Extending Care Throughout Indiana
Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center (IHTC) developed a national model of care using outreach to overcome barriers of distance and diversity. Our model extends IHTC programs and services throughout the entire state.
For medically underserved communities and patients unable to travel, IHTC employs local IHTC outreach nurses. Outreach nurses provide local expert care—reducing or eliminating both the cost and time required to visit IHTC in Indianapolis. This exceptional model of outreach equalizes care across diverse communities.
Outreach Clinics
IHTC multidisciplinary staff travel around the state to provide comprehensive outreach clinics for bleeding disorder patients. Each year, free comprehensive clinics are held in the Evansville, Orleans, Shipshewana, Lowell, Mishiwaka and Fort Wayne regions of the state. These clinics provide access to all of the IHTC’s multidisciplinary services. Several of these outreach clinics focus on a specific patient group, such as those receiving prophylaxis.
Local Nursing Support
IHTC takes the concept of outreach further by establishing local nursing support throughout the state. For example, we employ nurses in the Shipshewana and Berne areas to serve bleeding disorder patients and to extend care to Indiana’s Amish communities. In South Bend and Fort Wayne, IHTC engages local nurses, who, through contracts with their hospitals, regularly dedicate a portion of their time to bleeding disorder patients in the area. Local nurses benefit bleeding disorder patients by providing improved access and communication to IHTC’s expert care, remote access to IHTC staff and EMR, rapid response to acute health issues, and local expertise in navigating local emergency or specialty care.
Home Visits
IHTC’s multidisciplinary team members make home visits throughout Indiana to deliver IHTC services and evaluate a patient’s home environment. IHTC staff make around 1,000 home visits around the state every year. These community-based services range from bleeding assessments and infusion training to genetic counseling and physical therapy. IHTC provides home visits regardless of ability to pay or insurance status - and ensures that patients do not go without diagnosis or treatment due to a lack of resources.
Find out more about clinics and support options near you via the map above.