Eligible Providers Can Submit Information to Receive Additional Provider Relief Fund Payments

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has begun the distribution of an additional $20 billion of the $50 billion general distribution to Medicare facilities and providers impacted by COVID-19, augmenting the $30 billion that was allocated earlier this month.

The $50 billion general allocation seeks to address both the economic harm across the entire healthcare system due to the stoppage of elective procedures and the economic impact on providers incurring additional expenses caring for COVID-19 patients.

“We’re putting out payments from the Provider Relief Fund as quickly as possible, as transparently as possible, to those who are suffering from this situation,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “The healthcare providers on the frontlines of the pandemic are heroic, and President Trump recognizes that every American healthcare provider has pitched in for this fight in some way. We will continue using every regulatory and payment flexibility we have to help providers continue doing their vital work until we’ve defeated this virus.”

In order to receive payment, providers eligible for the general distribution must submit required revenue information for verification, and must attest to the terms and conditions of this additional distribution. The portal for submitting this information is open linked from hhs.gov/providerrelief. Payments will go out on a rolling basis as eligible providers submit and verify the required information.

Medicare providers’ total allocation from the entire $50 billion general distribution, which includes their payment from the initial $30 billion added to their payment from the $20 billion HHS has begun sending - is proportional to their 2018 net revenue.

Some providers have received this additional payment automatically via electronic deposit, on the basis of 2018 costs reports on file with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. All providers eligible to receive payment from this distribution, including those paid based on revenue data already submitted in CMS cost reports, are required under the Terms and Conditions to submit revenue information to the provider portal for later verification.

Additional Updates on the Provider Relief Fund

• Allocation for treatment of the uninsured: Monday, HHS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), launched a new COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal, allowing health care providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing or provided treatment for uninsured COVID-19 individuals on or after February 4, 2020 to request claims reimbursement. Providers can access the portal at COVIDUninsuredClaim.HRSA.gov.
• Allocation for COVID-19 high-impact area: HHS has allocated $10 billion in CARES Act funding to be allocated to COVID-19 high-impact areas. HHS has received data from hospitals throughout the country and is preparing to release funds to hospitals. More information is coming soon.

For future updates on allocations for rural providers, Indian healthcare providers, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, and other news on relief funding for the nation’s healthcare providers, visit hhs.gov/providerrelief.