The development of a center for infusible medications is practical and paramount for 21st century physicians. The evolution of treatment options for various disease processes has not only involved newer mechanisms of action, but newer modalities of delivery. Many of the newer pharmacologic agents have taken into account the number of medications patients take, the variability of absorption of these medications and the ease of delivery of current medications. With this in mind, studies have supported the delivery of certain medications by infusion or injection to be equally efficacious, if not superior, as oral regimens.
Injection and/or infusible medications increase patient compliance by cutting down on the number of oral medications taken and removing the variable of forgetfulness in medication regimens. This method of deliver also allows the physician to directly assess a patient’s compliance and tolerance of an agent. At GMOI, our infusion center allows on-site surveillance of our patients being treated with state of the art medications for Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Vasculitis, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis just to name a few. Given their preference, most patients would prefer to be treated in the presence of their physician in the company of people under treatment with “like” illness.