Nursing visits continue
We continue caring for patients in the home, but are taking proactive measures to help minimize community-based transmission of COVID-19.
Before a scheduled in-person visit, we will contact you by phone to ask you a few questions to help us understand if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or could be infected.
Your nurse will wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as a mask, gown and gloves, before entering your home. This will help to prevent the spread of the virus.
Vaccine available
CVS Health® is prepared to play a prominent role in administering COVID-19 vaccinations to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, as well as to the general public once the vaccine is available for general distribution through a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Providers.
CVS Health also stands ready to provide additional assistance to states in their state-run vaccination programs. Get the latest vaccine availability information from CVS Pharmacy or other sources.
Continuing care and support at home
Virtual support prior to therapy
We're completing virtual health assessments and providing virtual education before you start therapy at home.
Care coordination
We’re coordinating services to support you at home, including line placement and visits with medical doctors.
Medications, formulas and supplies
Our pharmacists are safely preparing medications, formulas and supplies and shipping them directly to your home.
Virtual support prior to therapy
We're completing virtual health assessments and providing virtual education before you start therapy at home.
We're completing virtual health assessments and providing virtual education before you start therapy at home.
Care coordination
We’re coordinating services to support you at home, including line placement and visits with medical doctors.
We’re coordinating services to support you at home, including line placement and visits with medical doctors.
Medications, formulas and supplies
Our pharmacists are safely preparing medications, formulas and supplies and shipping them directly to your home.
Our pharmacists are safely preparing medications, formulas and supplies and shipping them directly to your home.
In-home nursing care
Our registered nurses are visiting homes to administer medication, care for IV catheter lines, draw blood for testing and more.
Our registered nurses are visiting homes to administer medication, care for IV catheter lines, draw blood for testing and more.
Virtual assessments and consults
Our pharmacists are providing virtual consults and completing medication reviews, and our dietitians are conducting nutrition assessments.
Our pharmacists are providing virtual consults and completing medication reviews, and our dietitians are conducting nutrition assessments.
24/7 clinical phone support
We’re continuing to offer 24/7 care team support, plus online resources to help answer questions or concerns.
We’re continuing to offer 24/7 care team support, plus online resources to help answer questions or concerns.
Coram will help pilot the administration of COVID-19 therapy to eligible patients in long-term care facilities and at home
Coram will begin administering a limited supply of bamlanivimab for eligible COVID-19 patients at risk for severe complications from the virus in seven cities and their surrounding communities starting on December 3, 2020 in a pilot program.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has selected Coram to help pilot the administration of a limited supply of bamlanivimab, an intravenous (IV) COVID-19 therapy in patient homes or long-term care (LTC) facilities. Coram was selected alongside other providers as part of Operation Warp Speed.
Coram will begin administering bamlanivimab in seven cities and their surrounding communities on December 3, 2020. The cities include:
- Boston
- Chicago
- Cleveland
- Los Angeles
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Tampa, Florida
To be eligible for bamlanivimab, patients must not be hospitalized, have tested positive for COVID-19, be within 10 days of symptom onset, be at least 12 years of age, weigh at least 40 kilograms or 88.2 pounds and be at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization, as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA).
- High-risk factors are defined by the EUA and include age, BMI and chronic conditions.
- Bamlanivimab is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized or who require oxygen due to COVID-19. Patients currently on an oxygen therapy who require increased oxygen flow rate because of COVID-19 also are not authorized to take bamlanivimab.
Patients can be referred to Coram for treatment from a hospital, urgent care or telemedicine appointment, long-term care (LTC) facility or their primary care physician. Your health care provider can call Coram’s dedicated intake team at (866) 316-0264 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time Monday through Friday to initiate a referral.
Currently, the federal government has purchased a limited supply of bamlanivimab for the treatment of COVID-19 and has contracted with us to help distribute and administer it. During the pilot phase of this program, Coram is working with both government and commercial payors to ensure appropriate, timely and affordable access.
During the pilot phase of this program, patients have no out-of-pocket cost for this care.
Bamlanivimab and similar therapies are administered as a single-dose IV infusion. This kind of therapy needs to be distributed and administered by health care providers.
Our nationwide Coram nursing infrastructure enables us to administer the IV therapy in patient homes or LTC facilities to help meet the growing demand for these new treatments.
In the home or at an LTC facility, our Coram nurses will provide hands-on care to patients. If a patient has a reaction to the infusion, our experienced clinicians are trained in anaphylactic protocols and emergency support.
During the 2 ½-hour-plus visit, nurses will:
- Assess the patient
- Establish IV access
- Prepare the medication, as directed
- Administer the infusion for one hour
- Monitor the patient for the duration of the infusion and for one hour post-infusion observation.
The Coram team will also follow up with the patient within 48 hours of the infusion and again 14 days and 28 days post-infusion to see how the patient is doing and assess for any adverse drug reactions, symptoms and reactions.
Coram will provide nursing visit records to the primary health care provider within 72 hours. Coram also will provide additional reporting to HHS and the FDA, as required.
Possible side effects of bamlanivimab include anaphylaxis and infusion-related reactions, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, itching and vomiting.
Coram has been providing safe and effective monoclonal antibody infusion therapy for more than 35 years. Our experienced clinicians are trained in anaphylactic protocols and emergency support.
We currently have access to 1,000 doses of bamlanivimab and are working quickly to administer these initial doses in the first seven markets we announced. We anticipate receiving additional access to supply soon, as production is expected to ramp up quickly.
Following the pilot, and as drug supply increases, we plan to scale this solution to additional markets in areas of greatest need.
HHS and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response will oversee allocation of the drug and coordinate distribution.
Patients can be referred to Coram for treatment from a hospital, urgent care or telemedicine appointment, long-term care (LTC) facility or their primary care physician. Your health care provider can call Coram’s dedicated intake team at (866) 316-0264 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time Monday through Friday to initiate a referral.
FAQs
Yes, currently, all Coram pharmacies are operating at full capacity with no interruption in service. We do not see any disruptions to the supply chain, as a result of COVID-19, that will affect our ability to fill prescriptions.
People receiving home infusion or nutrition therapy often have weakened immune systems. Having a weak immune system can make it harder for the body to fight off diseases, so it’s important that they and their family members take steps to protect themselves. We recommend you speak with your Coram nurse or registered dietitian if you have concerns about your risk for COVID-19.
We plan to continue caring for patients in the home, but are taking proactive measures to help minimize community-based transmission of COVID-19.
All patients will be contacted by Coram before a scheduled visit. We will ask you a few questions over the telephone to help us understand if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or could be infected, including:
- Are you or a member of your household experiencing a fever, cough or shortness of breath?
- Have you or a member of your household had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 or recently traveled from a country identified as high risk for COVID-19 outbreaks in the past 14 days? (For a list of high risk countries visit the CDC website.)
Depending on your answers to our questions, we may need to notify your doctor of your symptoms or travel. Also, the nurse may need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as a mask, gown and gloves, before entering your home. This will help to prevent the spread of the virus.
We plan to continue caring for patients in our AIS, but we are taking proactive measures to help minimize community-based transmission of COVID-19.
All patients will be contacted by Coram before a scheduled visit. We will ask you a few questions over the telephone to help us understand if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or might be infected, including:
- Are you or a member of your household experiencing a fever, cough or shortness of breath?
- Have you or a member of your household had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 or recently traveled from a country identified as high risk for COVID-19 outbreaks in the past 14 days? (For a list of high risk countries visit the CDC website.)
Depending on your answers to our questions, we may need to notify your doctor of your symptoms and coordinate as appropriate. We may also need to reschedule your appointments to home visits.
If you have cold or flu-like symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, body aches, or chills), please call your Coram branch before coming in, even if you have an appointment. We will ask you about your travel history and your symptoms. If you have been informed that you were recently exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please let your Coram branch know before your arrival.
For your protection, we are currently limiting the number of visitors or people coming with you for your visit to no more than one at a time. If a visitor shows signs of a cold or flu, (s)he will be asked to leave.
At Coram, we are closely monitoring this situation and have plans in place. Our staff are highly trained at screening for and managing infectious diseases. We are asking all Coram patients about their recent travel and where the people close to them have traveled, possible exposures to COVID-19, as well as about any signs of illness. To help protect our patients and colleagues and ensure that nurses, pharmacists and staff are available to care for patients:
- Coram is following CVS Health enterprise policy and restricting business travel.
- Our corporate staff is working from home and practicing social distancing in branch and AIS locations.
- We have enhanced cleaning protocols at all Coram sites.
- Until further notice, non-essential personnel or visitors are not allowed into any of our facilities.
- We have instructed all field staff to suspend visits to our AIS and pharmacy branch locations until further notice, unless a personal visit is critical for patient care.
If a branch employee tests positive for COVID-19, they, along with any coworkers who were exposed, will be sent home immediately and placed under quarantine consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and placed on paid leave. The branch will then close for cleaning to disinfect the premises following established protocols and CDC guidelines.
Every branch has a designated backup branch so Coram can continue to provide uninterrupted service to patients. In the event the backup reaches capacity, our central pharmacy, located in Rhode Island, is equipped to process prescriptions for most locations nationwide.
Always call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. For other situations, call your primary doctor for instructions about what to do, and notify your Coram care team.
We may need to let your doctor know about your symptoms and travel. Your doctor will then determine if testing is needed. Also, if a Coram nurse will be making a home visit, they may need to wear PPE such as a mask, gown and gloves, before entering the home. This will help to prevent the spread of the virus.
For the latest COVID‐19 developments, prevention tips and what to do if you suspect infection, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and Coram websites or talk to your doctor.
We are leveraging our enterprise resources, technology and strategic relationships to safely transition patients home with personalized IV pharmacy, nursing care, monitoring and support. We are also hiring additional infusion nurses to provide in-home nursing care.
Coram in-home care providers are up-to-date and utilizing infection protocols and proactive prevention techniques, aligned to CDC guidance, to minimize exposure and community-based transmission. In addition to protective precautions, we are leveraging virtual care to help keep our health care providers and patients safe, while ensuring continuity of care. For example, we are conducting proactive outreach to each patient prior to being seen to understand potential COVID-19 infection or exposure and to ensure continued safety for our clinicians and our patients. In addition, we have provided appropriate PPE to all Coram clinical personnel and are working to ensure we continue to have adequate supply of PPE on hand.
CVS Health’s response to COVID-19
Get up-to-date information about COVID-19 testing, the latest vaccine news, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about how COVID-19 is affecting our businesses.
Still have questions?
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