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Durable Medical Equipment

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Durable Medical Equipment, DME

  • See Also
  1. Assistive Technology
  2. Ambulatory Assistive Device
  3. Canes
  4. Crutches
  5. Walkers
  • Definitions
  1. Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
    1. Nondisposable, wear-resistant items, prescribed by a medical provider and intended for longterm use by patients
    2. Examples include hospital beds (at home), Walkers, Wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, CPAP
  • Background
  1. Covered under Medicare Part B in U.S.
  • Approach
  • DME Prescription Pearls
  1. When writing for DME items, write a description of item using generic terms
  2. Specifically describe use and frequency (scheduled dosing)
  3. Associate a specific diagnosis and ICD10 code for DME Indications
  4. Maximum quantities (e.g. Glucose Test Strips) vary be circumstance (e.g. Insulin use)
  5. Face-to-face encounter is typically needed at least every 6 months for many DME items
  • References
  1. (2019) presc lett 26(11):62 [PubMed]