WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27, 2020)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a 45-day deadline extension for providers who are receiving payments from the Provider Relief Fund to accept the terms and conditions for Provider Relief Fund payments on May 22. This announcement means providers have now been granted 90 days from the date they received a payment to accept HHS Terms and Conditions or return the funds.
HHS, alongside other federal agencies, has been working day and night to support local communities and has taken action to help our healthcare system respond quickly and effectively to this pandemic. The department has kept an open line of communication with our heroic frontline providers and is being responsive to their request for additional time to review and agree to Provider Relief Fund Terms and Conditions. All providers who have received Provider Relief Fund payments must agree to the program terms and conditions if they wish to keep the funds.
President Trump is providing support to health care providers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which provide $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers, including those on the front lines of the coronavirus response. This funding supports healthcare-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19 and ensures uninsured Americans can get treatment for COVID-19.
HHS previously announced that $50 billion of the Provider Relief Fund was allocated for general distribution to facilities and providers that bill Medicare and were impacted by COVID-19, based on eligible providers' net patient revenue. To expedite providers getting money as quickly as possible, HHS distributed $30 billion immediately, proportionate to providers' share of Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019. Then, beginning on April 24, HHS began distributing an additional $20 billion to providers based on their share of net patient revenue, and began accepting submissions from eligible providers of their financial data. With the extension announced today, providers will now have 90 days from the date they received a payment to accept the Terms and Conditions or return the funds. Providers that do not accept the Terms and Conditions after 90 days of receipt will be deemed to have accepted the Terms and Conditions.
Other allocations have included $12 billion for hospitals in COVID-19 high-impact areas, $10 billion for rural providers, $500 million for tribal healthcare providers and $4.9 billion for skilled nursing facilities. Some providers may receive further, separate funding, including dentists, and providers that solely take Medicaid. A portion of the Provider Relief Fund is being used to reimburse healthcare providers, generally at Medicare rates, for COVID-related treatment of the uninsured.
Visit hhs.gov/providerrelief for more information.
