A List of Medical Supplies and How You Can Get Them

Different types of medical supplies are used to help promote independence, safety, aid in pain relief and decrease medical conditions. Medical Supplies is also known as Durable Medical Equipment or DME if you want to get on the lazy wagon with the rest of the medical professionals.

There are so many different types of DME, it is definitely overwhelming. Therapists and Doctors will recommend certain medical equipment depending on what they think will aid in a person’s independence. Use of medical equipment can be short term or long term.

I’ll review the general types of equipment that may be recommended to someone. A link or two will be provided in each description and will send you to a website where you can purchase or learn more.

This post contains affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission if you purchase one of these items at no additional cost to you! please read my disclaimer for more information.

Most Commonly Recommended Medical Equipment (DME)

Below are the most commonly recommended DME someone may need to go home with from the hospital.

Blood sugar monitor & Blood sugar test strips

These are generally used to help with management of diabetes. The monitor uses the blood sugar test strips to measure and read your glucose levels. It pricks your finger and blood is inserted on the test strip. Then the test strip is entered in a slot on the device.

The monitor is a little computer and is able to tell you what your current blood sugar levels are at. This will tell you whether or not you need insulin to supplement your blood. You can purchase these from Walgreens, CVS or Walmart. You can also find one on Blood Glucose Monitor Kit (Auto-Coding), CareSens N Diabetes Testing Kit with 1 Glucose Meter, 100 Glucose Test Strips, 1 Control Solution, 1 Lancing Device, 100 Lancets (30G), 1 Case“>Amazon.

Canes

There are generally two main types of canes, a single point cane and a quad cane. The single point cane is your general cane that most people think of. It’s a stick with a handle at the top and a rubber stopper at the bottom.

The second type of cane is a quad cane which looks like a stick that has the handle at the top and 4 prongs at the bottom. The four prongs increase stability and allow for more weight to be used on it.

Again you can find these at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Commode chairs

This is essentially a portable toilet. It’s helpful to have one at the bedside if a patient or loved one has difficulty transferring out of bed or cannot walk to the extent to get to an actual bathroom. It can help promote independence and safety for those who have difficulty with long distances and instead have the convenience of the toilet near the bed. They are also often referred to as 3 in 1 bedside commodes in the hospital world.

Not only do they provide the convenience of a toilet next to the bed or really anywhere you need quick access to one, but they also have a sturdy frame and handles to assist with a transfer to the toilet bowl. You can typically find these at any drugstore just like the items listed above.

If you are discharging from a hospital, they are typically ordered and delivered to the patient from a medical supplies company like: Mckesson, Medline, Apria, Edgepark and Lincare to name a few. You can also purchase them at Senior.com.

You can also get them through Amazon. Below is a pretty common type of commode that many patients use at home.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices

This is a device that delivers pressurized oxygen by a mask while you sleep. It’s used to treat sleep apnea (OSA). This is prescribed and ordered by a pulmonologist (lung doctor) and usually a sleep study has to be done in order for it to be covered by insurances.

I’ll likely go into a deeper blog post on this and other airway devices because there is so much to cover. There are specific medical companies that specialize in oxygen and other airway medical devices. A few national companies include: Apria, American Home Patient, Lincare and Rotech.

You will likely need filters for the CPAP machine,

Another great company that many of my patients have used is www.cpapman.com. They have been making CPAP machines since 1997.

Crutches

Most people know what crutches are. In case you don’t, these are walking devices that allow you to place all of your weight from your legs on to the device to keep pressure off the bottom half. These are used for short term injuries. I’ll advise you that you can find crutches easily at Walmart, Hugo Mobility 721-785 Hugo Lightweight Adjustable Aluminum Crutches, Medium Adult“>Amazon or any other drug store.

Hospital beds

So you can certainly get a hospital bed for your home, however insurance does NOT pay for the same type of hospital as the ones you see at the hospital. The hospital beds that are actually used in the hospital setting are full electric beds. These beds can run around $15-20k.

Insurance certainly is not willing to fork out that kind of cash. Instead you will typically rent a hospital bed from a medical supplies company, and these hospital beds are semi-electric. So not exactly the same as hospital grade beds, but they provide the support needed and serve their purpose. It’s also extremely difficult to get insurance to pay for a hospital bed, even a rental because there are certain criteria that must be met. I’ll go into more detail about this in another blog post.

If you are looking to purchase or rent one, check out Senior.com. If you would like to purchase a full electric hospital bed just like they have at the hospitals, Amazon has one Hopefull Premium 3 Function Full Electric Hospital Bed with Water Proof Mattress Included“>HERE you can check out.

Infusion pumps & supplies

This is a medical device that delivers IV (intravenous) fluids, nutrients or medications into the patient’s body at a controlled amount. It’s often used in conjunction with other supplies such as tubing and syringes. Often times this is set up and arranged by a home infusion company.

The home infusion company usually provides the supplies and the fluid or medication that will be delivered to the body. I’ll write another post that goes into more details about home infusion at a later time.

Some of the more common infusion companies that provide the supplies and service include: Amerita/Alternacare, Coram/CVS, Optum, and Interim.

Nebulizers & nebulizer medications

These are medical devices that administer steroid medication through a breathing device. It can be done with a specific mask or with a device that looks kind of like snorkel. The machine converts the liquid steroid medication into air form and you directly breathe it in. It’s often used for asthma or other pulmonary ailments.

You can get a prescription for one from your primary care provider and often times you can get it filled at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS or another drug store.

If you are a patient at a hospital, usually your social worker will set up the device and medications through a medical supply company like Apria, Lincare, American Home patient, etc.

If you don’t have a prescription for one, you can order one on

Oxygen equipment & accessories

I’ll probably need to do a whole post on this as well to get into more detail, but….in general this includes an “portable” oxygen tank, an oxygen concentrator (to fill your portable tanks with at home) and tubing. There are different types of oxygen concentrators and ways to make oxygen a little more mobile and portable for active lifestyles.

A prescription is required from a physician to get home oxygen and there are certain criteria that have to be met to qualify for home oxygen in order for insurance to pay for it.

Frequently used oxygen supply companies include: American Home Patient, Apria, Lincare, and Rotech.

Patient lifts 

These are medical devices that assist a patient to move from one area to another, typically from a bed to a chair. There are generally two types of patient lifts for home use. One is a power patient lift or hoyer lift, the other is called a standing lift.

The hoyer lifts use an electrical or hydraulic system and a sling to safely lift a patient from a supine (laying down) position and transfer them to a chair or other piece of furniture with little to no manual lifting for the person that uses it.

A standing lift is one that can be wheeled like a dolly under a bed but uses a sling and straps to help support the upper body and allows the patient to use less of their body weight to help them with the transfer.

Click HERE to see an example of a hoyer lift, and click HERE to see an example of a standing lift. You can purchase these lifts at Senior.com. Or you can purchase one from Amazon. Below is a hoyer lift and a standing lift that are used by many hospitals or senior communities.

Pressure-reducing support surfaces

These are types of mattresses or seat cushions that help take pressure of the body if a patient is bed-bound or wheelchair-bound. They are used to help prevent any pressure wounds that can develop after being in one position on a surface for longer than 30 minutes a time.

Low air loss mattresses or overlays are commonly used for a home discharge for someone who is bed-bound. Essentially they are an inflatable mattress that is placed on top of a regular bed mattress, and they are designed specifically to relieve pressure on the body.

The mattresses have certain settings that can inflate or deflate for periods of time to help imitate a caregiver rotating someone in bed. For those who are wheelchair bound and prone to wounds, there are also wheelchair cushions that are gel that can do similar things.

Again these are items that must be prescribed by a physician and certain criteria must be met to get insurance to pay for them.

These medical devices are typically provided by wound medical supply companies or hospital bed companies such as: Apria, Hillrom, Invacare and Sunmed

Walkers

Most people have seen and know what a walker is. However, there are a few types of walkers out there. There are three main types of walkers utilized: Front wheeled walker, a rollator walker, and a Merry walker.

The most commonly used and often recommended by physicians and physical therapy is the traditional Front wheeled walker. This walker consists of just two wheels on the front of the walking device and the back two legs have stoppers instead of wheels. This provides more stability and support for someone who may be very weak or have loss of balance.

The rollator walker is a walker that has 4 wheels and usually a seat connected to the inside of the walker to allow someone to sit after a long or short distance. This option is considered a little less stable but offers independence and increased mobility.

Lastly is the Merry walker. Usually used in a dementia care setting, and it essentially infuses a rollator walker and wheelchair together. It promotes independence while maintaining safety for someone who has memory issues.

Insurance usually only pays for the first two and requires a physician prescription. You can also get one of these at a drugstore, Walmart or Drive Medical 10210-1 Deluxe 2-Button Folding Walker with Wheels“>Amazon and Senior.com without a prescription. Also check out your local thrift store!

Wheelchairs & scooters

There are different kinds of wheelchairs and scooters. There are manual wheelchairs that can fold up, there are electric wheelchairs, there are light portable wheelchairs known as transport chairs, reclining wheelchairs, bariatric wheelchairs and there are manual and electric scooters as well.

Obtaining a wheelchair or scooter and having insurance pay for it can be tricky. Like most of the medical equipment above, a physician prescription is required and there are some other criteria that have to be met and proved by medical documentation as well.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of getting a prescription and going through insurance, you can often look for a used wheelchair at your local thrift store.

You can also find one on Drive Medical DFL19-RD Fly Lite Ultra Lightweight Folding Transport Wheelchair with Swing-Away Footrests, Red, Black“>Amazon or Senior.com of course!

Does Insurance Pay for Medical Equipment?

All of the medical devices we reviewed above are covered by Medicare part B, however coverage doesn’t mean 100% paid for. Medicare generally covers about 80% of the cost for medical devices. You will typically have a 20% copay. The amount of that co-pay varies on the type of device, if it’s rented or purchased and what the duration of usage is for that device.

For example, medical equipment such as a cane or walker is generally fully covered. However, a wheelchair, hospital bed or patient lift will likely have the 20% copay attached to it.

If you are inpatient at a hospital, your social worker will assist in obtaining the medical devices you need and will work with the medical supplies company in determining what your out of pocket cost may be.

If you are obtaining these medical devices directly from your primary provider as an outpatient, it’s a good idea to contact your insurance to find out which medical supplier they are in contract with and what your out-of-pocket expense will be.