From CRE’s DME Hotline: 1-800-613-7678 (Absecon, NJ)
“My husband has bone cancer. He can’t walk and he can’t stand and someone was nice enough to give us a wheelchair to borrow for his use and because he can’t walk or stand he’s getting sores on his butt and I asked the visiting nurse if he could get a pillow from Medicare and they told me that Medicare would not pay for a pillow unless they gave him a wheelchair. I thought saving the expense of Medicare, borrowing a wheelchair, was more than official to Medicare and I would like a response to this comment. I’m very unhappy with this comment. … He needs a cushion for his sores and if we have to get a wheelchair from Medicare we will but I think, I’m think Medicare in their expenses. Thank you. Bye.”
Regina said:
Jun 11, 10 at 12:12 pmMedicare will not pay for a cushion on a wheelchair that has not been deemed medically necessary. While we are saving money by borrowing the wheelchair, since it was not ordered by a doctor, anything used in conjunction with it would not be covered. That’s the way Medicare works, unfortunately.