DME After Hospital Discharge in Tennessee: What Medicare Covers and How to Get It Ordered

Your parent is being discharged from a Memphis hospital after hip surgery, and the physical therapist says they'll need a walker, a raised toilet seat, and a shower bench at home. The discharge planner mentions "DME" and hands you a supplier list. What nobody tells you is that Medicare coverage for this equipment has specific rules — and if the order isn't placed correctly before discharge, you may end up paying out of pocket for things insurance should have covered.

What Medicare Part B Covers

Medicare Part B pays 80% of the approved amount for durable medical equipment when a physician orders it and a Medicare-enrolled supplier provides it. You pay the remaining 20% after meeting the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026).

Covered DME includes:

• Hospital beds for home use
• Wheelchairs and power mobility devices
• Walkers and canes
• Oxygen equipment and supplies
• CPAP machines
• Nebulizers
• Certain wound care supplies

The equipment must be medically necessary — meaning a physician documents that your parent needs it for their condition — and must be appropriate for home use. Items that are primarily for convenience or comfort (like a lift chair's lifting mechanism) generally aren't covered, though the seat portion of a lift chair may be.

Items Medicare Doesn't Cover

Some things families assume are covered after a hospital stay aren't:

• Grab bars and bathroom modifications — these are home modifications, not DME
• Over-the-counter supplies — non-prescription items like incontinence pads, non-prescription braces, and basic bath safety items are generally not covered
• Duplicate equipment — if your parent already has a functioning walker from a previous hospitalization, Medicare won't pay for a second one

For TennCare CHOICES enrollees, the MCO may cover some items that Medicare doesn't, particularly through home modification allowances under Group 2 HCBS services. Check with your parent's MCO care coordinator.

Getting DME Ordered Before Discharge

Tennessee's discharge planning regulation (Rule 0720-14-.05) requires hospitals to arrange for continuing care needs before the patient leaves. That includes DME. Here's how to make sure it actually happens:

Ask the discharge planner on day one. As soon as your parent is admitted, ask whether DME will be needed at home. The earlier the order is placed, the more likely it arrives before discharge.

Confirm the physician's order. Medicare requires a written physician's order specifying the equipment, the diagnosis, and the medical necessity. Without this order, the supplier can't bill Medicare. Make sure the attending physician has written the order — don't assume the discharge planner handled it.

Choose a Medicare-enrolled supplier. The hospital will provide a list of DME suppliers. Confirm that the supplier you choose is enrolled in Medicare; using a nonparticipating supplier can mean higher out-of-pocket costs.

Get a delivery date. Before agreeing to a discharge date, confirm that the DME supplier can deliver to your parent's home on or before that date. If the supplier says delivery takes three business days and the hospital wants to discharge tomorrow, that's a gap in the discharge plan you should flag.

When DME Delivery Falls Through

If your parent is discharged before the DME arrives — which happens more often than it should — you have options:

Contact the supplier directly. Get the order number, the expected delivery date, and ask about emergency or same-day delivery. Some suppliers maintain stock for urgent post-hospital situations.

Call the hospital's discharge planning department. If essential equipment wasn't arranged before discharge, document the gap and ask the department to address it.

Rent or purchase temporarily. For basic items like walkers or shower benches, medical supply stores and even pharmacies carry stock you can purchase same-day. Keep receipts so you can discuss the cost with the supplier, hospital, or insurer.

Return to the ER if safety is compromised. If the missing equipment creates an immediate safety risk (like a patient who needs home oxygen and doesn't have it), the emergency room is the appropriate response.

The Tennessee hospital discharge transition toolkit includes a DME coordination checklist that tracks each item from physician order through delivery confirmation, making sure nothing falls through the cracks during the transition home.

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