Infusion Center
When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a complex medication condition, there are a lot of decisions to make. At Billings Clinic, our expert team in the beautiful Infusion Center is there to help guide you every step of the way. Your medical providers are under one roof, to ensure coordinated treatment.
When visiting the Infusion Center, enjoy room for loved ones to visit, expansive views of the Rims and downtown, comfortable seating, and TVs. We even offer private rooms for those who need them.
Patients are able to come to the Billings Clinic Infusion Center for their treatments and injections seven days a week. Hours are 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays and 9:30 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Chemotherapy patients are not the only patients treated at the Infusion Center. Patients with illnesses that require treatments using intravenous methods as well as patients that require any sort of injection are also treated at this location.
Treatments may include:
Chemotherapy
Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be given alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy, or biotherapy.
Biotherapy
Treatment that uses substances made from living organisms to treat a disease, including cancer as well as a variety of non-cancerous conditions. These drugs often times work by either stimulating or suppressing the immune system. Types of biotherapy include immunotherapy (such as vaccines, cytokines, and some antibodies), gene therapy, and some targeted therapy.
Antibiotic Therapy
Treatment using drugs with antimicrobial properties to treat or prevent infection. These drugs work by killing or inhibiting the growth of specific bacteria and viruses.
Blood Product Transfusions
Blood is typically transfused as individual parts.
- Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are the most commonly transfused blood component. RBCs carry oxygen from your lungs to other organs and tissues.
- Platelets, along with clotting factors, help stop bleeding.
- Plasma is the liquid part of your blood that contains proteins, clotting factors, and other important substances
Injections
Some drugs are given with a needle under the skin or into the muscle or fatty tissue. Examples of medications given by injection include products to stimulate blood cells, protect bone health, or affect hormone production.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
TPE involves the process of apheresis (a medical procedure in which a person’s blood is passed through a machine to separate out one particular component and return the remainder to the body). TPE is an effective treatment for a number of disorders such as:)
- Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP)
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Acute Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Demyelinating Disorders
Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program
Stem cell transplant is the standard of care for certain types of cancers. This means it has been proven to provide the patient with the best outcome for treating their cancer. Stem cell transplant allows your physician to integrate the use of high dose chemotherapy with the strategies that preserve bone marrow function. Transplant expertise includes the use of mobilized peripheral blood stem cells and bone marrow growth factors to promote recovery from high dose chemotherapy.
Historically, cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy have been required to enter the hospital for lengthy periods. Today, continuing advances in cancer research and treatment make it possible for patients to receive much of their treatment on a strictly-monitored outpatient basis. Working closely with your physician, the staff of this program will provide the prescribed therapy in the outpatient Infusion Center. You will only be hospitalized when absolutely necessary.
Billings Clinic Cancer Center offers the only FACT Accredited stem cell transplant program in Montana and Wyoming.
Learn more about Billings Clinic's Stem Cell Transplantation program.
Who is on your care team?
During your treatment, members of the Cancer Center health care team may visit you including: doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, receptionists, patient care navigators, financial counselors, pharmacists, and others. This interaction ensures that patient and family needs are being met and allow us as a team to connect with our patients.
The registered nurses at the Infusion Center are specially trained and certified to give chemotherapy. They are required to pass the ONS Chemotherapy/Biotherapy course with renewal every two years. Many of the nurses have also passed a national certification exam to become Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Chemotherapy Immunotherapy course. This certification demonstrates their knowledge and commitment to continuing education and expertise in their field.
Pharmacists who specialize in IV infusions and chemotherapy are onsite Monday through Friday to prepare medications for patients as directed by their physician. Every patient is carefully monitored for the proper therapy and provided with drug information about potential interactions and side effects.
Families are encouraged to be with patients to participate in the education and care giving process. Light snacks and drinks are available for patients. Rooms are comfortable with lounge chairs and individual televisions.
