BioScrip, Inc. Joins Coalition to Advocate for Vulnerable Medicare Patients Losing Access to Home Infusion Care

Calls on Congress to Fix Unintended Consequence of 21st
Century Cures Act; Encourages Patients, Families, Others to Join Outreach

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BioScrip,
Inc.
(NASDAQ:BIOS), a leading national provider of infusion and home
care management solutions, announced today it has joined a newly
established coalition, Keep
My Infusion Care at Home
, which spans several leading industry
constituents working diligently to persuade the U.S. Congress to fix a
new law that has caused critically ill, vulnerable Medicare patients to
lose access to home infusion care. The mission of Keep My Infusion Care
at Home is to encourage those affected by this new law, known as the 21st
Century Cures Act
, to join in advocacy efforts.

The
21st Century Cures Act
, which promises to help millions
of patients via a variety of wide-ranging measures, also includes
important provisions that impact patients requiring home infusion
therapy for the treatment of advanced heart failure and other
conditions. Effective January 1, 2017, the Cures Act included a
provision changing the payment structure for certain infusion drugs
under the Part B Durable Medical Equipment (DME) benefit. This created a
dramatic reduction in reimbursement that effectively covers only the
drug costs and provides no compensation for clinical services necessary
to administer the infusion therapy in the home. While a separate
provision in the law does provide for clinical services payment, it does
not take effect until 2021, creating a four-year gap for home infusion
companies to receive any payment for services.

As a sponsor, BioScrip joined Option Care, a founding member of Keep
My Infusion Care at Home
. The coalition, which includes patients,
family members, caregivers, healthcare providers and related industry
organizations, is reaching out to legislators to advocate for a change
to the law to ensure that Medicare patients have access to high quality
home infusion care to support their health and sustain their quality of
life.

The 21st Century Cures Act stands to impact the lives of
nearly six million high-risk, heart failure patients across the nation
currently benefitting from receiving inotrope infusion care in the home.
The bill significantly disrupts patient care as home infusion providers
— who deliver care similar to that of a hospital but in the
preferred-home setting — will be forced to transfer patients receiving
care in the home to a hospital or post-acute type care center, thereby
actually costing the healthcare system considerably more dollars
and further taxing its resources
.

Home infusion care reaps significant savings for the system and brings
patients many advantages. For example, an
average monthly cost for a patient receiving inotrope therapy
in a
hospital setting costs $90,000 versus approximately $10,000 per month at
home.

Keep My Infusion Care at Home is urging legislators to close the
four-year gap in care by advancing the implementation date for the new
clinical services payment.

“The Cures legislation has significantly undermined the importance,
value and benefits of home infusion. It has caused patients’ lives to be
at risk by taking away care that has proven to increase quality of life
and survival rates. We intend to advocate for a home infusion provision
for as long as it takes to ensure our patients receive the care they
deserve,” explained Dan Greenleaf, president and chief executive officer
at BioScrip.

In addition to BioScrip and Option Care, Keep My Infusion Care at Home
sponsors include the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) and other
leading industry providers.

For more information, please visit KeepMyInfusionCareAtHome.org.
Patients and families are encouraged to join the effort by sharing their
stories showing about how this law affects real patients, and writing
their congressmen to encourage them to amend the law. Organizations
interested in joining the coalition should email info@keepmyinfusioncareathome.org.

About BioScrip

BioScrip,
Inc.
is a leading national provider of infusion and home care
management solutions. BioScrip partners with physicians, hospital
systems, skilled nursing facilities, healthcare payers, and
pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide patients access to post-acute
care services. BioScrip operates with a commitment to bring
customer-focused pharmacy and related healthcare infusion therapy
services into the home or alternate-site setting. By collaborating with
the full spectrum of healthcare professionals and the patient, BioScrip
provides cost-effective care that is driven by clinical excellence,
customer service, and values that promote positive outcomes and an
enhanced quality of life for those it serves.

Contacts

for BioScrip
Susan J. Lewis, 303-766-4343
slewis@pairelations.com

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