HHS Releases Terms and Conditions of Provider Relief Funds
The Department of Health and Human Services has released the terms and conditions of the funds that are being awarded through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, or the “Provider Relief Fund”. This funding will be crucial to rural providers, who are slated to recieve a $10 billion carve-out of the funds, and NRHA has highlighted important details below to ensure that rural providers are not unaware of the conditions of these funds:
- The Recipient certifies that the Payment will only be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, and shall reimburse the Recipient only for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus;
- The Recipient certifies that it will not use the Payment to reimburse expenses or losses that have been reimbursed from other sources or that other sources are obligated to reimburse;
- Not later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter, any Recipient that is an entity receiving more than $150,000 total in funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security Act (P.L. 116-136), the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-123), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127), or any other Act primarily making appropriations for the coronavirus response and related activities, shall submit to the Secretary and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee a report;
- The Recipient shall maintain appropriate records and cost documentation including, as applicable, documentation required by 45 CFR § 75.302 – Financial management and 45 CFR § 75.361 through 75.365 – Record Retention and Access, and other information required by future program instructions to substantiate the reimbursement of costs under this award;
- For all care for a presumptive or actual case of COVID-19, Recipient certifies that it will not seek to collect from the patient out-of-pocket expenses in an amount greater than what the patient would have otherwise been required to pay if the care had been provided by an innetwork Recipient
NRHA encourages all rural providers that are recipients of the Provider Relief Fund to review this document that outlines the terms and conditions, as well as statutory provisions that pertain to these dollars.