COVID-19 Funding

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has provided much-needed funding to many long term care facilities through the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and Quality Incentive Program (QIP). These funds support American families, workers, and the heroic health care providers in the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak.

AHCA/NCAL is helping our skilled nursing and assisted living​ member providers address PRF and QIP issues through work with Capitol Hill and the Administration. In partnership with our state affiliates, AHCA/NCAL is collecting outstanding funding concerns our members are facing. Contact COVID19@ahca.org with any questions.
 

 Provider Relief Fund
The Provider Relief Fund​ (PRF) supports health care providers in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.​

 PRF Resources
​ Update: Provider Relief Fund FAQs
HHS recently updated the ​Provider Relief Fund (PRF) FAQs to clarify Ownership Structures and Financial Relationships between “parent” and “subsidiary” entities that received PRF funding (General and Targeted).

Provider Relief Fund Questions
There are several resources to assist with PRF questions. Contact the CARES Act Fund Hotline at (866) 569-3522 (for TTY dial 711). You can also review the HHS Frequently Asked Questions, which includes information about using the PRF for vaccine administration​.​

WebEx: Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements
This WebEx recording includes registration details, registration FAQs, recommended terms and conditions compliance controls, and a PRF reporting update overview.

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report
The January 28th GAO report – Critical Vaccine Distribution, Supply Chain, Program Integrity, and Other Challenges Require Focused Federal Attention (GAO-21-265) – made several recommendations (focused around areas like COVID-19 testing, vaccines and therapeutics, and the medical supply chain) to federal agencies to improve the ongoing response and recovery efforts in the areas of public health and the economy. It is important to note that there is a summary of the PRF allocations and disbursements as of 12/31/20 on page 54.

​This document offers detail on u​se of funds for health care related expenses and transfer of funds to higher need buildings. 

 Quality Incentive Payments
AHCA/NCAL is advocating on behalf of our members to provide the necessary resources regarding the Quality Incentive Payments (QIP), as well as promoting a fairer incentive program. This step-by-step chart is available to help providers correct any previously made errors when filling out NHSN data. 

Entering this data is valuable in determining how cases are spreading throughout facilities.

With the distribution of December QIP payments on Friday, February 12, it appears that this will be the last payment that HHS will make for this program. Although HHS previously stated there would be an aggregate payment, the running total through December is $2 billion – which is the total allocated for the program.

The county population and county case rate are factored in the methodology, as well as the resident occupancy level and resident case rate. The vast majority of facilities with at least 1 infection will not receive payment. The number of facilities paid per month decreased from around 10,000 in September to 6,000 in December due to the increasing number of cases in the later months of the program. Additionally, since all of the factors varied in each month, the payment you may have received can also vary widely.

 

 

New AHCA/NCAL COVID-19 Funding Resource Pagehttps://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/New-AHCANCAL-COVID-19-Funding-Resource-Page.aspxNew AHCA/NCAL COVID-19 Funding Resource Page2/24/2021 5:00:00 AM<div>​​AHCA/NCAL has a <a href="/Reimbursement/Pages/COVID-19-Funding.aspx" target="_blank">new webpage​</a> with resources and important information pertaining to HHS’ CARES Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and Quality Incentive Program (QIP). These funds support American families, workers, and the heroic health care providers in the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak.  </div><div> </div><div>If you have any specific questions pertaining to COVID-19, email <a href="mailto:covid19@ahca.org" target="_blank">covid19@ahca.org</a>.<br></div>HCA/NCAL has a new webpage with resources and important information pertaining to HHS’ CARES Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and Quality Incentive Program (QIP).
PRF HHS FAQ Update - One Healthcare IDhttps://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/PRF-HHS-FAQ-Update---One-Healthcare-ID.aspxPRF HHS FAQ Update - One Healthcare ID2/24/2021 5:00:00 AM<p>​​​<br></p><div>Last week, HHS updated their Phase 3 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) FAQs to reflect the rebranding of “Optum ID” to “One Healthcare ID.” The full question that was modified can be found here: </div><div><br></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px;"><div><em>If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like each subsidiary to receive its own payment, the applicant should create a One Healthcare ID account and submit an application for each TIN that should receive its own payment. The applicant should include the unique banking information for each subsidiary's application. </em></div><div><br></div><div><em>If the applicant is a parent entity applying on behalf of multiple subsidiaries and it would like a single payment for all of the included subsidiaries, the applicant should create one One Healthcare ID account for the parent entity and submit a single application with the filing TIN. </em></div><div><br></div><div><em>The parent entity should add its TIN as the "Organizational TIN" on their dashboard. If applying on behalf of subsidiaries, the parent entity will have the opportunity to enter multiple subsidiary TINs associated with the parent organization TIN. After adding the "Organizational TIN," the applicant should click "Get Started" once they arrive on the "Practice Detail" page, under the "Group/Individual Information" heading. The applicant can enter up to 1,200 subsidiary TINs into the "List of Subsidiary TINs Associated with This Entity" field. The applicant may paste a list of TINs directly into this field. Next, the applicant should review their information and click "Submit TIN." Once the organization or subsidiary TINs are verified, the applicant will progress to the DocuSign form, where they can submit the applicable tax information that accounts for each TIN included in the application. </em></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>This update can be found in the Phase 3 PRF Overview and Eligibility HHS <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/faqs/general-distribution/index.html#overview-eligibility-3" target="_blank">FAQs</a>. AHCA/NCAL also has a COVID-19 funding <a href="/Reimbursement/Pages/COVID-19-Funding.aspx" target="_blank">webpage​</a>, which includes PRF resources and other helpful information.<br></div>Last week, HHS updated their Phase 3 PRF FAQs to reflect the rebranding of “Optum ID” to “One Healthcare ID.”
HHS Announces Updates to Provider Relief Fund FAQshttps://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/HHS-Announces-Updates-to-Provider-Relief-Fund-FAQs.aspxHHS Announces Updates to Provider Relief Fund FAQs2/2/2021 5:00:00 AM<p><span style="font-size:11pt;">HHS recently <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/provider-relief-fund-general-distribution-faqs.pdf">updated</a> the ​Provider Relief Fund (PRF) FAQs to clarify Ownership Structures and Financial Relationships between “parent” and “subsidiary” entities that received PRF funding (General and Targeted). Please see updated​ highlights <a href="/Reimbursement/Documents/Updated%20PRF%20FAQ%20Highlights%202.1.21.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.  <br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><br>Additionally, one Nursing Home (SNF) FAQ was released. However, it did not indicate when December payments would be paid.​</span></p>​HHS recently posted several clarifying PRF FAQs regarding Ownership Structures and Financial Relationships between “parent” and “subsidiary” entities that received PRF funding.
Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements WebEx Now Availablehttps://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/Updated-PRF-Reporting-Requirements-WebEx-Now-Available.aspxProvider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements WebEx Now Available1/26/2021 5:00:00 AM<div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">AHCA/NCAL now has available a <a href="https://educate.ahcancal.org/products/prf-reporting-requirements-updated-january-25th" target="_blank">pre-recorded WebE​x​</a> on the January 15, 2021 PRF Reporting Registration instructions, as well as the updated reporting guidance. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">The video recording includes:</span>  </div><div><ul><li>​Detail on registration <br></li><li>Important registration FAQs </li><li>Recommended Terms and Conditions Compliance Controls </li><li>PRF Reporting Update Overview  </li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">AHCA /NCAL will provide updates to this information as HHS provides additional detail.   </span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><strong>This webinar is available to AHCA/NCAL members only. </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><em>How to Register: </em></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">​To avoid technical problems, use Google Chrome. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"></span>Members will need to log in using their existing AHCA/NCAL username and password first. </li><li>Once you are logged in to the website you will be able to register by clicking the green register button at the top of the page. </li><li>If you have forgotten your password click here. </li><li>If you are new to the site, you can create an account here. Answer all fields on the create an account page- especially locating your company name. You can search by name or zip code. After creating an account, you will be able to register for the webinar. </li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">Need further assistance? Email <a href="mailto:educate@ahca.org" target="_blank">educate@ahca.org</a>.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;">​​</span></div>AHCA/NCAL now has available a pre-recorded webex​ on the January 15, 2021 PRF Reporting Registration instructions.

 Questions?
Please contact us with any questions you have regarding PRF or QIP.

 Additional Resources