Situation Report | October 5, 2020
As reported in a member alert last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced phase 3 of Provider Relief Funds amounting to $20 billion, with the application process open starting today, Monday, October 5, through November 6.
HHS urges providers to apply early to accelerate the review and distribution process. More information is here. A link to the online portal is here.
This newly announced phase is open to all providers including those who already received prior relief funds and seek additional funding that “considers financial losses and changes in operating expenses caused by the coronavirus,” says the HHS press release.
Providers who previously received relief fund monies may apply again regardless of whether they rejected or accepted the first and/or general distribution payments, HHS says. New providers who began practicing in 2020, as well as behavioral health providers, are newly eligible under this phase, too.
HHS has already issued over $100 billion in relief funding to providers through prior distributions.
In last week’s Situation Report, HCA wrote members about the newly announced reporting requirements for recipients of these relief funds, including the kinds of information that HHS will be collecting.
HHS says the reporting portal (as distinct from the application portal for phase 3) won’t be available until early 2021, which is a delay from the October 1, 2020 timeframe announced in a prior notice. However, CMS doesn’t appear to have delayed the reporting deadline, so reports for 2020 expenditures and lost revenue related to COVID-19 are still due 45 days from December 31, 2020.