In brief: Start using NPIs, Drive settles

BALTIMORE - Starting March 1, claims without a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number will not be paid, CMS warned recently. Claims with both an NPI and a Medicare legacy number will be rejected if the pair is not found on Medicare's NPI crosswalk. Providers who have been successfully submitting claims with both numbers should submit a few test claims with just their NPI. Now is also a good time to correct any crosswalk data that may prevent successful claims submission. Drive settles dispute with Sharps HOUSTON - Sharps Compliance and Drive Medical settled a patent dispute in January related to Sharps Pitch-It IV poles. In conjunction with the settlement, Drive will be the exclusive manufacturer and Sharps will be the exclusive seller of the poles. The adjustable, lightweight poles come in three sizes and have been on the market for eight years. Dr. Burton Kunik, Sharps' chairman, CEO and president commented, "We look forward to a successful relationship with Drive Medical whereby we can leverage their metal manufacturing expertise with our customer base and ability to sell the product across many industries including home healthcare." Court upholds Shoprider patent TAIWAN - Pihsiang, Shoprider's parent company, won a patent infringement case against C.T.M. in December. The Taiwan High Court pronounced that Pihsiang won its case Dec.11, 2007. As a result, C.T.M. cannot manufacturer, sell, use or import two scooter models (HS-580 and HS-686), which the court ruled infringe on a Shoprider patent. RemitData picks up some serious cash MEMPHIS, Tenn, - A group of equity investors like RemitData's ability to help providers minimize claims denials so much that in January they invested $5 million in the company. To date, RemitDATA has been funded by its principals, Bently Goodwin and Michael Sanderson. The minority equity investors are Noro-Moseley Partners and SSM Partners, RemitData reported in early February. Jane Bunch says adios to CareCentric ATLANTA - Industry billing icon Jane Bunch has left CareCentric to run her own consulting and speaking business, CareCentric reported Jan. 31. Bunch joined CareCentric, an HME software vendor, in 2005, when the company acquired her business, Jane's Billing & Consulting Services.