Medical Equipment and Supplies

Medical equipment and supplies are available to help you while you are getting palliative care or hospice care. Palliative care helps people who have a serious illness or injury. The goal of palliative care is to provide relief and comfort outside a hospital setting. Hospice provides end-of-life care to people with terminal or life-threatening illnesses.

Once you are released from the hospital, your doctor will tell you how to get the equipment and supplies you need.

Durable medical equipment is any equipment that helps a person with certain medical conditions or illnesses. Common medical equipment used in palliative care or hospice care includes the following:

• Oxygen equipment (including ventilators)
• Bi-Pap and C-Pap machines (these machines help you breathe while you sleep)
• Hospital beds
• Wheelchairs
• Walkers
• Crutches
• Blood pressure monitors
• Lifts (this equipment helps you move and change positions)
• Kidney machines

Medical supplies can also help you if you have a medical condition that requires constant care but you don’t need to be in a hospital. These supplies are disposable or reusable products used in healthcare settings. Disposable supplies are items designed for single use. Reusable supplies are designed to be used more than once after proper cleaning and sterilization. Many of these supplies can be ordered online.

Common medical supplies include:

• Catheters
• Needles and syringes
• Gauze
• Central line dressing change kits
• Bedpans
• Feeding tubes

Intermountain Healthcare will deliver medical equipment directly to your door. We will also set up the equipment and show you how to use it properly. We will also fix equipment that needs repairs. If you no longer need your medical equipment, Intermountain Healthcare will arrange for someone to come to your home and pick it up.

Medical equipment and supplies often require authorization from your doctor. Be sure to talk to your insurance provider about coverage of medical equipment and supplies. Some insurance companies provide coverage for medical equipment and supplies when they are medically necessary. Your insurance company might require you to get the equipment from certain stores or sellers.

If you need durable medical equipment or medical supplies, be sure to talk to your doctor. They can tell you what options will work best for you and give you a referral or authorization to receive the equipment. Intermountain Healthcare homecare facilities can provide your equipment and supplies, or have them delivered to your home.

• Medicare
• Homecare