CARES Act Provider Relief Fund - First $30 Billion of HHS Fund

Update from HHS: HHS has begun distributing the remaining $20 billion of the $50 billion general distribution to Medicare providers to augment providers' allocations so that the whole $50 billion general distribution is allocated proportional to providers' share of net patient revenue. Medicare providers for whom HHS did not have adequate cost report data on file will need to submit their revenue information to the General Distribution Portal to be able to receive additional general distribution funds and agree to the Terms and Conditions for this additional distribution. Providers who received their additional money automatically will still need to submit their revenue information so that it can be verified via the portal. Click here for FAQs on the General Distribution Portal - PDF. (Edit 4/29/2020).

On April 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services distributed the first $30 billion in funds allocated in the CARES Act as part of the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. Any healthcare provider that received Medicare FFS reimbursements in 2019 received funds, which were based on a percentage of the providers’ 2019 reimbursement amount.

These are payments — not loans — to healthcare providers and will not need to be repaid. However, you may be subject to quarterly reporting requirements for which we expect additional guidance to be issued soon. We recommend you keep accurate records detailing all COVID-19 related costs and lost revenue. These records will help you prepare for quarterly reporting for these funds and potential reporting requirements for future funding. Until further guidance is issued we believe best practice is to following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

Actions to Take

Healthcare providers — including hospitals, physicians, hospices, surgery centers, therapists, etc. — who received the funding must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds within 30 days of receiving the payment, agreeing to the terms and conditions of payment. Click here to sign the attestation and agree to the terms and conditions.

HHS is contracting with UnitedHealth Group to facilitate delivery of funds. If a provider has not previously registered with specific agencies for electronic payments, their funds may be delayed or issued through a physical check.

Call Optum at 877-620-6194 to confirm that your facility is eligible for a payment and if so, that it’s pending. Optum is not authorized to tell you an amount. If you believe your facility is eligible but are not in Optum's system, you can initiate an appeal process. We recommend that providers ask Optum how to start the appeal process.

On April 17, HHS is supposed to be adding a link on the website to track your payments. Bookmark www.hhs.gov/provider-relief/ and check back regularly.

During this unprecedented time in our country’s history, it’s understandable that those of you who manage healthcare facilities would feel uncertain about how to move forward.

At Casey Peterson, LTD, we wanted to do something to help, So, we’ve created a free checklist you can find here to help you navigate some of the uncertainty. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list, and the situation is changing by the minute. But we hope this guide will give you a place to start and help you consider some options you might have overlooked in the rush to provide the best care possible.

As always, if you run into a situation not covered here, or need help with the process, please let us know.

This communication is intended to provide general information on legislative COVID-19 relief measures as of the date of this communication and may reference information from reputable sources. Although our firm has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information provided is accurate, we make no warranties, expressed or implied, on the information provided. As legislative efforts are still ongoing, we expect that there may be additional guidance and clarification from regulators that may modify some of the provisions in this communication. Some of those modifications may be significant. As such, be aware that this is not a comprehensive analysis of the subject matter covered and is not intended to provide specific recommendations to you or your business with respect to the matters addressed.