What is Medicares coverage criteria for motorized or power wheelchairs?
A. Medicare does rent and will pay for a manual wheelchair, Medicare will on occasion, pay for a motorized unit as well. Although it is not guaranteed that you will qualify or be reimbursed by Medicare, whether you personally lay out the price for one, or are looking for Medicare to purchase one for you, we can give you some guidelines to follow and the basic criteria that must be met in order for Medicare to either reimburse or authorize payment for a motorized unit. A power wheelchair is covered when all of the following criteria are met: • The patient s condition is such that without the use of a wheelchair the patient would otherwise be bed or chair confined. • The patient s condition is such that a wheelchair is medically necessary and the patient is unable to operate a wheelchair manually. • The patient is capable of safely operating the controls for the power wheelchair. A patient who requires a power wheelchair usually is totally non-ambulatory and has severe weakness of the up
