Innovators of Home Infusion: Insights with Michael Bedenbaugh, PharmD, MBA, MS, FNHIA
We are excited to feature Michael Bedenbaugh, PharmD, MBA, MS, FNHIA as part of our "Innovators of Home Infusion" series. Michael is a distinguished member of the National Home Infusion Association's (NHIA) 2025 Fellow Program cohort, recognized for his significant contributions to the home infusion industry. As the former Director of Purchasing & Pharmacy Services at Intramed Plus and recently named CEO of Infusion Plus, Michael brings a collaborative approach and regulatory expertise that has shaped his commitment to advancing patient care in the home infusion setting.
Career Inspiration and Achievements
Michael's philosophy emphasizes the collaborative nature of home infusion care. "Home infusion is the ultimate team sport," he advises new professionals entering the field. "To successfully meet your patients' needs in this site of care, you will need to collaborate not only with the multidisciplinary healthcare team but also with other relevant stakeholders such as pharma partners, manufacturer partners, distributor partners, and other key stakeholders." This comprehensive approach ensures that providers have key insights relevant to patients' clinical needs as well as access to novel tools and technologies to deliver care at home in an economically sustainable manner.
Industry Evolution and Challenges
Michael identifies meaningful payer access and coverage as the most significant challenge facing the home infusion industry today. He recognizes the critical role that strategic partnerships play in addressing these challenges, particularly highlighting collaborative efforts in association involvement and lobbying activities. Michael observes that "for the alternative site market to be successful, other companies will have to follow the lead of IMS and tailor offerings to this market rather than cross-sell solutions from acute or other larger markets." He emphasizes the importance of partners who are willing to consider unique solutions to complex problems, as was evident during the COVID pandemic.
Professional Growth and Contributions
Michael's involvement with NHIA has been transformative for his professional development. "NHIA brings together the best and brightest stakeholders from all relevant backgrounds related to infusion," he shares. "By plugging into this community, I have been able to learn from a group of experts, develop a network I can lean on if or as questions arise, and collaborate to solve shared problems." Michael emphasizes that through collaboration, the industry can share successes and lessons learned to enable the field to move forward and provide exceptional care to a growing number of patients in the alternate site market.
Research and Technological Advancements
In discussing the future impact of technology on home infusion services, Michael points to his collaborative work with technology companies on offerings tailored for home infusion. Most recently, this has included work with Eitan Medical regarding their connected infusion pumps and Eitan Insights platforms. "Tools like this will give us real-time visibility into our patients' home infusion experience and challenges they are facing," he explains. Michael envisions that these tools will help alert clinical staff in real time to patients who require intervention and, through integrations with EMR providers, will enable providers to focus more time on clinical optimization to elevate the patient experience and improve outcomes—setting the home infusion site of care apart from others.
Advocacy and Access
Michael has been actively involved in regulatory advocacy efforts through his service on the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy for over five years. In this role, he worked with stakeholders to align practice standards to contemporary compounding standards. This challenging experience taught him a crucial lesson: "If you aren't at the table, you are on the menu—it's crucial for all stakeholders to be involved to ensure that we can continue to meet our patients' needs and that common sense regulations move forward." Michael emphasizes that stakeholders cannot assume that others don't have conflicting interests in consideration.
Personal Motivation and Goals
What drives Michael in his career is the collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure patients' needs are met. "Historically, working in an independent practice setting required agility and partnership to be successful," he reflects. Michael looks forward to returning to the independent practice setting at Infusion Plus in Mississippi to collaborate with experts across the Magnolia State as well as key industry stakeholders to ensure that patients in Mississippi can receive high-quality infusion services at home or in alternative site infusion center settings. "This role will bring new challenges, but these challenges will be solved by partnering with our team of clinicians, distributor partners such as IMS, pharma partners, as well as manufacturer partners and technology partners. Solving these unique challenges each day is what I have grown to love while practicing in the home infusion setting."
Impact of IMS
Michael recognizes the exceptional value that IMS brings to patient care through their expert approach. "The sales team at IMS are more than salesmen or saleswomen. They are experts on the tools and technologies they offer," he explains. Michael has frequently called upon IMS team members to discuss complex patient needs, noting that "these gentlemen can provide the technical details of various supplies until we tailor a plan that enables us to deliver the patients' infusion care." Beyond impacting individual patient cases, Michael emphasizes that "the team at IMS is always a trusted partner—whether it be collaborating to mitigate fee increases during the COVID pandemic or helping to identify alternatives during shortages of fluids or other key supplies, the IMS team is always there to ensure that their partners and the patients their partners serve are taken care of."
Biography
Michael Bedenbaugh, PharmD, MBA, MS, FNHIA, recently joined the team at Infusion Plus (Mississippi) as their CEO. He previously served as the Director of Pharmacy Services & Purchasing at Intramed Plus (South Carolina). He brings extensive experience in regulatory affairs, having served on the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy for over five years. His collaborative approach to patient care, combined with his expertise in technology integration and regulatory compliance, continues to advance the home infusion industry. Through his work with industry organizations and advocacy efforts, Michael plays a vital role in shaping the future of home infusion care while ensuring patients receive the highest quality treatment. His transition to Infusion Plus in Mississippi represents his continued commitment to expanding access to quality home infusion and alternative site services across the region.