Ostomy supply companies

An ostomy supply company is the business that gets pouches, barriers and accessories from the manufacturer to your front door, and that bills your insurance or dispenses your prescription along the way. Choosing well matters more than most people expect: the supplier decides how reliably supplies arrive, how much paperwork you deal with, and in the United States how much of the bill lands on you.

This guide explains the difference between a manufacturer and a supplier, how ostomy supplies are paid for in the US and the UK, what separates a good supply company from a poor one, and how the main companies compare.

Freshness check, September 2026 — we re-confirmed every company detail and link in this guide.

Manufacturer or supplier? The distinction that confuses everyone

These are two different businesses, and searches for “best ostomy company” collapse them together.

• Manufacturers design and make the pouching systems. The three global majors are Coloplast, Hollister and ConvaTec. They decide what a barrier is made of and how a pouch is shaped. They generally do not handle your insurance.
• Suppliers (also called distributors, dealers, or in the UK dispensing appliance contractors) hold stock from all the manufacturers, take your prescription, bill your insurance or the NHS, and ship to you.

You choose a manufacturer for how the product performs on your skin. You choose a supplier for service, coverage and reliability. Changing one does not require changing the other.

How ostomy supplies are paid for

In the United States

Ostomy supplies are covered under Medicare Part B as prosthetic devices. Medicare pays 80 percent of the approved amount after the annual Part B deductible, and the remaining 20 percent falls to you unless you hold supplemental cover or Medicaid. Most private insurers cover ostomy supplies too, under durable medical equipment or prosthetics, with their own quantity limits.

Two questions decide most of the cost:

1. Does the supplier accept Medicare assignment? A supplier who does cannot charge more than the Medicare-approved amount. A supplier who does not can.
2. Is the supplier in-network for your plan? Out-of-network suppliers can leave a much larger share with you even when the item itself is covered.

In the United Kingdom

Stoma appliances are dispensed on NHS prescription, and prescriptions for people with a permanent stoma are exempt from the prescription charge. Supplies are delivered free of charge by a dispensing appliance contractor. Because price is not a variable, the UK choice is purely about service: delivery reliability, cut-to-fit accuracy, out-of-hours support and the quality of the stoma nurse helpline.

What separates a good ostomy supply company from a poor one

The complaints ostomates make about suppliers are remarkably consistent, and they are almost never about the products:

• Billing accuracy. The most common serious complaint across every large distributor is billing: charges appearing after insurance has already paid, disputes that take months, or invoices for amounts the customer does not owe.
• Delivery timing. A supplier that ships only after you call is materially worse than one that tracks your wear schedule and arrives before you run out.
• Emergency supply. Leaks and hospital stays do not wait for the next cycle. Whether a company will overnight an emergency order, and whether it charges for that, is worth asking before you sign up.
• Catalogue depth. Smaller suppliers often give better service but cannot always stock every product code. If you use an unusual convexity, a specific barrier ring, or a paediatric size, check availability first.
• Nurse access. The better companies employ stoma care nurses you can actually speak to, which matters far more in the first year than any discount.

How the main US ostomy supply companies compare

Supplier	Covers	Stands out for
Byram Healthcare	Medicare participating provider; contracted with around 90 percent of commercial plans	The widest national insurance reach, with online and app reordering
180 Medical	Medicare contracted and ACHC accredited; most state Medicaid plans and a wide range of private insurers	Personal service and proactive reordering; the most consistently praised on service
Comfort Medical	Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance	Direct home delivery with reordering online, by phone or by text
The Parthenon Company	Direct purchase; family owned and operating since 1961	The deepest catalogue of hard-to-find accessories and deodorants, including its own products
Edgepark	Medicare and most major insurers	Monthly supply packs and automatic scheduled delivery

Top ostomy supply companies by category

Different priorities point to different suppliers. These are the category picks.

Best overall for insurance coverage: Byram Healthcare

A national distributor that is a Medicare participating provider and contracted with roughly 90 percent of commercial insurance plans. If the main worry is whether a supplier will take your particular plan, Byram is the one most likely to say yes, and reordering is handled online or through its app.

Best for customer service: 180 Medical

Accredited by ACHC and contracted with Medicare, most state Medicaid plans and a wide range of private insurers. It is the company ostomates most consistently name for service: proactive reordering before supplies run out, and a reputation for shipping emergency supplies quickly. The trade-off is a smaller catalogue than the largest national distributors, so check your exact product codes are stocked.

Best for Medicare Part B home delivery: Comfort Medical

Covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance, with supplies delivered directly to the door and reordering possible online, by phone or by text message. A straightforward choice for someone on Part B who wants delivery handled without much involvement.

Best for hard-to-find accessories: The Parthenon Company

A family-owned nationwide distributor and manufacturer operating since 1961, and the strongest option when the item you need is unusual. Alongside the standard catalogue it makes its own accessory range, including internal and pouch deodorants and absorbent gel packets, which the larger distributors do not always carry.

Best for automatic monthly delivery: Edgepark

A home delivery specialist built around monthly supply packs on an automatic schedule, covered by Medicare and most major insurers. Reviews of its billing are mixed, so it suits people who want a hands-off delivery cycle and are willing to check statements.

Best for buying without insurance

Where insurance is not involved, or an item is not reimbursable, buying direct is often cheaper and always faster than a claim. The Parthenon Company and other direct retailers ship without a prescription for cash purchase, which is the usual route for accessories, deodorants and anything the plan will not cover.

Top ostomy supply companies in the United Kingdom

UK suppliers are dispensing appliance contractors: they collect the prescription, dispense it and deliver free of charge, so the differences are entirely in service.

Charter (Coloplast)

The UK’s largest home delivery service for prescription ostomy and continence products, handling prescription collection and delivery to the door.

SecuriCare

An award-winning delivery service that dispenses all brands of prescription products free of charge to any UK address, with a stoma care nurse team.

Amcare (ConvaTec)

Has served the stoma and continence community for more than 30 years, with the backing of a major manufacturer.

Fittleworth

One of the largest UK dispensing appliance contractors, widely used for cut-to-fit dispensing and nationwide delivery.

Bullen Healthcare

A fourth-generation family business established in 1858, and one of the longest-standing UK home delivery companies for stoma, urology and wound care.

Where ostomy supply companies stop

This is the gap most people discover a few months after surgery. Supply companies are organised around the items insurance reimburses: pouches, barriers, and the accessories that go with them such as paste, powder, barrier rings and adhesive remover.

What they rarely carry well is the clothing and support layer — belts, wraps, ostomy underwear and swimwear. These are generally not reimbursable, sit outside standard product catalogues, and come instead from specialist brands. It is why a person can have a perfectly good supplier and still have no idea where to buy a belt that fits.

If that is the gap you are trying to fill, these guides cover it:

• Ostomy belts compared — support, hernia and sport belts
• Ostomy wraps compared — everyday, intimacy and activity wraps
• Ostomy underwear compared — high-waist briefs, knickers and men’s boxers
• Ostomy swimwear compared — swimsuits, trunks and separates
• Ostomy bag covers compared — odour, style and protection
• Stoma protectors compared — guards and shields

And for the items the supplier does carry:

• Ostomy bags and pouches compared — barriers, convexity and why pouches leak
• Barrier rings, pastes and adhesive removers — the accessories that make a seal hold
• Ostomy odour control compared — deodorants, lubricants and pancaking

Choosing a supplier: a short checklist

Before committing to any ostomy supply company, confirm:

1. They accept your insurance, and in the US that they accept Medicare assignment
2. They stock your exact product codes, not just the brand
3. They will send samples before you change a whole month’s order
4. They ship before you run out, rather than after you call
5. They can supply an emergency order, and what that costs
6. You can reach a stoma care nurse when something goes wrong

The bottom line

The supplier is the part of ostomy care most people put least thought into and then regret. Manufacturers decide how the product performs; suppliers decide whether it turns up. In the United States the decision is dominated by insurance: check Medicare assignment and network status first, then judge on service. In the United Kingdom the products are free on prescription, so service is the only variable that matters.

And whichever supplier you choose, expect to buy the clothing and support layer somewhere else. That is not a failing of the supplier — it is simply outside what the reimbursement system pays for.