Next Question with IgNS

Immunoglobulin National Society

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Medicine
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Connecting Ig clinicians with information they need to know.

Sep 24

When Listening Changes Everything | Rethinking IVIG Tolerability

What happens when IVIG becomes so difficult to tolerate that a patient is ready to stop treatment? IgNS Chief Clinical Officer Amy Clark joins host Rachel Coletta to discuss IVIG tolerability, individualized infusion care, patient advocacy, and why “common” does not necessarily mean “acceptable.” Amy shares the story of a patient who spent years experiencing severe symptoms following his IVIG treatments and had reached the point of wanting to discontinue therapy. What happened when the care team took a closer look at his experience illustrates the importance of listening, individualizing treatment, considering IVIG and SCIG options, and involving patients in decisions about their care. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ Recognizing when IVIG tolerability problems require intervention ✓ Why infusion rate and individualized administration matter ✓ Listening before accepting poor tolerability as “normal” ✓ Considering IVIG and SCIG options as patient needs change ✓ How patient experiences helped shape Ig therapy standards of practice 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Amy Clark has more than 30 years of nursing experience, including two decades in specialty home infusion. She serves as Chief Clinical Officer at IgNS and has contributed to the development and evolution of Ig therapy standards, professional education, and certification. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #IVIG #IgTherapy #SCIG #InfusionNursing #IgNS
Sep 24

When Protocol Meets Practice | Managing Infusion Reactions & Patient Safety

What happens when an infusion reaction puts training, protocols, communication, and clinical judgment to the test? Nursing leader Christy Fisher joins host Rachel Coletta to examine a real-world biologic infusion reaction—and the unexpected system issue the event uncovered. As the nursing team responded to the patient’s symptoms, it became clear that the infusion team and prescribing provider were working from different expectations. Christy explains what happened next and how the experience reinforced the importance of emergency preparedness, clear communication pathways, clinical competency, and giving nurses the confidence to advocate for patient safety. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ Recognizing and responding to an infusion reaction ✓ Preparing nurses for potential anaphylaxis during biologic therapy ✓ What happens when clinical protocols don’t align ✓ Why direct communication with prescribing teams matters ✓ Turning real-world clinical events into stronger education and practice 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Christy Fisher is a national nursing leader whose background spans critical care, oncology, cardiology, home infusion, education, policy development, and clinical program leadership. Her work focuses on preparing infusion nurses to safely manage complex therapies while strengthening education, communication, and clinical standards. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #InfusionNursing #InfusionReaction #BiologicTherapy #PatientSafety #IgNS
Sep 24

Shared Decisions, Better Care | IVIG, SCIG & What Matters to the Patient

What happens when the “right” Ig therapy doesn’t fit the patient’s life? Allergist-immunologist Elena Perez, MD, joins host Rachel Coletta to discuss shared decision-making, IVIG, SCIG, treatment adherence, and why understanding what matters to the patient is essential to building a sustainable treatment plan. Through the story of a patient with X-linked agammaglobulinemia, Dr. Perez explores how treatment decisions can change over time as independence, work, travel, insurance coverage, side effects, access to care, and personal preferences change. The conversation also looks at how clinicians can incorporate meaningful shared decision-making into real-world practice—even when time is limited. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ What shared decision-making actually looks like in clinical practice ✓ Choosing between IVIG and SCIG based on individual patient needs ✓ How lifestyle, access, insurance, and treatment burden affect decisions ✓ Recognizing barriers to treatment adherence ✓ How to discover what matters most to the patient 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Elena Perez, MD, is an allergist-immunologist with more than 20 years of experience caring for patients with immune disorders. She trained and taught at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, served on the faculty at the University of South Florida and the University of Miami, and currently practices in Florida. She has published extensively in primary immunodeficiency and remains active in professional organizations. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #IgTherapy #IVIG #SCIG #SharedDecisionMaking #IgNS
Sep 24

Safety Starts Before the Infusion | Home Infusion Nursing & Patient Safety

What does it take for a nurse to safely manage complex infusion therapy alone in a patient’s home? Infusion nursing leader Gina Livingston joins host Rachel Coletta to discuss home infusion safety, clinical competency, emergency preparedness, and the trust required when nurses practice independently outside a traditional healthcare setting. Gina shares how training, evidence-based protocols, ongoing competency assessment, communication, and organizational culture prepare nurses to make critical decisions in the field. She also recounts a powerful experience managing an anaphylactic reaction during a home IVIG infusion—and what it taught her about preparation, clinical judgment, and supporting the patient’s entire family during an emergency. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ What makes home infusion nursing uniquely challenging ✓ Building clinical competency and confidence in field nurses ✓ Why evidence-based protocols and ongoing competency assessment matter ✓ Recognizing and responding to infusion emergencies ✓ What an actual home IVIG emergency teaches us about preparation and patient safety 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Gina Livingston is the owner of Premier Nursing Group, a specialty infusion nursing organization founded in 2014. Her background includes critical care, clinical trials, nursing education, home infusion leadership, and advanced practice nursing. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #HomeInfusion #InfusionNursing #IVIG #PatientSafety #IgNS
Sep 24

Through the Pharmacist’s Lens | Ig Therapy & Specialty Home Infusion

What does a pharmacist see that the rest of the Ig therapy care team may not? Clinical pharmacist Leslie Meyers joins host Rachel Coletta to discuss medication safety, specialty home infusion, SCIG, and the pharmacist’s role in solving complex treatment challenges. Through real-world patient examples, Leslie explains how pharmacists collaborate with nurses and prescribers to address tolerability, infusion volume, dosing, supplies, and treatment burden. She also discusses how clinical outcomes data can help the care team evaluate whether therapy is delivering meaningful benefit—and why patients should see their pharmacist as a clinical resource, not simply the person behind the medication. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ The pharmacist’s role in Ig therapy and specialty home infusion ✓ How pharmacists, nurses, and prescribers solve treatment challenges together ✓ Optimizing SCIG and reducing treatment burden ✓ Using clinical outcomes to evaluate treatment response ✓ Why patients should feel comfortable asking their pharmacist questions 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Leslie Meyers is a clinical pharmacist at CSI Pharmacy focused on Ig therapy and specialty home infusion. She contributes to IgNS standards and pharmacist certification initiatives and is passionate about improving patient lives through specialty medications. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #IgTherapy #SpecialtyPharmacy #HomeInfusion #IgNS
Sep 24

Healing Through Music | Music Therapy, Chronic Illness & Patient Care

How can music therapy change the experience of living with chronic illness? Physician, researcher, and lifelong musician Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, joins host Rachel Coletta to explore the connection between music, medicine, emotional well-being, and patient care. Dr. Tachdjian shares how his experiences as a physician led him to explore music therapy as a complementary approach to care. The conversation explores the importance of individual musical preferences, his research involving patients with hereditary angioedema, the patient story that inspired the Children’s Music Fund, and his vision for making music therapy more accessible within healthcare. 🎧 IN THIS EPISODE ✓ How music therapy can complement traditional medical care ✓ The role of music in chronic illness, pain, fear, and anxiety ✓ Why a patient’s individual musical preferences matter ✓ Research involving music therapy and hereditary angioedema ✓ How music can strengthen connections among patients, families, caregivers, and clinicians 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, is a physician, researcher, musician, and founder and president of the Children’s Music Fund. He serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and has spent his career exploring ways to improve the experience of patients living with chronic and rare diseases. 🔗 EXPLORE IgNS Clinical Standards & Guides Membership IgCN® and IgCP® Certification Conferences & Education 🎙️ ABOUT NEXT QUESTION WITH IgNS Next Question with IgNS brings together healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the questions and stories shaping Ig therapy, biologics, and patient care. #MusicTherapy #ChronicIllness #PatientCare #IgNS
Jan 23

Stories That Shape Practice: Advocacy Through Connection

Join us as we explore one patient’s transformative journey from navigating their own diagnosis to becoming a powerful voice for others facing similar challenges. Discover how personal experience with illness became the catalyst for advocacy, empowering our guest to fight for better access, understanding, and support within the healthcare system.
05/02/2024

How Standards, Education, and Certification Drive Improvement

Luba Sobolevsky, PharmD, Founder, President and CEO of Immunoglobulin National Society (IgNS) shares how and why IgNS was created, the amazing accomplishments they’ve made in only 12 years, and exciting news about the creation of a Center of Excellence designation. You'll hear a common theme through this episode. When there was a need in the industry, IgNS sought to fill it – with standards, with education, with scholarships, with whatever patients and caregivers needed.
12/21/2021

Blurred Lines: Professional Boundaries in the Clinical Setting

Let’s explore professional boundaries, defined as the spaces between the nurses’ power and the patients’ vulnerability with guest Iris Hall, RN, IgCN®. In all relationships between healthcare professionals and patients, there is an imbalance of power. Healthcare professionals have in-depth access to patients’ sensitive personal information and that puts them in a position of power. It is important for healthcare professionals to understand the boundaries of these relationships and to maintain the space that protects the privacy and dignity of patients under their care.
12/21/2021

Hot Topics in Legal & Regulatory

We are joined by guest John E. Morrone Esq., Partner, Frier Levitt Law Firm, for a discussion about anti-kickback laws, the Stark law, white- and brown-bagging, and more! This conversation will give you an update on ways to stay compliant in healthcare.
12/08/2021

Building Resilience with Chronic Illness

Let’s dive into what resilience means when dealing with chronic illness. On this podcast we’ll hear from Megan Ryan, a CVID patient and a community volunteer, and Dr. Vaile Wright, Director, Center for Bioethics, Health and Society.
11/09/2021

Hot Topics in Bioethics

Tune is as we explore Bioethics, the field that addresses ethical issues in healthcare, biomedical research, biotechnology and public health with special guest Dr. Ana S. Iltis. You can lean more about Dr. Iltis's background and expertise by clicking here.

12 Episodes

Connecting Ig clinicians with information they need to know.

Creator

Immunoglobulin National Society
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© All rights reserved.
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Next Question with IgNS