The deadline to apply for COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds is only days away

Editor's note (added Sept. 1): The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Phase 2 Provider Relief Fund application deadline to Sept. 13(www.hhs.gov). 

The last day for eligible Medicare providers to submit their application(cares.linkhealth.com) for Phase 2 COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund payments is Aug. 28. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had previously announced(www.hhs.gov) that certain providers would have this opportunity to receive additional Provider Relief Funds.

Those who are eligible for Phase 2 General Distribution funding include:

• Providers who were ineligible for the Phase 1 General Distribution because:
  • They underwent a change in ownership in calendar year 2019 or 2020 under Medicare Part A; and
  • Did not have Medicare Fee-For-Service revenue in 2019.

• Providers who received a payment under Phase 1 General Distribution but:
  • Missed the June 3 deadline to submit revenue information — including many Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and dental providers with low Medicare revenues who assumed they were ineligible for additional distribution targeted at Medicare providers, or had planned to apply for a Medicaid- and CHIP-specific distribution; or
  • Did not receive Phase 1 General Distribution payments totaling approximately 2% of their annual patient revenue.

• Providers who previously received Phase 1 General Distribution payment(s) but rejected and returned the funds and are now interested in reapplying.

All eligible providers will only receive funding of up to 2% of their reported total revenue from patient care. For providers who have already received a Phase 1 General Distribution payment, HHS will consider the amount the provider received and kept when it determines how much the provider is eligible for in Phase 2 payments. All payment recipients must accept HHS's terms and conditions(www.hhs.gov), and may be subject to auditing to ensure the data provided to HHS for payment calculation are accurate.

For the latest information, visit the Provider Relief Fund Program website(www.hhs.gov).  

— Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment at the American Academy of Family Physicians