OHSU’s Home Infusion Pharmacy provides infusion options for patients in Oregon and southwest Washington who need infusion therapy outside the hospital.

We provide:

• Pharmacy and nursing support for each patient
• A wide range of pediatric and adult infusion therapies for chronic and short-term conditions
• Refill reminders
• Home and infusion suite visits with experienced OHSU infusion nurses
• Training in infusion and managing your infusion device if you or your support person needs to do infusion
• Infusion suites in Portland and Beaverton
• A 24-hour pharmacist and nurse help line
• Help with billing and insurance

What is infusion therapy?

Infusion therapy is medication, fluids or nutrients that you get through an IV placed in your body.

Our home infusion therapies include:

• Antibiotics, to prevent or treat infections
• Hydration, to replace fluids
• Iron infusion
• Immunotherapies, for some cancers
• Inotropes, for heart conditions
• Nutrition
• Specialty medications

Home infusion therapy can be done at home or in an infusion suite. Your provider or insurer may help you decide where you have infusions done.

What to expect with home infusion therapy

Providers prescribe home infusion therapy. Before you start infusion therapy with OHSU, we’ll review your insurance and give you a cost estimate. We can connect you with resources to help pay for your therapy.

Home safety check

If you plan to do infusion therapy at your home, our care team will check whether you have:

• Access to a phone and 911
• Running water
• Electricity
• A refrigerator with space for medications
• A place to store infusion supplies properly
• Fire safety equipment

If one of our infusion suites would be a better option, we’ll discuss that with you.

Infusion training

For some therapies, we’ll train you to give yourself the medication. If you have a support person, we will train them. An OHSU home infusion nurse will visit as needed to check on you.

For other therapies, an OHSU home infusion nurse will give the infusion and stay with you as needed. Your nurse will show you how to use and care for your equipment and supplies.

Medications and supplies

If you are in the hospital, an infusion nurse may visit you before you go home to discuss your medication and supplies.

If you’re not in the hospital, your supplies may be shipped to your home or brought by an infusion nurse to your first infusion appointment.

After your first appointment, we’ll deliver supplies to your home. We will call you to schedule each delivery. If you have special delivery instructions or questions about your delivery, call the Home Infusion Pharmacy at 503-346-3850 and choose option 4.

Power outages and emergencies

Power outages: It’s best to have extra batteries for infusion devices, a cooler for items that must stay cold, and ice packs.

Disasters or public emergencies: In a disaster or emergency, we will prioritize patients who need life-saving treatments. We may contact you to reschedule your infusion if needed.