Getting a wheelchair, mobility aid or orthosis in Spain

Key rules

• Prescription: Only a public-system specialist's prescription normally counts for funding; private prescriptions generally do not.
• Supplier: Buy only from an authorised ortopedia, and ask your regional health service which ones you can use.
• Region: Which items a GP may prescribe, and whether approval or a refund claim applies, depends on your region.
• Invoice: Keep the invoice from the authorised supplier if you have to claim a refund.

You need a specialist prescription and an authorised supplier

To get public money towards a wheelchair or an orthosis, you need two things. The first is a prescription from a specialist in the public health system. The second is an authorised supplier. A private doctor's prescription is generally not valid for public funding.

The rules differ by region, so the details below show the usual route. Your regional health service has the final say on its own procedure.

Who prescribes

Start with your GP. For most items, the GP does not prescribe but refers you to the right public-system specialist.

• Wheelchairs and mobility aids: usually a rehabilitation (physical medicine) doctor. Depending on your region and case, it can also be traumatology, orthopaedics, neurology or geriatrics.
• Custom orthoses, prostheses and orthopaedic footwear: rehabilitation, traumatology or orthopaedic surgery.
• Other items: ophthalmology for some visual items, ENT for hearing items, and vascular surgery or another relevant specialist for compression items.

Some regions let a GP or paediatrician prescribe simple, low-cost items, such as walking sticks, crutches, simple walkers and some basic orthoses. Ask your GP whether your region allows this for the item you need.

Choose an authorised supplier

The item must come from an ortopedia with sanitary authorisation and a qualified technician, listed in the regional register. Many regions also require the supplier to be registered or contracted with the regional health service, or to meet its prices and conditions.

Ask your regional health service for its list of suppliers before you order anything.

Approval, payment and fitting

1. Approval. For some items, the health service must approve the request before the item is made or supplied. Ask the prescriber or the regional health service.
2. Supply. You take the prescription to the supplier. For a custom item, the supplier measures you, makes the item and fits it.
3. Payment. In some regions the supplier bills the health service directly, and only contracted suppliers can do this. In others you pay first and claim a refund. For a refund you need the invoice from the authorised establishment, so keep it.
4. Your share. You pay any part the public contribution does not cover.
5. Final fit. The prescriber or the supplier checks the fit. Some regions also require a follow-up visit.

The checklist below walks through these steps in order, and the FAQ answers common questions.

If you pay privately

You can buy from any supplier without a prescription. But a private prescription or an unauthorised supplier will generally mean no public contribution. If you want funding, use the public route first.

Checklist

• Ask your GP to refer you to the right public-system specialist, such as rehabilitation, traumatology or orthopaedics.

• Get the specialist's prescription for the wheelchair, mobility aid or custom orthosis, since a private prescription is generally not valid for funding.

• Ask your regional health service whether the item needs its approval before it is made or supplied.

• Choose an authorised orthopaedic supplier (an ortopedia with sanitary authorisation and a qualified technician) from your regional health service's list.

• Check whether your region lets the supplier bill the health service directly or whether you pay first and claim a refund.

• Pay any share the public contribution does not cover.

• Have the prescriber or supplier check the final fit, and ask whether your region requires a follow-up.

Frequently asked questions

Can my GP prescribe a wheelchair or walking aid?

Usually not for a wheelchair, but a GP may prescribe basic aids such as walking sticks, crutches and simple walkers in some regions. For a wheelchair, your GP normally refers you to a specialist, often a rehabilitation doctor, who assesses your need and issues the prescription.

Does a private doctor's prescription count for public funding?

No, a private prescription is generally not valid for public funding. To get a contribution, you need a prescription from a specialist in the public health service, so ask your GP to refer you.

How do I find out which orthopaedic suppliers I can use?

Ask your regional health service for its list of suppliers. Some regions only let contracted suppliers bill the health service directly. In refund systems, you pay first and claim back with an invoice from an authorised establishment.

Who checks the fit of a custom orthosis once it is made?

The prescriber or the supplier checks the final fit of the item.