Guide to Federal COVID-19 Funding for Hospitals



Guide to Federal COVID-19 Funding for HospitalsCoronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) (Treasury guidance & allowable expenses guidance)Current allocation of $95 million to three different state-administered hospital relief funds per S.L. 2020-4.$65 million to the Rural Hospitals Relief Fund.For hospitals designated as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) by CMS.For hospitals located in Tier 1 counties.For hospitals located in Tier 2 counties with populations of less than 150,000.Grant awards: at least $350,000 for critical access hospitals and at least $250,000 for eligible hospitals in Tier 1 and 2 counties; remainder will be distributed pro rata based on 2018 operating costs.$15 Million to the Teaching Hospitals Relief Fund for the five teaching hospitals listed in S.L. 2020-4 ($3 million each).Wake Forest Baptist Medical CenterDuke University HospitalUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical CenterVidant Medical CenterCentral Harnett Hospital$15 Million to the General Hospitals Relief FundFor hospitals in the state that do not qualify for the Rural or Teaching Hospitals Relief Funds.Awards based on the pro rata share of the 2018 hospital operating expenses of these eligible hospitals.Of the allowable uses of funds listed in S.L. 2020-4, OSBM has determined that the following qualify as eligible expenditures under current U.S. Treasury guidance:Supplies and equipment purchased in accordance with CDC guidelines.Ramping up infection control and triage training for health care professionals.Retrofitting separate areas to screen and treat patients with suspected COVID-19 infections.Increasing the number of patient care beds to provide surge capacity.Transporting patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 safely to or from health care facilities.Planning, training, and implementing expanded telehealth capabilities.Procuring staff or consultants to help mitigate the burden of extensive review of new and incoming federal and State regulatory guidelines.At this time, CRF funds cannot be used for lost revenue or for salaries of furloughed employees.To maximize federal funding, hospitals pursuing FEMA funds should expend FEMA PA funds first and CRF funds second for expenses that are eligible for both FEMA-PA and CRF.Expenses must be incurred between March 1, 2020 – December 30, 2020.Pursuant to S.L. 2020-4, by December 1, 2020, all recipients of the CRF hospital relief funds must submit a report to the General Assembly that includes:A breakdown of all expenditures from the appropriated funds received under this section by the categories listed in this subdivision.The total amount of funds received from the Provider Relief Fund provided for in P.L. 116-136 and any other COVID-19 Recovery Legislation or other federal legislation enacted by Congress during calendar year 2020 to support the national response to COVID-19.FEMA-Public Assistance (PA)FEMA PA funds become available when an area has received a Presidential declaration of an emergency or major disaster. Per FEMA, eligibility is based on four components: applicant, facility, work, and cost.An applicant must be a state, territory, tribe, local government, or private nonprofit organization. Specific eligibility requirements for private nonprofit organizations can be found in this FEMA Fact Sheet.A facility must be a building, public works, system, equipment, or natural feature.Work is categorized as either Emergency or Permanent. It must be required as a result of the declared incident, located within the designated disaster area, and the legal responsibility of the applicant.Cost is the funding tied directly to eligible work, and must be adequately documented, authorized, necessary and reasonable. Eligible costs include labor, equipment, materials, contract work, as well as direct and indirect administrative costs.FEMA has established a COVID-19 policy regarding the types of medical care costs eligible for reimbursement.FEMA PA funds should be used before CRF funds for expenses that are eligible for both funding sources. Provider Relief FundsThe CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act provide $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers.Eligible providers are public entities, Medicare or Medicaid enrolled suppliers and providers, and such for-profit entities and not-for-profit entities as the HHS Secretary may specify, within the United States, that provide diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19.$50 billion of the Provider Relief Fund is allocated for general distribution to Medicare facilities and providers impacted by COVID-19.$30 billion has already been distributed and was proportionate to providers share of Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019. (Terms and Conditions)$20 billion will be allocated in proportion to a providers’ share of 2018 net patient revenue. (Terms and Conditions)More than $50 billion is also allocated to providers in areas particularly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, rural providers, and providers who serve low-income populations and uninsured Americans.$12 billion for high-impact distribution to 395 hospitals who provided inpatient care for 100 or more COVID-19 patients through April 10, 2020. Of this, $2 billion will be distributed to these hospitals based on their Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share and uncompensated care payments.$10 billion for rural hospital distribution, which includes rural acute care general hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and Community Health Centers located in rural areas.$4.9 billion for certified skilled nursing facilities with six or more certified beds$500 million for Indian Health Services$10 billion for safety net hospitals that disproportionately service Medicaid recipients and the uninsured$15 billion to providers participating in state Medicaid and CHIP programsThese funds can be used to replace lost revenues resulting from the pandemic unless already reimbursed from a different source.Funds mays also be used to reimburse healthcare providers, at Medicare rates, for COVID-related treatment of the uninsured (see program below).Further guidance can be found on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services CARES Act Provider Relief Fund website, summary sheet, and FAQs (as of June 12).COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing and Treatment of the UninsuredThe Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act each provide $1 billion to reimburse providers for conducting COVID-19 testing for the uninsuredReimbursement for the treatment of the uninsured also falls under this program but is funded through the Provider Relief Funds.Providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing on or after February 4, 2020, can electronically request claims reimbursement through the program and will be reimbursed at Medicare rates, subject to available funding.Providers must register through the Uninsured Program Portal.To participate, providers must attest to the following at registration:You have checked for health care coverage eligibility and confirmed that the patient is uninsured. You will accept defined program reimbursement as payment in full.You agree not to balance bill the patient.You agree to program terms and conditions and may be subject to post-reimbursement audit review.HRSA determines if the testing and treatment qualifies for reimbursement but includes:Specimen collection, diagnostic and antibody testing.Testing-related visits including in the following settings: office, urgent care or emergency room or telehealth.Treatment, including office visit (including telehealth), emergency room, inpatient, outpatient/observation, skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care, acute inpatient rehab, home health, DME (e.g., oxygen, ventilator), emergency ambulance transportation, non-emergent patient transfers via ambulance, and FDA approved drugs as they become available for COVID-19 treatment and administered as part of an inpatient stay.FDA-approved vaccine, when available.More information can be found on the program website, the FAQs page, and the User Guide.FCC COVID-19 Telehealth ProgramThe CARES Act provides $200 million to assist health care providers in providing connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Funding awards under this program are limited to eligible nonprofit and public health providers:Post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;Community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants;Local health departments or agencies;community mental health centers;Not-for-profit hospitals;Rural health clinics;Skilled nursing facilities; orConsortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.Funding can be used to purchase telecommunications, information services, and connected devices necessary to provide telehealth services to patients in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Devices purchased with this funding must be:Integral to patient careConnected (e.g. require Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity)Funding applications must be submitted through the FCC’s website. For more information, please see the FAQs page. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download