Hospice DME: What Equipment & Supplies Are Typically Covered?

When a family member is admitted to hospice, one of the first questions is practical: what equipment will the hospice provide, and who pays for it? The answer is usually simpler than people expect — Medicare-certified hospice agencies cover almost all DME and medical supplies related to the terminal illness, at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. But the “related to” part is where coverage decisions actually get made.

This guide is for families, social workers, hospital discharge planners, hospice intake coordinators, and anyone trying to understand what hospice DME coverage actually means in practice. It is informational, not legal or billing advice — specifics vary by hospice, by patient diagnosis, and by Medicare contractor.

How hospice DME coverage works

Under the Medicare hospice benefit (the same benefit most commercial hospice plans mirror), the hospice agency is paid a per-diem rate to provide all care related to the patient’s terminal diagnosis. That includes:

• Nursing and aide visits
• Medications related to the terminal illness
• Durable medical equipment (DME)
• Medical supplies
• Chaplain and social work support
• Bereavement services for the family

The hospice agency contracts with a DME provider (often called a hospice DME company or hospice DME delivery partner) to physically deliver, set up, maintain, and pick up the equipment. The patient and family don’t pay the DME company directly — the hospice agency does, out of their per-diem.

The catch: the equipment must be related to the patient’s terminal illness, or to maintaining comfort and safety as the illness progresses. Equipment for unrelated conditions (an unrelated injury, a chronic condition that’s not the terminal diagnosis) may not be covered under the hospice benefit and may need to go through traditional Medicare Part B instead.

Typical durable medical equipment (DME) in hospice

The list below is what most hospice agencies routinely provide. Specifics vary, but if a patient on hospice needs any of these, the answer is almost always yes.

Hospital bed

An electric semi-electric or full-electric hospital bed is one of the most common hospice DME items. Hospital beds adjust head and foot height, which helps with breathing, swallowing, pressure relief, and caregiver back-strain. Standard-width beds and bariatric beds are available.

Pressure-relief mattress

For patients at risk of pressure ulcers (most bed-bound hospice patients), the hospital bed comes with a pressure-relief mattress. Options range from foam mattresses to alternating-pressure air mattresses depending on the patient’s skin risk.

Oxygen concentrator

For patients with breathing difficulty, a stationary oxygen concentrator provides continuous oxygen. Portable oxygen concentrators or oxygen cylinders are available for patients who can leave the home or who experience oxygen drops on movement. The hospice nurse adjusts flow rate as the patient’s condition changes.

Wheelchair

Standard wheelchairs, transport chairs, and (in some cases) reclining wheelchairs are provided when a patient still has mobility but cannot walk safely or far. Wheelchair cushions for pressure relief are typically included.

Bedside commode

A bedside commode keeps the patient near the bed when bathroom trips become difficult or unsafe. Drop-arm commodes are available for patients who need transfer assistance.

Walker, cane, or rollator

Early in hospice, patients may still be ambulatory. Walkers, four-wheel rollators, and canes are provided as needed. As the patient declines, these are usually swapped for a wheelchair.

Patient lift (Hoyer lift)

When a patient becomes bed-bound and family caregivers can’t safely transfer them, a Hoyer lift (also called a patient lift or mechanical lift) is provided. Sling sizes are matched to the patient.

Suction machine

For patients with secretion management issues, a portable suction machine clears the airway. Hospice nurses train the family on use.

Nebulizer

For patients with respiratory conditions, a nebulizer delivers medication directly to the lungs. The hospice agency provides the machine and the medications it dispenses.

Specialty items as needed

Less common but available when indicated: enteral feeding pumps (tube feeding), continuous IV infusion pumps, cooling blankets, geriatric chairs with trays, and ramps or grab bars for temporary mobility assistance.

Typical medical supplies in hospice

Supplies are consumable items the patient or caregivers use up. Hospice provides routine supplies related to the terminal illness.

Incontinence supplies

Adult briefs (diapers), pull-ups, underpads (chux), and skin-protectant creams. Hospice agencies typically supply these in cases of multiple cases per month for bed-bound patients.

Wound care supplies

Gauze, transparent film dressings, foam dressings, hydrocolloid dressings, saline wash, tape, and gloves. Patients with pressure ulcers or surgical wounds typically need a regular wound-care supply order.

Ostomy supplies

For patients with colostomies, ileostomies, or urostomies: pouches, flanges, wafers, adhesive removers, and barrier rings.

Catheter supplies

Foley catheter kits, leg bags, night drainage bags, irrigation supplies, and securement devices for patients who require indwelling catheterization.

Personal care supplies

Bed pads, wash cloths, no-rinse cleansing wipes, mouth swabs, and skin moisturizers used in daily patient care.

Oxygen accessories

Nasal cannulas, oxygen tubing, humidifier bottles, and filters — the consumables that go with the oxygen concentrator.

Suction supplies

Suction catheters, canisters, and tubing for patients with secretion management needs.

Gloves and PPE

Nitrile or latex-free exam gloves for caregivers and clinical staff.

What hospice DME does not typically cover

This is where confusion is most common. The following are usually not covered by the hospice benefit:

• Equipment for unrelated conditions. If the patient’s terminal diagnosis is cancer, a CPAP for unrelated sleep apnea may need to go through Medicare Part B, not hospice.
• Home modifications. Bathroom remodels, stair lifts, permanent ramps, and other structural changes to the home.
• Comfort items. Specialty pillows, recliners, lift chairs (Medicare may cover the lift mechanism portion separately, but not the chair itself in most hospice cases).
• Personal care products. Shampoo, lotion, hairbrushes, and other non-medical personal items.
• Family caregiver supplies. Caregiver-only items like back braces or sleep cots for the family member staying overnight.
• Experimental equipment. Items not commonly used in hospice practice or not on the hospice’s formulary.

Each hospice agency has some flexibility in what they cover beyond the minimums, so it’s always worth asking.

How the DME delivery process actually works

Most families never see this part, but understanding it helps set expectations.

1. The hospice nurse identifies a need. “Patient needs a hospital bed by tomorrow morning.”
2. The hospice intake or clinical lead places an order with the hospice’s contracted DME provider, often through an online ordering portal.
3. The DME provider schedules a delivery, usually same-day for STAT items, next-day for routine items.
4. A delivery driver brings the equipment to the patient’s home, nursing facility, or assisted-living residence. The driver typically sets up the bed, demonstrates the oxygen concentrator, or instructs the family on use.
5. The driver captures proof of delivery — usually a digital signature from the family or facility, sometimes a photo of the equipment in place. This documentation is what the hospice agency relies on for billing and audits.
6. Maintenance happens periodically for rental equipment — the hospital bed gets safety-checked, the concentrator gets filter swaps and maintenance.
7. When the patient is discharged or passes, the hospice notifies the DME provider, who schedules an equipment pickup. Recoverable equipment is cleaned, sanitized, and returned to inventory for the next patient.

What patients and families can expect

• You should not be billed by the DME company directly. All charges go to the hospice agency. If you receive a DME bill, contact your hospice immediately.
• Delivery should be prompt. Routine items within 24-48 hours; STAT items the same day, often within a few hours.
• The driver should explain the equipment and answer caregiver questions before leaving.
• You can ask for changes. If the wheelchair doesn’t fit, the bed mattress is uncomfortable, or the oxygen tubing is too short, call the hospice and request a swap.
• You don’t own the equipment. Most hospice DME is rented from the DME provider. At discharge or after death, the equipment is picked up and returned. Don’t throw it away — the family is sometimes asked to set it aside for pickup.

For hospice agencies: the operational side

If you’re a hospice administrator reading this, the visible patient-side coverage is only half the story. The other half is the operational machinery: ordering systems, per-agency rate sheets with your DME vendor, proof-of-delivery records you can produce at audit, approval thresholds for high-dollar items, pickup workflows that recover equipment before the rental clock keeps ticking, and reporting that lets you reconcile your DME invoice against your census.

The hospice agencies with the smoothest DME operations are the ones whose DME vendor runs on modern software — not phones and faxes. See what hospice-aware DME software looks like →

Quick-reference summary

Typically covered: hospital bed, pressure-relief mattress, oxygen concentrator and accessories, wheelchair, bedside commode, walker/rollator, Hoyer lift, suction machine, nebulizer, incontinence supplies, wound care supplies, ostomy supplies, catheter supplies, personal care supplies.

Typically not covered: equipment for unrelated medical conditions, home modifications, comfort or convenience items not medical in nature, family caregiver products.

Cost to family: in nearly all cases, $0 out-of-pocket for hospice-related DME and supplies under the Medicare hospice benefit.