Durable Medical Equipment After Hospital Discharge in Colorado

Your parent is being discharged from a Colorado hospital and needs a hospital bed at home, a wheelchair, oxygen equipment, or a patient lift. The discharge planner says these will be "arranged" — but without understanding how DME ordering, insurance coverage, and delivery actually work, your parent could arrive home to an empty bedroom with no equipment in sight.

What Counts as Durable Medical Equipment

Medicare and Medicaid define DME as equipment that serves a medical purpose, is durable enough for repeated use, is appropriate for home use, and is prescribed by a physician. Common DME after hospital discharge includes:

• Hospital beds with adjustable height, head, and foot positioning
• Low-air-loss mattresses or pressure-relief mattresses (for patients at risk of pressure ulcers)
• Standard wheelchairs and power wheelchairs
• Walkers, rollators, and canes
• Oxygen concentrators, portable oxygen, and nebulizers
• Patient lifts (Hoyer lifts) for bed-to-chair transfers
• Bedside commodes and raised toilet seats
• Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machines after joint replacement
• Suction machines for airway management

How Medicare Covers DME

Medicare Part B covers 80% of the approved cost for medically necessary DME after the annual deductible ($283 in 2026). Your parent pays the remaining 20% coinsurance — or a Medigap supplement covers it.

Critical requirements:

Medical necessity documentation. The hospital physician must complete a functional assessment documenting why each piece of equipment is medically necessary. Generic statements like "patient needs a wheelchair" aren't sufficient — the documentation must describe the specific functional limitation.

Face-to-face encounter. For certain high-cost items (power wheelchairs, power-operated vehicles, hospital beds with specific features), the physician must conduct and document a face-to-face encounter specifically addressing the equipment need.

Prior authorization. Some DME items require Prior Authorization Requests (PARs) submitted to Medicare before the supplier can deliver. High-cost items — especially power wheelchairs and complex rehabilitation equipment — almost always require prior authorization. This can add days or weeks to the delivery timeline.

Medicare-enrolled supplier. Equipment must come from a supplier enrolled in the Medicare program. Using a non-enrolled supplier means Medicare won't pay, and your parent owes the full cost. The discharge planner should coordinate with an enrolled supplier.

Health First Colorado (Medicaid) DME Coverage

For parents enrolled in Health First Colorado, DME is covered as a state plan benefit. The process differs from Medicare:

• DME requests go through the regional Case Management Agency (CMA) if your parent is on an HCBS waiver, or through the Health First Colorado fee-for-service DME benefit
• Prior authorization is required for most items
• The physician must submit documentation to the appropriate authorization entity
• Delivery may take longer than Medicare-funded DME due to authorization processing times

If your parent has both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibility), Medicare is billed first. Medicaid covers the remaining coinsurance and deductible — meaning your parent should owe nothing out of pocket for covered DME.

The Delivery Timing Problem

The most common DME complaint after hospital discharge: equipment arrives late.

Here's why it happens and how to prevent it:

Start the order while your parent is still in the hospital. Don't wait for discharge day. The clinical team can complete the medical necessity documentation and submit the DME order 24-48 hours before the planned discharge. This gives the supplier time to verify insurance, process any prior authorization, and schedule delivery.

Confirm the delivery date directly with the supplier. Don't rely on the hospital's assurance that "it's been ordered." Call the DME supplier yourself and confirm: "When will the equipment be delivered? Will it be set up before my parent arrives home?"

Have a backup plan. If the hospital bed or wheelchair won't arrive on discharge day, ask the discharge planner whether discharge should be delayed until equipment is in place. A patient being sent home without a hospital bed they need for safe transfers is an argument against premature discharge.

Rent short-term if delivery is delayed. Some DME items (wheelchairs, walkers, bedside commodes) can be purchased same-day at medical supply stores. More complex items (hospital beds, oxygen systems, patient lifts) require professional delivery and setup that can't be expedited as easily.

Equipment Safety at Home

Once equipment arrives:

• Have the supplier demonstrate setup and operation for every piece of equipment
• Test all electrical equipment (hospital bed controls, oxygen concentrator, patient lift) before the supplier leaves
• Keep the supplier's 24-hour service number accessible — equipment malfunctions happen, especially with oxygen systems
• Ensure the home's electrical system can handle the load (hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, and suction machines draw significant power)

The Colorado Hospital Discharge Transition Blueprint includes a DME ordering checklist with the specific items to verify with the supplier before discharge, plus a home equipment safety inspection form.

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