Durable medical equipment (DME).

In plain English

Durable medical equipment, or DME, is equipment built to be used again and again for a medical reason, mostly at home. Medicare's regulation sets out the conditions: the equipment can withstand repeated use, is primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose, generally is not useful to someone without an illness or injury, is appropriate for use in the home, and, for items classified as DME after January 1, 2012, has an expected life of at least 3 years. Medicare.gov lists canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs and scooters, hospital beds, CPAP devices, oxygen equipment, and blood sugar monitors among covered examples. Depending on the item, Medicare may require it to be rented, require it to be bought, or let the person choose, and some rented items become the person's property after a set number of rental payments.

01Why it matters

Medicare Part B covers medically necessary DME, and Medicare.gov says that after the Part B deductible the person pays 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount. Whether an item counts as DME decides which rules apply to it, and for some higher-cost items Medicare adds steps, such as a recent visit with a practitioner or an advance approval, before it will pay.

02The math, step by step

A person recovering from hip surgery is told to use a walker at home for several months. A walker can be used over and over, serves a medical purpose, is not much use to someone who is not injured, and is used at home, so it fits the definition. The disposable dressings from the same surgery do not, because they cannot withstand repeated use.

Illustrative example. The amounts here are hypothetical, chosen to show how the math works, not real quoted rates or figures.

03What this is NOT

04Receipts

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