Coram joins Donate Life America in observing National Donate Life Month. That organization launched the annual event in 2003 to “encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.”1
At Coram, we have been successfully meeting the needs of transplant patients since 1991. Our transplant program focuses on the individual needs of the patient, and includes a dedicated team of nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and patient representatives to help promote positive outcomes. You and your patients can benefit from our leading expertise and personalized care before and after a critical transplant.
What services does Coram provide to patients prior to a transplant?
Coram can provide multiple therapies to pre-transplant patients; for example, a patient with short bowel syndrome on parenteral nutrition waiting for intestinal transplant or a patient experiencing heart failure on inotropic therapy, pending heart transplantation. Patients with cystic fibrosis may need IV anti-infectives as they wait for a lung transplant.
Other conditions we treat include pulmonary arterial hypertension, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. And these are just a few examples of pre-transplant patients we may be supporting.
Beyond the infused therapies Coram provides, as part of CVS Health®, we can also help patients seamlessly access the oral or inhaled specialty therapies that these conditions may require. Between Coram and CVS Specialty®, we can manage oral, infused and inhaled patient medications under both the medical and pharmacy benefit, including many limited distribution therapies nationwide.
What services does Coram provide to patients after a transplant?
Post-transplant, anti-infective therapies, immunoglobulin, nutrition support – both enteral and parenteral – and pain management are common therapies Coram manages. For example, intestinal transplant patients may need parenteral and enteral therapies until they can maintain their caloric needs via oral foods.
Beyond the infused therapies Coram provides, as part of CVS Health, we can also help patients seamlessly access the aerosolized anti-infective therapies often prescribed after a lung transplant. Or the lifelong immunosuppressive therapies patients require after solid organ transplant.
Between Coram and CVS Specialty, we can manage oral, infused and inhaled patient medications under both the medical and pharmacy benefit, including many limited distribution therapies nationwide.
How long do patients require Coram services after a transplant?
This will vary depending on the type of transplant. Solid organ transplant patients will be on oral immunosuppressive therapy for life. These immunosuppressants make the patient more susceptible to infections – which may require intravenous anti-infectives. Patients receiving allogeneic blood cell transplants (BCT) may need immunoglobulin until their bone marrow is fully reconstituted. During this time, BCT patients are also susceptible to infections that may require IV anti-infectives. Allogeneic BCT patients with severe graft versus host disease (GVHD) may also need parenteral nutrition due to the effects of GVHD on their digestive system.
Will patients see the same person/team members?
Yes. Because of the complexity of pre- and post-transplant care, having the same person or team members providing the services is important. When the same team members care for patients and their family, they get to know them and can pick up small changes and nuances that can have a large impact on care.
What do transplant centers/coordinators look for when referring patients to a transplant support services provider?
Transplant staff look for clinical expertise and experience – and a provider who will listen to the needs of the center and the patients. Our teams have been managing transplant recipients since 1991. We have the experience and specialized tools, like transplant assessment guides, that help our clinicians care for this unique population. Our expertise and experience equal better outcomes.
Insurance coverage is important too. Several major payors have selected Coram as a preferred provider for their pre- and post-transplant needs.
How do Coram team members coordinate care with other providers?
Transplant teams are multidisciplinary, both at the transplant center and within home infusion care. Depending on the transplant program’s protocols, Coram may have regular telephone conferences or meetings to discuss cases and patient needs, both pre- and post-transplant. We may need to coordinate a patient’s care with home-health agencies, depending on the patient’s location and insurance.
Does Coram provide emotional support to patients pre- and/or post-transplant?
Patients and their families will be seen by both social workers and psychiatric team members during the pre-transplant evaluation. The patient’s psychosocial support and any needs will be identified during this time, and plans will be put in place to address them. What Coram does is support the plan. Our years of transplant experience brings transplant patients and their families peace of mind during their transplant journey.
1 Donate Life America website, accessed April 3, 2023.