Worldwide Medical

Worldwide Medical provides quality individualized home healthcare solutions throughout the tri-state area and across the country. Our full-service capabilities, staff and dedication to customer satisfaction have made us a leading independent, nationwide distributor of durable medical equipment and supplies (DME). Worldwide Medical offers a full range of home medical equipment therapies and services.   Whether your needs are incontinence supplies or complex power wheelchairs, we are an one stop shop for all of your medical equipment and supply needs. Our staff works with both the patient and the caregiver, evaluates the home environment and provides the appropriate equipment as directed by the doctor’s treatment. Patients and their caregivers receive not only equipment, but caring support from our staff. We provide quality care and products in a comfortable and professional setting, and we offer educational information to help you come to a better understanding of your condition and recovery. We welcome the opportunity to be your gateway to independence at home, work, school or play.

Living with a medical condition or recovering from an injury or surgery can be a daunting experience. Searching for products to assist with recovery can be even more frustrating. Because of this, our trained and experienced staff will help you find the right solution for managing your condition and regaining your independence. Our ongoing self-monitoring and evaluation process ensures continual improvement in the homecare experience.

Worldwide Medical is an approved provider for most major insurance companies, including Medicare, Wellcare, United Healthcare Plans, Missouri and Iowa Medicaid, Missouri Care and Aetna. We are accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP).

Medicare insured?

Worldwide Medical accepts Medicare assignment, which means you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B deductible applies. Medicare pays for different kinds of DME in different ways. Depending on the type of equipment, you may need to rent the equipment, you may need to buy the equipment, or you may be able to choose whether to rent or buy the equipment. Either way, our staff are readily available to assist you through the process.

Medicare will only cover your DME if your doctors and DME suppliers are enrolled in Medicare. Doctors and suppliers have to meet strict standards to enroll and stay enrolled in Medicare. If your doctors or suppliers aren’t enrolled, Medicare won’t pay the claims submitted by them. It’s also important to ask your suppliers if they participate in Medicare before you get DME.

Competitive Bidding Program

If you live in or visit certain areas, you may be affected by Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program. If you have Original Medicare and get competitively bid equipment and supplies in competitive bidding areas, Medicare may only help pay for these equipment and supplies if they’re provided by contract suppliers. Contract suppliers can’t charge you more than the 20% coinsurance and any unmet yearly deductible for any equipment or supplies included in the Competitive Bidding Program.

To find out how much your specific test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or other health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like other insurance you may have, how much your doctor charges, whether your doctor accepts assignment, the type of facility, and the location where you get your test, item, or service.

Medicare Supplier Standards

Below we have posted the Medicare Supplier Standards. Please note that this is an abbreviated version of the supplier standards every Medicare supplier must meet in order to obtain and retain its billing privileges. These standards, in their entirety, are listed in 42 C.F.R. 424.57(c).

Medicare Supplier Standards

1. A supplier must be in compliance with all applicable Federal and State licensure and regulatory requirements and cannot contract with an individual or entity to provide licensed services.
2. A supplier must provide complete and accurate information on the DMEPOS supplier application. Any changes to this information must be reported to the National Supplier Clearinghouse within 30 days.
3. An authorized individual (one whose signature is binding) must sign the application for billing privileges.
4. A supplier must fill orders from its own inventory, or must contract with other companies for the purchase of items necessary to fill the order. A supplier may not contract with any entity that is currently excluded from the Medicare program, any State health care programs, or from any other Federal procurement or non-procurement programs.
5. A supplier must advise beneficiaries that they may rent or purchase inexpensive or routinely purchased durable medical equipment, and of the purchase option for capped rental equipment.
6. A supplier must notify beneficiaries of warranty coverage and honor all warranties under applicable State law, and repair or replace free of charge Medicare covered items that are under warranty.
7. A supplier must maintain a physical facility on an appropriate site. This standard requires that the location is accessible to the public and staffed during posted hours of business. The location must be at least 200 square feet and contain space for storing records.
8. A supplier must permit CMS, or its agents to conduct on-site inspections to ascertain the supplier’s compliance with these standards. The supplier location must be accessible to beneficiaries during reasonable business hours, and must maintain a visible sign and posted hours of operation.
9. A supplier must maintain a primary business telephone listed under the name of the business in a local directory or a toll free number available through directory assistance. The exclusive use of a beeper, answering machine, answering service, or cell phone during posted business hours is prohibited.
10. A supplier must have comprehensive liability insurance in the amount of at least $300,000 that covers both the supplier’s place of business and all customers and employees of the supplier. If the supplier manufactures its own items, this insurance must also cover product liability and completed operations.
11. A supplier must agree not to initiate telephone contact with beneficiaries, with a few exceptions allowed. This standard prohibits suppliers from contacting a Medicare beneficiary based on a physician’s oral order unless an exception applies.
12. A supplier is responsible for delivery and must instruct beneficiaries on use of Medicare covered items, and maintain proof of delivery.
13. A supplier must answer questions and respond to complaints of beneficiaries, and maintain documentation of such contacts.
14. A supplier must maintain and replace at no charge or repair directly, or through a service contract with another company, Medicare-covered items it has rented to beneficiaries.
15. A supplier must accept returns of substandard (less than full quality for the particular item) or unsuitable items (inappropriate for the beneficiary at the time it was fitted and rented or sold) from beneficiaries.
16. A supplier must disclose these supplier standards to each beneficiary to whom it supplies a Medicare-covered item.
17. A supplier must disclose to the government any person having an ownership, financial, or control interest in the supplier.
18. A supplier must not convey or reassign a supplier number; i.e., the supplier may not sell or allow another entity to use its Medicare billing number.
19. A supplier must have a complaint resolution protocol established to address beneficiary complaints that relate to these standards. A record of these complaints must be maintained at the physical facility.
20. Complaint records must include: the name, address, telephone number, and health insurance claim number of the beneficiary, a summary of the complaint, and any actions taken to resolve it.
21. A supplier must agree to furnish CMS any information required by the Medicare statute and implementing regulations.
22. All suppliers must be accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization in order to receive and retain a supplier billing number. The accreditation must indicate the specific products and services, for which the supplier is accredited in order for the supplier to receive payment of those specific products and services (except for certain exempt pharmaceuticals).
23. All suppliers must notify their accreditation organization when a new DMEPOS location is opened.
24. All supplier locations, whether owned or subcontracted, must meet the DMEPOS quality standards and be separately accredited in order to bill Medicare.
25. All suppliers must disclose upon enrollment all products and services, including the addition of new product lines for which they are seeking accreditation.
26. All suppliers must meet the surety bond requirements specified in 42 C.F.R. 424.57(c).
27. A supplier must obtain oxygen from a state-licensed oxygen supplier.
28. A supplier must maintain ordering and referring documentation consistent with provisions found in 42 C.F.R. 424.516(f).
29. DMEPOS suppliers are prohibited from sharing a practice location with certain other Medicare providers and suppliers.
30. DMEPOS suppliers must remain open to the public for a minimum of 30 hours per week with certain exceptions.