HNC strives to maintain and increase patient access to specialized nutrition support therapies through education and collaboration with government agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), coalitions; professional societies, patient advocacy groups, and other organizations.
In the U.S., every decision to cover nutrition via health plan benefits is made on an individual, case-by-case basis. There can often be patient access challenges to nutrition support therapies, especially because careful documentation of medical necessity is required as frequently as every 30 days, which is not always readily available.
In addition to the complexities of insurance coverage and reimbursement, there is a consistent shortage of elements such as amino acids, vitamins, and electrolytes (including potassium, calcium salts, and zinc) to make certain types of parenteral nutrition therapies. One reason for the shortage is the limited number of companies making these products because of the cost of manufacturing and bringing products to the market.
HNC members continue to work on increasing patient access to specialized nutrition support therapies. HNC continues to work towards systematic changes that will foster innovation, utilize new science and discoveries, ultimately leading to higher quality healthcare, better patient outcomes, and improvements in overall patient health.
