MedServ Equipment Corp., Palatine, Ill., has acquired Miller Medical, an 11-year-old HME in Arlington Heights, Ill. According to MedServ founder Dave Beshoar, the acquisition will double MedServ's size. “With the increase in staff, delivery vehicles and warehousing space, I see a great opportunity for growth that will create a greater capacity to serve our referral sources and clients throughout the Chicagoland area,” said Beshoar, a former paramedic and firefighter. Miller Medical owner Rob Miller will remain with the company as general manager.
Walgreen Co. has completed its merger with the Delaware-based Happy Harry's pharmacy chain. The transaction includes all 76 Happy Harry's drugstores in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, and the corporate office and distribution center in Newark, Del. The company also announced that it recently completed its acquisition of Pittsburgh-based Medmark Specialty Pharmacy Solutions, a national specialty pharmacy company. Stan Blaylock will continue as president of Medmark, which will remain headquartered in Pittsburgh. Medmark provides injectibles and infusibles to patients with unique and chronic medication needs for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, organ transplants and cancer. Walgreen Co. operates 5,294 stores in 46 states and Puerto Rico with sales of $42.2 billion.
CMS is reminding Medicare DME suppliers that they are required to obtain a National Provider Identifier for every location. The only exception is if a Medicare DME supplier is a sole proprietor. Over 1 million NPIs have already been issued, the agency said, and the numbers must be used on all claims beginning May 23, 2007 (small health plans will have an additional year to comply). CMS will host a national NPI Roundtable for all health care professionals on Sept. 26th from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. To participate, call 877/203-0044, and use passcode 4795739. For more information on NPIs, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/npi.
Effective Oct. 1, Medicare will only generate Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant Electronic Remittance Advice transactions. Current figures indicate that 99 percent of all providers and other entities that receive the ERA on behalf of providers are receiving a HIPAA compliant ERA format. Further, the overall compliance rate for all Medicare providers in May 2006 was 96 percent.
The brochure “The Medicare Appeals Process: Five Levels to Protect Providers, Physicians and Other Suppliers” is now available on the Medicare Learning Network page. The brochure provides an overview of the Medicare Part A and Part B administrative appeals process for those who provide services and supplies to Medicare beneficiaries. To view the document, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles.
