Tag: CARESAct

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be distributing another $15 billion to eligible providers (Medicaid and CHIP). The deadline for this is July 20th.

To stay up on the latest information here is the link to the government website:

https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/general-information/index.html

From MGMA – April 16, 2020

Regulatory alert: HHS CARES Act grant funding Attestation Portal now open
The Attestation Portal for the initial $30 billion general distribution from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is now open. Providers that received a payment from HHS as part of the Provider Relief Fund authorized under the CARES Act must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions within 30 days of receiving payment.
To complete the attestation, billing entities must provide their Taxpayer Identification Number. Should you choose to reject the funds, you must also complete the attestation to indicate this. The Portal will guide you through the attestation process to accept or reject the funds.
Group practices with questions about the grant funds can call the Provider Relief hotline at (866) 569-3522. Please note that the terms and conditions are subject to further clarification by HHS, and MGMA will pass along any additional guidance if it is made available.

First posted April 13,2020 and pinned as top post. Removed pin April 24th.

If you see a payment appear in the checking account from HHS and do not know why. This is why….

Immediate infusion of $30 billion into healthcare system

Recognizing the importance of delivering funds in a fast and transparent manner, $30 billion is being distributed immediately – with payments arriving via direct deposit beginning April 10, 2020 – to eligible providers throughout the American healthcare system. These are payments, not loans, to healthcare providers, and will not need to be repaid.

• Providers will be paid via Automated Clearing House account information on file with UHG or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
  • The automatic payments will come to providers via Optum Bank with “HHSPAYMENT” as the payment description.
  • Providers who normally receive a paper check for reimbursement from CMS, will receive a paper check in the mail for this payment as well, within the next few weeks.
• Within 30 days of receiving the payment, providers must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions of payment. The portal for signing the attestation will be open the week of April 13, 2020, and will be linked on this page.
• HHS’ payment of this initial tranche of funds is conditioned on the healthcare provider’s acceptance of the Terms and Conditions – PDF, which acceptance must occur within 30 days of receipt of payment. Not returning the payment within 30 days of receipt will be viewed as acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. If a provider receives payment and does not wish to comply with these Terms and Conditions, the provider must do the following: contact HHS within 30 days of receipt of payment and then remit the full payment to HHS as instructed.  Appropriate contact information will be provided soon.

Is this different than the CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Program?

Yes. The CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Program has delivered billions of dollars to healthcare providers to help ensure providers and suppliers have the resources needed to combat the pandemic. The CMS accelerated and advance payments are a loan that providers must pay back. Read more information from CMS.

To understand all of what this means and what you need to do, you must check out the CMS website.

https://www.hhs.gov/provider-relief/index.html