Economics of home intravenous services.

Home care has become a more attractive option as economic constraints are placed on the total healthcare system. Over the past 25 years, home intravenous service programmes have developed simultaneously with the development of more reliable means of providing intravenous therapy in the home. Reports have been published on a variety of home intravenous programmes including antibiotic therapy, parenteral nutrition support, chemotherapy, blood product administration and pain control. This review examines the economics of home intravenous programmes, including such direct cost items as drugs, medical supplies and equipment, personnel, hospital room, inventory control, and carrying inventory. Indirect costs, assessed as loss of wages, are also analysed. Cost savings have been reported ranging from 18 to 75% for intravenous antibiotic programmes and 60 to 76% for parenteral nutrition programmes. Earlier reports concentrated on analysis of savings derived from comparison of direct costs only, but recent studies have explored a more comprehensive fiscal analysis.