The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11.
Provider Relief Fund
Eligible providers may now apply for Provider Relief Fund phase 2 general distributions. These are providers that are being given another opportunity to receive Provider Relief Fund payments after missing the June 3, 2020 deadline to apply for funding equal to two percent of their total patient care revenue from the $20 billion portion of the $50 billion phase 1 general distribution; this group also includes Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), dental providers with low Medicare revenues, and hospitals that received payments in the phase 1 distribution but returned them. In addition, providers that experienced a change in ownership, making them ineligible for phase 1 funding, also may apply.
- Providers can go here to learn more about this phase 2 distribution and eligibility.
- Providers can submit the required financial data on the Provider Relief Fund application and attestation portal. The deadline for submitting data is August 28.
- Providers can go here to register for a webinar on this distribution to be held on Thursday, August 13 at 3:00 (eastern).
- HHS has shared information about its next CARES Act-authorized nursing home Provider Relief Fund distribution. This $5 billion distribution will include approximately $2.5 billion to support increased testing, staffing, and personal protective equipment needs and to establish COVID-19 isolation facilities, with the balance to be linked to nursing home performance. HHS expects to make the first $2.5 billion distribution in mid-August and the performance-based distributions throughout the fall. Learn more from this HHS news release.
- HHS has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with 16 new questions, 15 of which address eligibility for phase 2 general distributions from the Provider Relief Fund and how to apply for those distributions. These questions can be found on pages 22, 23, 24, 29, and 31 of the FAQ; these and other new questions are all dated 8/10/2020. Another question about eligibility, dated 8/7/2020, can be found on page 2.
Eligible providers may now apply for Provider Relief Fund phase 2 general distributions. These are providers that are being given another opportunity to receive Provider Relief Fund payments after missing the June 3, 2020 deadline to apply for funding equal to two percent of their total patient care revenue from the $20 billion portion of the $50 billion phase 1 general distribution; this group also includes Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), dental providers with low Medicare revenues, and hospitals that received payments in the phase 1 distribution but returned them. In addition, providers that experienced a change in ownership, making them ineligible for phase 1 funding, also may apply.
Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS has posted the July through December COVID-19 testing plans of all states, territories, and localities. Find those testing plans here.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS announced a new Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model (CHART) that will seek to improve the quality, accessibility, and value of care in rural areas. The agency intends to invest up to $75 million in seed money to enable up to 15 rural communities to participate in the program, which will involve tools such as an accountable care organization (AC) transformational track, the extension of COVID-19-inspired telemedicine waivers after the pandemic is over, a reduction of the minimum required supervision level for hospital outpatient therapeutic services, and an increase in wage indexes for low-wage hospitals, including many rural hospitals. Learn more here.
- CMS has updated its “COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing” document with a new question about the broader impact of its waiving of certain Medicare and Medicaid utilization review requirements. See page 22, question 23 for further details.
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls
CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to its response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.
Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19
Friday, August 21 at 12:30 – 2:00 PM eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5956858
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Call
Tuesday, August 25 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 8579003
Audio Webcast link: go here.
Home Health and Hospice Call
Tuesday, August 25 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820 Access Passcode: 6782346
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Nursing Homes Call
Wednesday, August 12 at 4:30 – 5:00 PM eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7857618
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Wednesday, August 26 at 4:30 – 5:00 PM eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5718509
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Dialysis Organizations Call
Wednesday, August 12 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1027088
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1834329
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Nurses Call
Thursday, August 13 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7844289
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Thursday, August 27 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1556623
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Conference lines are limited, so CMS encourages interested parties to join via audio webcast. To listen to the audio files and read the transcripts for these and past COVID-19 Stakeholder calls, visit CMS’s Podcast and Transcripts page.
Federal Funding Opportunities for Hospitals
- NASH has prepared a document that collects and presents in one place the various new federal funding opportunities for hospitals resulting from legislation addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency. Find that document here.
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