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Home medical equipment is provided in order for an individual to receive any care needed at home as opposed to being in a retirement home, hospital or other care center. The equipment will vary and the way they are supplied could be rented on a temporary basis or purchased. In most cases the insurance will pay for all or partial use of the equipment.

The majority of home medical supplies will require a doctor’s prescription for purchase. If you are going to finance the equipment without the assistance of insurance there may not have to be a written prescription needed for purchase. Most medical equipment supplies can be purchased through a drugstore or medical supply facility. However, some equipment such as rented items will be special ordered through a medical supply company that has been referred by the medical care facility recommending the item for you.

When ordering equipment it will be necessary to have a professional come to the residence and set the equipment up and give instructions for use. It is very important for the caregiver to have adequate training in the equipment that will be used. For example, for patients that are on a feeding tube, there will be different types of supplies available. The tube may be a mic key feeding tube attached to a kangaroo pump or it could be a manual G-tube that is the primary feeder.

Each of these requires vastly different sources of use. The mic key tube will generally be used as a permanent feeder and will need to be replaced approximately every three months or if it falls out. It requires a specific amount of water to hold it in place and will usually be connected to a pump. The pump requires regular maintenance done by a professional.

Home medical equipment also is the category where wheel chairs, walkers, bathroom supplies and a vast amount of other medical items fall into. Each piece of equipment should be one that is either new or that has been completely tested for accuracy if used. When purchasing the equipment yourself, it will be less expensive to buy used items, however, it is extremely important to examine the equipment for any malfunctions.

If you have not been referred to a company that will provide the equipment it will be necessary to do comparison shopping. If you have a prescription for the equipment there will be a standard company with who the medical personal work with. Remember to schedule the maintenance visits for the equipment as suggested by the technician who delivers it.