Medicare Requirements for Clinitron at Home

A Clinitron is an air-fluidized bed designed to help people suffering from bed sores also called pressure ulcers. This air-fluidized therapy or AFT reduces pressures on the affected parts of the body and helps the healing process. Although Clinitron is categorized as durable medical equipment covered by Medicare, a patient needs to meet all the criteria to qualify for the air-fluidized therapy at home.

Stage Three and Four Pressure Sore

• One of the criteria for a Medicare member to qualify for air-fluidized therapy at home is to have a Stage Three or Stage Four pressure sore. It is considered Stage Three if there is a full thickness tissue loss in the wounds. It involves damage of subcutaneous tissue that may extend deeper. It is Stage Four if there is a deep tissue destruction and damage to muscle and bone. These conditions need thorough care to avoid serious infection.

Bedridden or Chair Bound

• When a patient is bedridden or chair bound, the pressure sore is harder to heal. Somebody needs to constantly change the patient's position to air out the affected parts of the body. Frequent repositioning is hard for the patient. It is doubly hard for the caregiver because the job requires constant bending and lifting. In this case, Clinitron bed will be a necessity.

Needed Treatment

• The absence of an air-fluidized bed at home would require the Medicare member to be in a facility where the needed therapy is performed. Although the air-fluidized bed is expensive, doing the therapy in the comfort of the patient's own home is the best way to go. Most elderly preferred to be treated at home.

  Medicare requires that the patient completes a conservative treatment which includes frequent repositioning, use of specialized support, wound treatment, proper nutrition, dry skin care, removal of damage tissue and cleaning of the wounds and putting a protective wound coverings. After the completion of the conservative treatment, which is usually done in 30 days, Medicare requires that the physician performs a comprehensive assessment and evaluation. If the conservative treatment did not work, the physician should send the Medicare a written request for an air-fluidized bed.

Trained Caregiver

• Medicare requires that a trained adult caregiver should be available to assist the patient with daily activities. It is the caregiver's responsibility to make sure that the patient is taking enough fluid and eating the right food and taking the medication. The caregiver should know the air-fluidized bed system and constantly check if there is any problem such as leakage or malfunction.

Monthly Evaluation

• To be able to continue the air-fluidized therapy at home, Medicare requires the attending physician to reevaluate and recertify the need for treatment on a monthly basis. If the physician's evaluation requires extended treatment, the Medicare will continue to cover cost of the air-fluidized bed.

Alternative Equipment Ruled Out

• Clinitron bed is an expensive piece of medical equipment. Medicare requires that before considering this form of therapy, the patient should try other alternative treatment first. If all the possible treatment did not work, only then that the air-fluidized therapy will be approved.