The Difference Being A Specialist in Home Total Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Makes
NOTE: Nothing in this article is intended to convey medical advice.
What does it mean to be a specialist in home parenteral nutrition? More than you would think.
Over 20,000 Americans receive life-sustaining parenteral nutrition (PN). Since most PN patients cannot digest foods normally, their nutrition is delivered intravenously completely bypassing their digestive system.
In order to ensure the quality and safety of the PN, production of PN should be done by a skilled compounding pharmacy in a highly regulated production environment with:
- A clean, sterile room
- Pharmacy technicians skilled in compounding
- Highly specialized equipment such as compounders, and more
A Specialized Approach
At Nutrishare, we only work with patients who need long-term home TPN. We believe that we can do better in the long run by only taking on this one special job.
ONE ON ONE CLINICAL CARE FROM AN AWARD-WINNING TEAM
As mentioned before, most compounding and infusion pharmacies offer a wide umbrella of products. Their business model is to simply create the compounded product that is prescribed, seek reimbursement and repeat. In this instance, there is very little interaction between the pharmacist and the patient who will ultimately consume the product. The pharmacy is simply compounding and dispensing products.
In contrast, Nutrishare specializes only in home parenteral nutrition (HPN) and assigns each patient a dedicated clinician for extra support throughout their HPN journey.
Nutrishare clinicians are typically PharmD, which means Doctor of Pharmacy, and our average career tenure with the company is over 20 years. That means that our clinical staff has made caring for parenteral nutrition patients the complete focus of their career.
Our sole clinician focus is to ensure the health and quality of life of the patients that have been assigned to them.
Nutrishare’s lead Dietitian Dr. Carol Ireton-Jones poses for a picture with Nutrishare patients at a patient conference.
PATIENT TENURE
In addition to our pharmacists’ remarkable tenure, we develop long, lasting relationships with our patients. We often use the term “Nutrishare family” because of the special relationship that is developed over time between our clinicians and their patients. Our clinicians and their patients spend time working together on the phone to dial in all of the elements of the parenteral nutrition formula to ensure maximum energy, hydration, and overall dietetic support.
Additionally, our dietitians and nurses, work with our patients to maximize every aspect of parenteral nutrition.
Nutrishare clinical coordinator Reid Nishikawa, PharmD, BCNSP, FASPEN, helps our patient with her pump, delivering vital nutrients during a race.
SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, SHIPPING, AND LOGISTICS
At Nutrishare we are proud of the dedication and expertise of our team. That includes our shipping and logistics warehouse team that helps to ensure our over 95% on-time delivery rates.
With licenses and patients in 48 states, we ship nationwide and we can accommodate your travel (more on that later). Our shipping and logistics warehouse team does nothing but pack TPN orders and ensure that we have the supplies that our patients need.
Our warehouse team works diligently on shipping days to ensure that our patients get their TPN on time.
SHIPPING:
Our number one priority is to ensure that our TPN is full of the life-sustaining nutrients that are formulated special to you. Our number two priority is ensuring that you get your shipment on time. We are experts in shipping with all major carriers in the United States and if one carrier can’t get you your TPN on time, then we will work with the others who can.
“The Nutrishare Promise” is that your TPN will arrive on time when and where you need it – no surprises. With over 30 years of experience in Home TPN, we have ensured timely delivery of over 95% of our shipments through all types of challenges, here are just a few:
- When the airlines went on lockdown after 9/11, Nutrishare’s expert shipping team worked with a variety of urgent and critical couriers to arrange ground transport for every one of our shipments. In some cases our employees drove routes to ensure that TPN was delivered.
- Nutrishare managed uninterrupted delivery to the Gulf states following the devastation of hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- In 2021, Nutrishare managed uninterrupted delivery to Texas following the unprecedented freezes and electrical outages
For over 30 years, “The Nutrishare Promise” remains strong as ever – we will get you your TPN.
SUPPLIES: Nutrishare does not do pharmacy formularies, meaning that we don’t nickel and dime you on the supplies that you receive each week. At the time of writing this post, there may be certain supplies and pharmaceutical ingredients that are in shortage due to the worldwide pandemic impact on supply chains. However, these are not cost saving measures and our overall business philosophy is that our TPN patients should receive a generous amount of supplies.
Each week our supply and logistics team takes great care in packing your shipment full with a supply list that speaks to your needs and your lifestyle. In this area, the contrast between Nutrishare and other pharmacies could not be more dramatic. For example, other pharmacies may allot you one sterile dressing change gauze wipe per day. If you drop it you are out of luck.
At Nutrishare we just give you the whole box and you can reorder when you are running low.
Our logistics team ensures you have the supplies you need each week. Ran out of supplies? No problem, we will send you more.
CONVENIENCE:
Other pharmacies require you to wait on an 800 number phone tree to reorder. At Nutrishare we make reordering a breeze. Order online or call 1-800-HOME-TPN and you will talk directly with a member of our care team who will help you with your order.
FREEDOM TO TRAVEL
Parenteral Nutrition shouldn’t mean you are confined to a small radius.
With licenses to ship products and supplies to 48 states, that means that you can travel throughout the country knowing that your TPN will be with you wherever you go. Our team is ready to help you make travel a reality with sample packing lists, catheter care advice, tips for navigating TSA and more.
Nutrishare patient Todd Friedman and his partner have been to all 50 states while on service with Nutrishare!
REIMBURSEMENT SPECIALISTS
Being specialists in parenteral nutrition means that we are also experts in all aspects of parenteral nutrition billing, reimbursements, and health insurance coverage. Our reimbursement specialist Jody Strain sits on the Medicare Committee for parenteral and enteral nutrition reimbursement, and knows how to maximize your insurance coverage.
LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE
There are so many aspects to ensuring quality of product and care when on home TPN, especially when it’s needed long term. Partnering with a specialist who centers their business around you, the patient, not only improves your clinical outcomes, but may actually help you live your best life.
Ready to experience a new way of living on home parenteral nutrition? Consider the switch to Nutrishare today and get started with an insurance pre-check.