Commonwealth Home Health Care serves patients throughout Virginia and portions of North Carolina. Offices are located in Danville, Virginia (home office and headquarters) and Salem, Virginia. Personnel and inventory are strategically located to benefit our patients with timely response.
Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am-6pm and Saturday 8am-1pm. CHHC have trained personnel on-call and available emergency 24/7/365
Commonwealth employs licensed respiratory practitioners who are available to monitor and evaluate individual needs – meaning improved patient outcomes for you. CHHC also has the ability to offer home oxygen qualification studies through an independent testing facility – with the results sent directly to the ordering physician.
Yes! Our billing specialist will work with your insurance company and your doctor to process the transactions efficiently.
A Dispensing Order written by the treating physician must be sent to us before an item can be supplied. Some items require a Detailed Written Order (DWO) prior to delivery or a Certificate of Medical Necessity (CMN).
A Dispensing Order (prescription) must include:
A Written Order must include:
Medicare Part B helps pay for durable medical equipment, including:
Durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, are covered only when prescribed by a doctor and the coverage criteria is meet. For most of the above equipment there are specific criteria that must be met. Please call to understand the criteria for Medicare coverage.
Medicare will pay for the rental of the equipment for 13 continuous months of use with the exclusion of oxygen equipment which rents for 36 months. After Medicare has paid for 13 months of continuous use on capped rental equipment, the supplier shall transfer the title to the beneficiary. Oxygen equipment does not transfer title to the beneficiary and the supplier is required to maintain the equipment until the 60th month under Medicare guidelines. After the 60th month the beneficiary can opt for new equipment and a new 36 month rental period begins.
Medicare considers hospital beds as a "capped rental" item. This means that Medicare will rent the bed for 13 monthly payments after which it will "cap out" and the beneficiary will own the bed. Medicare does not consider a full-Electric Hospital bed, deluxe bed, or a luxury bed to be medically necessary. If your physician feels a hospital bed is medically necessary, they must chart in the patient notes that they feel it is necessary and the reason why it is necessary verses a traditional bed.
Medicare considers wheelchairs as a "capped rental" item. This means that Medicare will rent the wheelchair for 13 monthly payments after which it will "cap out" and the beneficiary will own the wheelchair. Medicare does not consider a lightweight, ultra-lightweight, heavy duty, or modified chair medically necessary without doctors notes that support the medical need for such add-ons. If your physician feels a wheelchair is medically necessary, they must chart in the patient notes that they feel it is necessary and the reason why it is necessary verses a cane, walker or crutch.
Oxygen Concentrators, CPAP and other respiratory products are Capped Rentals thru Medicare. These items are also considered capped rental items and have specific criteria for coverage:
Home medical equipment must be appropriate for use in the home. Your "home" is your house, assisted living facility, apartment, a relative's home, or a group home in which you live. However, certain facility's are not considered home: a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or nursing facility.
Medicare will allow a walker/rollator every 5 years with documentation that the current walker is unusable.
A power wheelchair may be covered when all of the following criteria are met:
A patient who requires a power wheelchair usually is totally non-ambulatory and has severe weakness of the upper extremities due to a neurological or muscular disease/condition. If the documentation does not support the medical necessity of a power wheelchair it will be denied as not medically necessary. For the correct steps to see if you qualify a power wheelchair please call us for a free guide.
A power operated vehicle (POV) or scooter is covered when all of the following criteria are met:
Most POVs are ordered for patients who are capable of ambulation within the home but require a power vehicle for movement outside the home. POVs will be denied as not medically necessary in these circumstances. A POV that is beneficial primarily in allowing the patient to perform leisure or recreational activities will be denied as not medically necessary.
Only the seat lift mechanism on a lift chair could be considered medically necessary if all of the following coverage criteria are met:
Coverage is limited to the seat lift mechanism, even if it is incorporated into a chair. The Medicare allowable for a Seat-lift Mechanism is approximately $340.00
Medicare does not reimburse nor authorize the purchase of a lift for a wheelchair or scooter at this time. Such items are typically not considered a medical necessity because they can also be used by persons without a medical condition. Don't forget, Medicare covers items needed "inside" the residence.
After you have met your deductible, you're still responsible for paying directly, or through supplemental insurance, at least 20 percent of the Medicare approved amount. This co-payment may not be dropped by the supplier except in hardship situations and only on a case-by-case basis. A supplier who routinely drops the co-payment may be violating federal law.
Medicare does NOT cover bath safety items. Medicare coverage stops at the bathroom door.
National Alliance for Caregiving - offers a variety of materials to support family caregivers, such as booklets and tip sheets. Topics include General Caregiving, Finances and Work, Caregiver Health, Care Recipient Health, and Military Families.
AARP's Caregiving Resource Center - Get checklists and tools to help you and your loved ones in your caregiving journey.
Medicare's Caregiver Resources - Get resources, stories, and newsletters about taking care of someone with Medicare.
Helpguide.org - Tips to help make the caregiving process easier and more pleasurable for both you and your loved one.
Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver's Center - Learn about care and behaviors at all stages, and planning for the future, plus get community support.