To my knowledge, PTANs are still issued. You still need a PTAN for the 855s form from NSC, and the contractors still ask for it as a means of identifying the supplier.
On your question regarding LLC to C Corp, I would refer you to your CPA or accountant. From limited knowledge in that area I do not think that is a problem but please check with your CPA.
Purchasing an existing DME via a stock sale is a bit of a process while the two parties legally wrangle out the terms of the sale. However, starting from scratch is a much longer process. Find the location, pass any State requirements, you must be accredited before you apply for a PTAN, etc. This can take even longer if you are not familar with all of the requirements. I do not understand why you would want to move an existing DME if you found and purchased it. If it is a viable business, you would lose the patient base by moving it. IMO, that would be the same as starting a new DME business. You have to get it established in the new area.
Not all DMEs for sale in the areas you mentioned are red flags, however, you must be knowledgable enough, or have a consultant, to review the company inside and out to determine if the company has abided by all laws and regulations.
You must treat any State requirements separately from the Federal requirements for a DME, and ususally you address the State requirements first. For example, Florida has a State License that you must obtain before you can sell one penny's worth of DME to a consumer. Once you obtain the State License, then you move to the Federal level because NSC is aware of each State's requirements and will be asking for proof that you met the State requirements.
Providers get caught on the 36 month rule when they do asset sales of their business, thinking it doesn't matter to CMS. However, any asset sale must be reported within 30 days. Personally, I do not condone asset sales unless it is absolutely necessary.
To sum up all of your questions, and if I were in your shoes, I would first be looking hard at any existing DMEs to see if they come close to what I'm looking for, even if not dead on target. I would only consider the long process of starting from scratch if I could not find an existing DME for sale. There will be many small DMEs for sale in the next couple of years because they will simply not be able to financialy survive the changes in the Medicare program.
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