Policy Updates

The following is the latest information from the federal government as of 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. Department of Health and Human Services/CARES Act Provider Relief Fund HHS has posted information about the financial reporting that will be required of providers that received funding through the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. Those terms and conditions require providers to submit data documenting their use of the funds and compliance with the terms and conditions.  The HHS post lays out some of the parameters of the reporting and notes HHS will release instructions for [...]

The following is the latest information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21. Department of Health and Human Services As announced last week, HHS has begun making its second distribution of CARES Act Provider Relief Fund grants to hospitals in COVID-19 high-impact areas (“hotspots”) – that is, hospitals that have cared for especially high numbers of COVID-19 patients. According to the agency’s news release, The second round of funding…was based on a formula for hospitals with over 161 COVID-19 admissions between January 1 and June 10, 2020, or one admission per day, or that experienced [...]

The following is the latest information from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has implemented new data reporting requirements for hospitals that took effect today. In some respects, these requirements differ significantly from recent practices.  Go here to see the detailed HHS document “COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Reporting and FAQs For Hospitals, Hospital Laboratory, and Acute Care Facility Data Reporting.” HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration has posted a fact sheet on the Provider Relief Fund’s next distribution for Medicaid and CHIP providers. The fact sheet includes information [...]

The following is the latest information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, July 13. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has announced that it will distribute another $4 billion in CARES Act Provider Relief Fund money. Of that sum, approximately $3 billion will be distributed to safety-net providers, with the agency expanding its criteria since its June distribution of safety-net provider funding to encompass some safety-net hospitals that did not meet the previous criterion that addressed hospital profitability.  Another $1 billion will be distributed to specialty rural hospitals, urban hospitals with certain rural Medicare designations, [...]

The following is the latest information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has updated its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund web page to remind providers that to be considered for its next distribution of CARES Act money to Medicaid and CHIP providers, interested parties must submit their gross revenues from patient care for CY 2017, 2018, or 2019 by July 20, 2020.  Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered for funding.  To learn more about this process, interested parties can read the Medicaid and CHIP [...]

Coronavirus update for Friday, June 26 as of 3:30 p.m. Department of Health and Human Services HHS updated its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQ. The latest changes are marked “6/22/2020.”  Most refer to the planned Provider Relief Fund distribution of $15 billion to Medicaid and CHIP providers. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has posted an FAQ on implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. CMS has issued guidance to hospitals on visits to patients who are COVID-19 negative. CMS has clarified previous guidance that Medicare Administrative [...]