Key to MSC’s growth? Value

CLEVELAND – With Medical Service Company’s latest acquisition under his belt, Josh Marx says it’s been a busy first year as CEO. 

In March, the company acquired OhioHealth Home Medical Equipment in central Ohio. 

“It’s been a really exciting and busy time for the organization,” said Marx, who took the reins in July 2022. “One thing I expected was the way our executive team, our leadership team and our entire workforce rallied together despite all the growth and all the changes to do what we do best, which is taking care of each other and taking care of our patients.” 

Other recent acquisitions include ProMedica Home Medical Equipment, which has a presence in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, and Ascension St. Vincent’s Medical Equipment, a full-service DME provider in Evansville, Ind. MSC now has more than 650 employees and 45 locations that support DME-related discharge planning services for 44 partnering hospitals and more than 160,000 patients annually.   

The company’s acquisition strategy is simple, says Marx. 

“We look for acquisitions where we can add value – value for the employees through improved wages, value through elimination of monotonous tasks with our automation efforts, and value to the community through our product offerings and broader portfolio and hyperfocus on customer experience,” he said. “If we can offer value in several of those segments, then we believe it’s a good opportunity for us, as well as the seller and the community at large.” 

As a third-generation, family-owned company, MSC understands the need to evolve and adapt to remain competitive. But the company likes to leverage technology when it not only creates operational efficiencies but also improves customer experience, says Marx. 

“It’s important to understand where to automate, when to automate and which customers desire it,” he said. “In the end, as much as automation and technology are important, what’s more important is personalized service. Customer experience is at the basis of everything that we do.” 

As MSC looks ahead to future growth, it plans to stick to its current strategies, says Marx. 

“We will continue to focus on customer experience, we’ll continue to invest in technology and tools to allow the automating of tasks and we’ll look for partners throughout the U.S. that we feel like we can offer value,” he said. “We have an obligation to continue to expand our offerings and offer more value to other parts of the country.”