A plain-language guide to what Crohn’s disease is, the infusion medications used to treat it, and what treatment actually looks like. Written for patients and caregivers in Maryland.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the digestive tract, most often where the small intestine meets the colon. Roughly 1.3 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with it. When diet changes, steroids, and oral medications aren’t enough, many people move on to biologic therapy, and several of those biologics are given by IV infusion. Springside administers Crohn’s infusions in Columbia, Bowie, and Frederick, Maryland. Your gastroenterologist keeps managing your care. We handle the infusion, the insurance authorization, and the paperwork.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. In Crohn’s, the immune system triggers inflammation in the digestive tract that doesn’t switch off the way normal inflammation does.
It can affect any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus, though it most commonly involves the end of the small intestine (the terminal ileum) and the beginning of the colon. Ulcerative colitis inflames only the innermost lining of the colon. Crohn’s inflammation can extend through the entire thickness of the bowel wall, which is why it can lead to complications like strictures and fistulas.
Crohn’s typically moves in cycles: periods of active symptoms, called flares, followed by periods of remission that can last weeks, months, or years. The goal of treatment is to bring a flare under control, then keep you in remission as long as possible.
Crohn’s is often described by the part of the digestive tract it affects:
Symptoms vary a great deal from person to person, and they change depending on where the inflammation is and how active it is. The most common include:
Because Crohn’s is an immune-driven condition, it can cause problems well beyond the gut, including joint pain, skin rashes, eye irritation, inflammation of the liver or bile ducts, kidney stones, bone loss, and anemia. In children, Crohn’s can also delay growth and development.
Treatment usually works in two stages. Induction brings an active flare under control. Maintenance keeps you in remission afterward. Which medication you’re on, and how often you take it, depends on the stage you’re in.
Milder disease is often managed with oral medications. During an acute flare, a gastroenterologist may use corticosteroids, powerful and fast-acting anti-inflammatory drugs that are sometimes given intravenously as methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol). Steroids work quickly, but they aren’t meant for long-term use, so doctors generally taper the dose and the duration as soon as the flare settles.
When conventional treatment isn’t enough, the next step is usually a biologic. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation defines biologics simply: “antibodies, created in the laboratory, that target specific proteins that cause inflammation.”
A steroid suppresses inflammation broadly, across your whole body. A biologic is engineered to block one specific messenger in the inflammatory chain, which is how it can control the disease without many of the body-wide effects of long-term steroid use.
The biologics used in Crohn’s fall into three groups, and the group largely determines how the medication is given:
Block tumor necrosis factor, a key inflammatory signal. Given as IV infusions or injections.
Infliximab (Remicade & biosimilars), certolizumab (Cimzia)
Stop inflammatory white blood cells from entering gut tissue. Given by IV infusion, sometimes followed by injections.
Vedolizumab (Entyvio), natalizumab (Tysabri, Tyruko)
Block interleukin proteins that drive inflammation. Usually IV infusion to start, then injections at home.
Ustekinumab (Stelara), risankizumab (Skyrizi), mirikizumab (Omvoh)
These are the FDA-approved Crohn’s medications given by IV infusion that Springside administers. Each links to its medication page, where you’ll find the referral form your gastroenterologist needs.
Infusion times below are the times specified in each medication’s FDA prescribing information. Your total appointment will be longer, because check-in, vital signs, IV placement, and post-infusion observation all add time.
We also administer IV methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol), a corticosteroid your gastroenterologist may order to bring an active flare under control. It’s a short-term treatment used alongside the maintenance medications above, not instead of them. Dosing is individualized to how severe the flare is and how you respond.
Anemia is the most common complication of inflammatory bowel disease outside the digestive tract. It affects roughly 16% of IBD patients seen in outpatient settings and about 68% of those admitted to hospital. Iron deficiency is present in around 45% of people with IBD and accounts for more than half of all anemia cases in this group.
If you’ve taken oral iron and your levels barely moved, that’s a well-documented pattern in Crohn’s, and there are four reasons for it:
This is why your gastroenterologist may recommend intravenous iron instead, particularly if your IBD is active, your anemia is moderate to severe, or oral iron hasn’t worked or wasn’t tolerated.
For most adults weighing 50 kg or more, a full iron replacement course is a single 1,000 mg dose, given in one visit rather than a series. The infusion itself runs at least 20 minutes, followed by at least 30 minutes of monitoring, so plan on about an hour at the center.
Your gastroenterologist may order a different IV iron formulation depending on your history and your insurance coverage. We administer several.
If you’ve never had an infusion, or you’ve only had them in a hospital, here’s the shape of a typical visit.
You can change where you receive your infusions without changing your gastroenterologist. Your GI doctor continues to manage your Crohn’s disease and writes the order. We administer the medication and report back to them.
Many Maryland insurance plans now prefer, and some require, that non-urgent infusions be given at an ambulatory infusion center rather than a hospital outpatient department, often at meaningfully lower out-of-pocket cost. Coverage rules and prior-authorization requirements vary by plan, so we verify your benefits and handle the authorization before your first visit.
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The questions patients ask us most often about moving their Crohn’s infusion care to Springside.
TL;DR
Many patients start thinking about switching after saying things like:
These frustrations are especially common among working professionals receiving biologic medications like Remicade or Entyvio, Stelara or Skyrizi.
Most successful provider transitions follow this timeline:
Unlike large hospital outpatient departments, independent outpatient infusion centers are often built around predictable scheduling, private treatment suites, and minimal disruption to your workday.
TL;DR
Many patients begin their search after saying things like:
When comparing infusion providers, look for:
Many working professionals in Columbia, Frederick, and across the greater Washington, DC region choose outpatient infusion care specifically because it fits better into a normal workweek.
TL;DR
Patients often ask:
Before switching, your new provider should verify:
Because hospital outpatient departments often charge additional facility fees, many patients reduce their costs by moving to an independent outpatient infusion center.
TL;DR
Many patients assume:
In most cases, the answer is no.
Your gastroenterologist continues to manage:
The infusion center simply becomes the location where you receive treatment.
Most provider transfers include:
Your doctor stays the same. Your medication stays the same. Your experience can change significantly.
TL;DR
Some of the biggest fears our patients have are:
The key is starting early
Most successful transitions include:
Patients who begin the process 2–4 weeks before their next infusion usually experience the smoothest transitions.
TL;DR
Most patients hesitate because they think:
In reality, most of the work happens behind the scenes.
Most transfers include:
For most patients, the only real decision is choosing where they want to receive treatment.
TL;DR
Many Patients ask:
In fact, switching as soon as you complete a dose is the best time to make the switch. Providers like Springside custom order treatments for each patient, and the medication can be in the clinic within a week.
For a patient, switching infusion providers is as easy as scheduling a new appointment.
Typical transfer timeline:
Starting early usually makes the process much smoother.
TL;DR
The DMV presents unique challenges for infusion patients:
While hospitals and hospital networks are sprawling systems that cater to the needs of thousands on a daily basis, infusion clinics in the DMV are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the capital region's busy professional infusion patients.
When comparing outpatient infusion centers, look for:
For working professionals, convenience often becomes just as important as clinical quality.
