The lady who called me was from the product helpline called IGIQ. They are available M-F 8:00-8:00 EST (I think), and that's if you want to talk with someone about getting set up for SubQ, I believe they have 24x7 support for medical issues though. The phone number is 1-877-355-IGIQ (4447), and from there you will be routed to whatever branch of CSL Behring you need help from. Anyway, the lady was very nice and personable, and told me that my insurance company would be contacting me to let me know what my coverage for SubQ would be. She also gave me the phone number for my insurance so that if I didn't hear from them soon enough I could contact them directly. She said to expect a welcome package in the mail too.
A Few Days Later...
I waited a few days, and by that time it was the weekend...still hadn't heard from my insurance company and had misplaced the phone number. The following Monday I called the IGIQ number back, and spoke to a different person who told me that I needed to call a company called Accredo rather than my insurance company, and gave me the number for the nearest Accredo branch. I called the number that he gave me and spoke to a woman at Accredo who said she'd seen nothing about me, no doctor's authorization or anything with my name on it. In frustration I called the number for my insurance that she gave me (MedCo), and they seemed to not only not know about any authorization from my doctor, but the people I spoke with seemed to have never heard of Hizentra. I had to spell the name for them, and then they told me that they cover it, not Accredo, so I was very confused.
A Package Arrives...
At some point in the midst of my confusion I received a package. I naively thought it was the Hizentra, but it was a welcome package from CSL Behring. They include a DVD to watch on how to administer the Hizentra, a flip chart to follow as adapt to the steps, about 10 copies of the prescribing info, a logbook for the infusions, and a few other informative pamphlets. It's all very nicely packaged, but when I opened the plastic wrap, the chemical smells (from manufacturing) were so strong that I couldn't read it right away due to my asthma. I set it aside for a few weeks and let it air out.
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| Hizentra Welcome Kit Contents |
After another week or so, I received a call from a pharmacist at Accredo who told me that I'd been approved for Hizentra and she just needed to know my allergies to medications, my list of current medications, and all diseases/conditions that I've been diagnosed with. I got her e-mail address and sent her the information by e-mail because I knew it would take forever by phone...I'm allergic to, and on, a lot of medications.
The next day I received a call from MedCo and they said that I'd been approved for Hizentra...I was so confused and scared that I was going to be getting double-billed for it, so I asked the person on the phone about Accredo, and they told me that they own Accredo, and that Accredo will supply the Hizentra to me and handle the details about the nurse coming to the house to show me how to infuse myself, and I pay MedCo. That cleared up all my confusion.
Arrangements...
Over the next day or 2 I received more calls from Accredo to make the arrangements. They called to arrange when the nurse should arrive, when I wanted to receive the Hizentra, told me how much Hizentra I'd be getting, and assured me that the pump will arrive with the medication (they said to expect 2 packages, one with Hizentra, and the other with the pump and supplies. I'm not sure whether it will contain everything I need on Friday (when the nurse comes), so I'm glad I arranged for it to arrive a few days ahead of time. I also received a call from the Insurance Coordinator at Accredo and he told me how much my co-pay is, and since I'd asked for a 3-month supply and they can't dispense it in 3-month quantities, he told me that they'd made an arrangement to give me the 3-month price every month! Sweet!
Other Details...
Accredo also has a 24-hr helpline for any medical questions or concerns with infusing Hizentra. That gives me some peace of mind too.
It's Monday now, and I can't wait for Friday to arrive so I can start! Accredo told me the name of the nurse, so I guess they even have a nurse picked out in advance!
I found out from people in my support group who use SubQ that the pumps don't have an infusion speed...it just pumps at its own rate. I had to have my IV infusions very slowly, but I'm assuming (and hoping) that since Hizentra is infused into the fat layer under the skin that speed is not an issue.
I will list phone numbers and websites for IGIQ, Accredo, and MedCo in the references section of this blog.
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