Durable Medical Equipment

Durable medical equipment (DME) is non-disposable medical equipment used in the course of treatment and home care including, but not limited to: hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, canes, commode chairs, power scooters, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, catheters, ostomy bags, nebulizers, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, ventilators and traction equipment. DME is usually used to refer to equipment that is of lasting use.

This is also sometimes referred to as DMEPOS, including prosthetics, orthotics and other supplies in the definition. In many cases personal health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare will cover the cost of durable medical equipment, for the patient.

There are certain criteria Medicare uses to determine if of DME is to be covered. In some cases Medicare will cover the purchase of DME and in other cases it will only cover rental of the equipment. In either case, the medical equipment must be deemed medically necessary and in most cases reusable. The patient’s medical practitioner must prescribe the specific equipment and it will often need to be approved by Medicare before purchased. The DME must be purchased from an approved supplier enrolled in the Medicare program. Reimbursement trends will be covered in many of the reports in this category.