Posted 11/23/2015 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
You can always order a month's supply at a time. You do not need to order a 3 month supply at a time.
As a general rule, Medicare guidelines:
If you use closed-ended pouches, you are allowed 60 pouches a month.
If you use drainable pouches, you are allowed 20 pouches a month + 20 flanges a month.
Accessory products (barrier rings, adhesive remover pads, stoma powder, et. al) also have allowable amounts.
If you have a particular need for additional amounts, your MD can write a letter of medical necessity.
On occasion, I pay out-of-pocket for a box of pouches or Ekin seals. The insurance allowable is not always adequate to see me through a given month.
You need not use only one particular brand or product. I use both the Coloplast Mio and StomaCure (UK/England-based ostomy products), and order each through Byram Healthcare. I find that alternating products keeps my skin from developing a sensitivity to the wafer composite material.
Your ostomy supply provider should be able to tell you your particular product allowables provided by your particular insurance plan - be it a private insurance policy, Obamacare market exchange policy, employer-based policy, Medicare, or MediCaid.
- Karen -