Infusion services in the gastroenterology practice.

Gastroenterology practices looking to diversify their services may want to consider infusion therapies as an opportunity to provide a valuable service to patients and create an additional revenue stream. Although patients with gastrointestinal diseases may benefit from such infusions as crystalloid fluids for rehydration or iron for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease is currently the only infusion therapy likely to be of economic benefit to the practice. The focus of this article is on the infusion of biologic agents, and it is assumed that such therapies will continue to play an important role in the management of inflammatory bowel disease for many years.