Paperwork checklist: what a DME order usually needs (printable)

For every order

• A written order signed and dated by the treating prescriber, with the item clearly identified — and the side (left or right) for anything bilateral
• A chart note from an in-person visit that says why you need it, not just that you want it
• Your insurance card (or the plan name and member number)
• A phone number that gets answered — the most common reason a delivery fails

By category — the common extras

• CPAP / BiPAP: the sleep study, an evaluation documenting symptoms, and later the machine’s usage data plus a follow-up visit showing benefit
• Hospital bed: why an ordinary bed will not do — the positioning or elevation need, in writing
• Pressure surface: the skin risk or existing wound, with stage, site and size
• Wound dressings: wound location, type, measurements and change frequency — quantities are derived from these
• Catheters: type, size and daily frequency; a documented reason for coudé, hydrophilic or closed systems
• Ostomy: the ostomy type and the product references you are fitted to
• Enteral nutrition: why oral intake is not adequate, plus the formula, daily volume and route
• Compression / lymphedema: the diagnosis, limb measurements, and the compression class
• Wheelchair: an in-person mobility evaluation; why a cane or walker is not enough; that it can be used in your home
• Braces: joint, side and diagnosis; for post-operative braces, the procedure and the settings

A practical summary of common payer expectations — not a quotation from any coverage policy. Requirements differ between Medicare, Florida Medicaid and each commercial plan, and they change. We verify against the current policy for the patient in front of us, every time.