Situation · durable medical equipment
Equipment denials are paperwork denials. Paperwork can be fixed.
Durable medical equipment (DME) — wheelchairs, CPAP machines, prosthetics, oxygen, hospital beds — gets denied constantly, and almost always for documentation gaps, not because you don't need it. That makes these denials unusually winnable.
The fix
- Get the denial's real reason. Decode the code — usually "not medically necessary" (50) or "missing information" (16).
- The doctor's records win this. A face-to-face visit note describing why you need the equipment, a detailed written order, and a letter of medical necessity naming the diagnosis, the equipment, and why cheaper alternatives fail.
- CPAP users: compliance data from the machine plus your sleep study are the evidence.
- Wheelchairs: the note must show need inside the home for Medicare — a detail that sinks countless claims.
- Resubmit and appeal in parallel — a corrected claim plus a formal appeal covers both paths, and the clock stays yours.
Fight it in minutes, free
Translate your denial, draft the letter, and let AppealClock watch every deadline on the ladder. No account. Your medical details never leave your device.
Start your appeal & set your clock →Common questions
- Why was my CPAP machine denied?
- Most CPAP denials are documentation: missing sleep study, missing face-to-face notes, or missing compliance data (insurers often require proof you used it 4+ hours a night on 70% of nights in a 30-day window). Supplying the missing piece usually wins.
- Medicare denied my wheelchair. What's the trick?
- Medicare requires documented need for mobility assistance within the home. If your doctor's note emphasizes errands or outdoor use but not in-home need, it gets denied — have the note corrected and appeal.