field to assist in being the eyes and ears for supply management, and the pharmacy relies on nurses to order only necessary supplies to prevent waste. For some insurance plans, a monthly inventory is a requirement for payment. If an inventory is not provided, the Nufactor CSS assigned to the patient will send the minimal necessary supplies to administer the infusion. To avoid over- or under-supply, the communication between the nurse in the field and Nufactor is necessary for accurate inventory management. Our goal is to tailor the supplies for the primary nurse, so communication between the primary nurse and any nurse filling in is key. Inventory needs should be assessed on the last day of the course of therapy and communicated to the CSS for the next refill.
In some cases, nurses in the field may have non-emergent recommendations to modify a patient’s therapy. In these instances, the pharmacy should be contacted after the nurse leaves the patient’s home. In some instances, the patient and/or prescriber may not be in agreement with the recommendations. So, it is best to discuss with Nufactor who will contact the prescriber for approval.
For any questions or concerns, Nufactor is available 24/7/365. The pharmacy is open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET). After hours, a Pharmacist, Clinical Nurse Educator, Clinical Nurse Coordinator, Client Services Specialist, and Administrator are available. We hope you find these tips helpful.
