The Uncomfortable Truth Every Mobile IV Company in NYC Hopes You Never Read
Let’s face it, we live in NYC where every minute counts and you can’t afford to be sick, so having your health working at its optimal level is one of the important keys to your success. To meet the demands of busy and successful New Yorkers, mobile IV therapy providers have been working hard to meet those demands to help with health optimization, recovery from illness, and optimal performance. With a call or text, you can get a mobile IV provider to come to your home, office, or hotel and give you treatments to help you feel better. But in this loosely controlled market, it is super critical that the next time you are booking a mobile IV treatment, you first ask, “Who will be exactly administering my IV?” and I mean, get their credentials.
Assumptions vs. Reality: A Spectrum of Qualifications
The hard-to-swallow truth is that a lot of mobile IV companies use paramedics to provide you with IVs. A paramedic’s training is limited to typically 12 months of training. But their level of understanding of medicine is very much limited compared to a nurse practitioner or a doctor. Paramedics study some foundational sciences, like anatomy and physiology, patient assessment, advanced life support, and a limited amount of study about medicines. Paramedics, compared to doctors or nurse practitioners, have less education, training, and relevant experience. 1 2Paramedics are not able to make their clinical decisions to the same extent as doctors and nurse practitioners, who have the legal ability, training, and experience to prescribe medications, which is super crucial in the field, for example, in an emergency.
“So What”
So, you might be thinking, then who tells the paramedic what type of IV fluid to give me? Well, the truth is that in order to keep business operations costs low, almost all of these mobile IV companies have a prescribing provider speak with you via phone, and then based on your conversation, the prescribing provider will order the IV fluids, telling the paramedics what to give. “So what,” you may think? Well, the truth is that this makes a giant difference for you. Remember, mobile IV therapy is a medical procedure and can pose risk just like any medical procedure—for example, the rare but possible occurrence of an allergic reaction, fainting because of seeing blood when the IV needle is placed, or uncontrolled bleeding.
Would you want a paramedic to waste your time…
Would you want a paramedic to waste your critical time on the phone speaking with the prescriber about what to do because they are not trained and don’t have the right credentials? Or would you want someone who is able to recognize signs of danger and act seamlessly and immediately right then and there next to you so that you have the best results in case of an emergency? Paramedics cannot make autonomous prescriptive decisions and hence this may mean delays in your care, especially during urgent emergencies where seconds may mean life or death. In fact, in 2011 a study of nearly 1,900 patients showed that when paramedics gave IV fluids in ambulances, the patients had higher lethality. 3
A Registered Nurse is Probably…
A registered nurse is probably a better bet. Registered nurses have broader education and training compared to paramedics, but again, they do not have prescriptive authority legally. 4 They can’t make decisions about what medicines to give you by themselves without the permission of a prescribing provider, which means the nurses would be spending more time on the phone instead of caring for you seamlessly. All this means is it will take longer for nurses to give you the best care in the shortest amount of time simply because they must call to report symptoms and have prescribing providers give them instructions on what to do. A physician assistant also can’t make autonomous prescriptive decisions; they too have to call the doctor to get instructions on what medications to give.
Doctors?
They could do this, but let’s be real, they won’t because board-certified physicians are not aspiring to be traveling glorified nurses who give people IVs in someone’s living room at 7 A.M. They won’t be paid enough for their level of education and experience. In my experience, I have not seen a doctor, to date, who provides mobile IV treatments from start to finish. I doubt it will change anytime soon.
That’s where a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner changes everything.
Nurse practitioners have a master’s or doctoral degree, typically with years of clinical experience, including deep training in diagnostics, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. In addition, they must pass a rigorous national board certification exam. In NY, nurse practitioners have full independent practice authority after 3,600 hours of clinical experience.5
The VIPs IV Standard: A Prescribing Clinician by Your Side
At VIPs IV, our standards are not negotiable. We prioritize your health and safety above profits. This is why VIPs IV currently only employs board-certified nurse practitioners with at least 15 years of hospital experience.
Here is what VIPs IV’s standard means to your health & safety:
Comprehensive On-Site Clinical Assessment: Our NPs conduct a focused and comprehensive assessment of your health, checking your vitals, health history, physical exam, and current medical needs so that a truly personalized IV treatment is made.
Real-Time Treatment Customization: Experience the care from an NP with the keys to change treatments as needed for your needs. Need more IV fluids or other medications? No problem! Our NPs with full prescriptive authority can add and modify treatments on the fly, saving your precious time.
Immediate and Autonomous Emergency Response: We only hire NPs who are actively working in emergency response teams in hospitals. In the rare event of an infusion reaction or any other medical emergency, our NPs manage reactions and emergencies in real time, autonomously deciding which medications to use and administering, which means faster care and faster recovery.
Unparalleled Experience & Peace of Mind: You are in the safest hands with our NPs as we only hire NPs with at least 15 years of hospital experience. This means competence, calm, and results with every IV infusion.
At VIPs IV, every mobile IV treatment is delivered by a licensed and board-certified nurse practitioner. No middlemen, guesswork, or phone calls to get medical orders. Just expert care, on your time and place, with the highest level of safety.
Here is what VIPs IV’s standard means to your health & safety:
Comprehensive On-Site Clinical Assessment: Our NPs conduct a focused and comprehensive assessment of your health, checking your vitals, health history, physical exam, and current medical needs so that a truly personalized IV treatment is made.
Real-Time Treatment Customization: Experience the care from an NP with the keys to change treatments as needed for your needs. Need more IV fluids or other medications? No problem! Our NPs with full prescriptive authority can add and modify treatments on the fly, saving your precious time.
Immediate and Autonomous Emergency Response: We only hire NPs who are actively working in emergency response teams in hospitals. In the rare event of an infusion reaction or any other medical emergency, our NPs manage reactions and emergencies in real time, autonomously deciding which medications to use and administering, which means faster care and faster recovery.
Unparalleled Experience & Peace of Mind: You are in the safest hands with our NPs as we only hire NPs with at least 15 years of hospital experience. This means competence, calm, and results with every IV infusion.
At VIPs IV, every mobile IV treatment is delivered by a licensed and board-certified nurse practitioner. No middlemen, guesswork, or phone calls to get medical orders. Just expert care, on your time and place, with the highest level of safety.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National emergency medical services education standards: paramedic instructional guidelines. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation; 2009. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.ems.gov/pdf/811077b.pdf ↩︎
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. Paramedic certification requirements. Albany, NY: NYS DOH; 2025. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/ ↩︎
- Hussmann B, Lefering R, Waydhas C, et al. Does increased prehospital replacement volume lead to a poor clinical course and an increased mortality? A matched-pair analysis of 1896 patients of the Trauma Registry of the German Society for Trauma Surgery who were managed by an emergency doctor at the accident site. Injury. 2013;44(5):611-617. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2012.02.004 ↩︎
- 9 New York State Education Department. Nursing: § 52.12. In: New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, title 8, § 52.12. Westlaw. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://govt.westlaw.com/nycrr/Document/Ieca68bfbc22111dd97adcd755bda2840 ↩︎
- 10 1.SECTION 6902 Definition of practice of nursing Education (EDN) CHAPTER 16, TITLE 8, ARTICLE 139. www.nysenate.gov. Published November 22, 2024. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EDN/6902 ↩︎
Aleksey Aronov, NP
Founder & Lead Nurse Practitioner
Hunter College Alum • Dual Board Certified (Adult & Gerontology)NPI: 1548616451 • NY License: #307286 • Licensed in PA & TXSpecialist in Hematology & Oncology with clinical background at Mount Sinai and Northwell Health. Founder of VIP's IV — delivering hospital-grade care to your door.
