How to Get a Wheelchair for a Geriatric Patient

Obtaining a wheelchair can be as fast and easy as any online purchase if you don't mind paying the entire cost, which can start at $400 for a manual and go up to $900 for a motorized scooter. If you want to have your wheelchair subsidized, you will need to have your geriatric patient evaluated by a doctor to determine her needs. This process can be done by any Medicare-approved doctor and should be relatively quick and painless.

Instructions

• 1

  Talk to Medicare to find out how much of the wheelchair they are willing to cover for your patient and to obtain a list of approved doctors in your area. In most cases, Medicare will pay for 80 percent of the wheelchair cost. Their hotline is 1-800-MEDICARE. Ask how you should submit your papers after the physical exam because some doctor's offices will do it for you, while others require that you send it in yourself.

• 2

  Make an appointment with a Medicare-approved doctor for a wheelchair evaluation. The doctor will check to see if you have a condition that requires a wheelchair, such as a brain, spinal or muscle condition, upper body weakness, or if you are bed-ridden without it.

• 3

  Obtain a prescription from the doctor with his observations from your physical exam and note of approval for you to get a wheelchair. Make sure he fills out the specific Medicare forms that pertain to wheelchair approval as well.

• 4

  Submit your papers to Medicare by following the instructions they told you when you called the hotline.

• 5

  Wait for Medicare's approval of your wheelchair purchase and then buy the wheelchair of your choice. Pay the first 20 percent and in some cases, your health insurance deductible fee, and then submit the receipt to Medicare to be reimbursed for the rest.