Durable Medical Equipment After Hospital Discharge in Minnesota

The hospital says your parent is ready to go home, but their house still has that narrow bathroom doorway, no grab bars, and a second-floor bedroom they cannot safely reach. Before the discharge happens, you need to sort out durable medical equipment — and the window to get it right is smaller than most families realize.

What DME Covers and How Medicare Pays

Durable medical equipment includes hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, shower chairs, and commodes. Medicare Part B covers DME when a physician certifies medical necessity and orders the equipment as part of the discharge plan.

Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026). You or your parent's supplemental insurance covers the remaining 20%. The equipment must be ordered from a Medicare-enrolled DME supplier. Using a non-enrolled supplier means Medicare will not reimburse anything.

The critical detail: the physician's order must be in place before discharge. Hospital social workers typically handle the DME referral, but not always automatically. During the discharge planning conference, ask specifically what equipment the care team recommends and confirm that the order has been placed with a Medicare-enrolled supplier.

Timing the Delivery

Equipment needs to arrive at the home before your parent does — or at least the same day. A hospital bed that shows up three days after discharge is three days of unsafe sleeping arrangements. Oxygen equipment that arrives late is a medical emergency waiting to happen.

Ask the DME supplier for a confirmed delivery date and time. If the discharge is happening on a Friday afternoon, confirm the supplier delivers on weekends. Many smaller suppliers in greater Minnesota do not, and a Friday discharge with Monday delivery leaves a gap that families fill with improvised, unsafe solutions.

For urgent items like oxygen concentrators, most DME companies offer same-day or next-day delivery in the Twin Cities metro. In rural Minnesota, lead times can stretch to two or three business days. Factor this into the discharge timeline — if the equipment cannot arrive in time, push back on the discharge date.

Home Safety Assessment Before Discharge

A proper post-discharge setup goes beyond individual pieces of equipment. The hospital may arrange a home safety assessment through an occupational therapist, especially if your parent is returning after a fall or stroke. This assessment evaluates the physical layout — doorway widths, stair access, bathroom configuration, lighting, trip hazards — and recommends modifications.

Common recommendations include grab bars in the bathroom, a raised toilet seat, removal of throw rugs, improved lighting in hallways and stairways, and a bedside commode if the bathroom is not on the same floor as the bedroom. Some of these modifications are not covered by Medicare (grab bar installation, ramp construction) but are essential for preventing readmission.

If the hospital does not offer a home safety assessment, you can request one through your parent's home health agency after discharge. If ordered and clinically needed, a home health agency may provide an OT evaluation that addresses the home environment.

What Medical Assistance Covers

If your parent is on Minnesota Medical Assistance, DME coverage is more comprehensive than Medicare alone. MA covers equipment that Medicare does not, including some home modifications, personal emergency response systems (PERS), and specialized adaptive equipment. The approval process goes through the managed care organization if your parent is enrolled in Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) or Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+).

For MA recipients, prior authorization is usually required for DME costing more than a set threshold. The managed care plan handles this, but it takes time — another reason to start the process during the hospital stay, not after discharge.

Avoid the Most Common Mistake

The most expensive mistake families make is accepting discharge without confirming that every piece of recommended equipment has been ordered, has a confirmed delivery date, and will be set up by someone who can show the family how to use it properly. A hospital bed that arrives in boxes with assembly instructions is not helpful when your parent needs to lie down that evening.

Before your parent leaves the hospital, get a written list of all ordered DME, the supplier name and phone number, and the delivery date. Keep this with the discharge summary.

Our Hospital-to-Home Minnesota guide includes a complete equipment and home safety checklist that covers everything from grab bars to medication management tools, along with templates for tracking delivery and setup.

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