Good planning and organization are critical to travel with augmentation therapy. You have to plan ahead to make sure you have the drugs you need — and an infusion provider. Give yourself plenty of time to make arrangements.
Download Travel with Augmentation Therapy as a PDF.
Talk to your doctor about your plans to travel with augmentation therapy.
Start by sharing your travel plans with your health care practitioner, and your infusion provider. They may have resources you can use when planning for your trip.
Many health care practitioners will encourage a double or triple dose infusion before you travel, so you won’t need infusions while you’re on vacation. Your health care practitioner will have to order these variations in infusions.
Talk to your health insurance company.
To maintain your therapy, you’ll need to find approved providers wherever you’re traveling to. Your health insurance company can help with that. They’ll also give you details about your coverage.
Note: If you’re on Medicare, you’ll have to arrange to receive your drugs at your destination. You’re not allowed to take them with you while traveling.
Find an infusion provider.
Arranging infusions when you’re away from home can be tricky. You may be able to locate a provider. But, they may not have experience with augmentation therapy. You’ll have to make sure they have the information and instructions they need to give you proper care. Your local infusion provider may be able to arrange for an infusion at your destination.
If you can’t find a provider, you may be able to adjust your infusion schedule or skip an infusion. Of course, your regular doctor must agree to these adjustments.
Get help if you need it.
If you use AlphaNet services, your AlphaNet Coordinator can help make sure you have everything you need when you’re traveling. This includes arranging your infusions and redirecting medicine and supplies.
Prolastin patients can work with nurse case managers at Talecris direct. If you’re on Zemaira, Aralast, or another augmentation therapy product, contact the provider. They’ll help with insurance coverage and locating providers.
What about out-of-state or international travel with augmentation therapy?
If your travel plans take you out of state or out of the country, you’ll need to find a doctor to take over your care while you’re away from home (an accepting physician).
The accepting physician will need specific details about your augmentation therapy. They’ll need access to your complete medical records, and will also want to see
- Your medical history
- Your allergy status
- A list of your current medicines
Getting augmentation therapy for Alpha-1 doesn’t mean you can’t travel, or have a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. Good planning and preparation go a long way to assuring a safe and trouble-free experience.
Use the Pre-Travel Checklist for Augmentation Therapy to prepare for your next trip.
For more in-depth information on this topic, please visit the Big Fat Reference Guide (BFRG). If you are enrolled in AlphaNet’s Subscriber Portal, you can access the BFRG here.
Download Travel with Augmentation Therapy as a PDF.
