A home medical equipment provider is a person or entity that offers home medical equipment for sale or rent to a consumer and provides related services such as delivery, setup, and maintenance of the equipment.
These equipment providers are crucial to the recovery of the patient. Since you will be dealing with the
What is home medical equipment?
A home medical device is any instrument planned to be used for medical purposes. The use of a device for medical purposes poses a significant potential hazard. Therefore, medical devices must be proven safe and effective with reasonable certainty before regulatory authorities allow the device to be marketed in their country.
Generally, the higher the risk associated with the device, the more extensive the testing must demonstrate safety and effectiveness. In addition, as the risk increases, so must the potential benefit to the patient.
Medical devices vary both in their intended use and in their areas of application. Examples range from simple, low-risk products such as tongue depressors, medical thermometers, disposable gloves, and bedpans to complex, high-risk products that are implanted and sustain life.
What Does a Home Medical Equipment Provider Do?
Have you ever heard the term “medical equipment providers” and wondered what it means? According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, these companies usually provide durable medical equipment (DME) to those in need. These are usually assistive devices that people need after being discharged from the hospital or for long-term care at home.
What is Durable Medical Equipment?
Some people need certain types of durable medical equipment or specialized assistive devices to have a high quality of life and be as independent as possible. Others may only need a device for a short time. The equipment and supplies are purchased from a medical equipment supplier. Some examples of DME are:
- Wheelchairs
- Crutches
- C-PAP machines and supplies
- Oxygen
- High-calorie formula
- Colostomy bags
- Foot orthotics
- Shower chairs
- Hospice beds
- Breast pumps
Importance of Home Medical Equipment Providers
If the patient only needs his medical equipment for a few months to aid in his recovery, he can usually rent it without buying it. An example would be a pair of crutches. If they need long-term equipment, such as a C- PAP machine to treat sleep apnea, it’s common to have a lease-purchase arrangement. Other medical equipment can be purchased without having to rent it first.
Another service a medical equipment supplier provides is assisting the patient in obtaining the proper equipment. For example, some medical equipment supply stores have staff who come to the hospital or home to help patients learn how to use certain equipment, such as feeding pumps or getting fitted for a wheelchair.
A medical equipment supplier is critical to a patient’s full recovery, whether they’ve been in the hospital for a while or broken a leg. Mothers with newborns can also benefit, as they supply breast pumps, which are now covered by most health insurance plans. They’re also an important resource for people with special needs, such as cerebral palsy or diabetes, requiring different equipment and special medical needs.
