Medical equipment, mobility/home safety, personal care supplies, uniforms, and remote patient monitoring hardware.
1 vendor
Equipment and supplies are an operational line item rather than a strategic decision for most home care agencies — but vendor choice affects margin, caregiver time, and (increasingly) the ability to participate in remote patient monitoring (RPM) reimbursement programs.
Caregiver uniforms and PPE (scrubs, gloves, masks, branded apparel) come from generalist medical-apparel suppliers (Medline, Cardinal Health, Uniform Advantage) and home care–branded providers. Most agencies self-supply or pass costs to caregivers; some use uniform programs to reinforce brand and safety standards. Bulk pricing matters at 50+ caregivers.
Personal care and incontinence supplies are usually billed to the client or family rather than provided by the agency, but agencies often advise on the most-trusted brands (Tena, Depend, Prevail, Attends, Medline) and may earn referral fees from DME suppliers. Programs like Medline's home care partnerships handle drop-ship to the client home.
Mobility and home safety equipment — grab bars, raised toilet seats, walkers, transfer benches, hospital beds, stair lifts — is supplied by DME providers and home modification firms. Many home care agencies don't sell this directly but partner with a local DME shop for client referrals. Hospital beds and complex DME route through Medicare DME suppliers when reimbursed.
Respiratory and clinical devices (oxygen concentrators, CPAP/BiPAP, ventilators, suction units, infusion pumps) are dispensed by Medicare-enrolled DME providers. Home care agencies coordinate around these devices but typically don't supply them.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices — connected blood pressure cuffs, scales, glucose monitors, pulse oximeters, and ambient motion sensors — are the fastest-growing slice of this category. CMS reimburses RPM and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) under specific CPT codes when a clinician (RN or higher) reviews data and bills for the time. Vendors split into hardware-first (BioIntelliSense, Tenovi, CareSimple, 100Plus, Optimize Health) and software-first (Cadence, Rimidi, Vivify Health) — most contracts bundle both.
PERS and medical alert systems (Lifeline, MobileHelp, Medical Guardian, Bay Alarm Medical, Lively) sit between consumer-direct and home care–referred sales. Agencies that operate a placement/advisory side or a private-pay client base often resell or refer PERS as an add-on service.
