Key points:

• Congress has set aside over $175 billion to directly help health care providers and hospitals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• As of October 5, more than $105 billion has been distributed to over 530,000 providers.
• This funding has served as a lifeline to ensure continued access to health care in our communities.
• Now, a new, expansive Phase 3 General Distribution Funding has launched.

Details: 

As CMS announced on October 1, 2020, the application period for up to $20 billion in the new Phase 3 General Distributing funding of the Provider Relief Fund program opened October 5. The application period ends November 6.

A large number of providers are eligible for Phase 3 General Distribution funding, including:

• Providers who previously received, rejected or accepted a General Distribution Provider Relief Fund payment. Providers that have already received payments of approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care may submit more information to become eligible for an additional payment.
• Behavioral Health providers, including those that previously received funding and new providers; and
• Healthcare providers that began practicing January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020. This includes Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, dentists, assisted living facilities and behavioral health providers.

On October 22, HHS announced it was expanding the pool of eligible Phase 3 applicants to include providers across a broad category of practices. Many providers who accept Medicare and Medicaid within these categories have already received a PRF payment, but others have not and HHS is working to ensure even more providers are able to receive Phase 3 funding. The list below includes eligible practices where providers may now apply for Phase 3 funding regardless of whether they accept Medicaid or Medicare.

• Behavioral Health Providers
• Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians
• Dental Providers
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Chiropractors
• Nursing Service and Related Providers
• Hospice Providers
• Respiratory, Developmental, Rehabilitative and Restorative Service Providers
• Emergency Medical Service Providers
• Hospital Units
• Residential Treatment Facilities
• Laboratories
• Ambulatory Health Care Facilities
• Eye and Vision Services Providers
• Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers
• Nursing & Custodial Care Facilities
• Podiatric Medicine & Surgery Service Providers

(For a detailed description of all eligible Phase 3 General Distribution provider types, visit the PRF website.)

Courtesy of HHS, a number of resources are available for applicants, including:

• A new fact sheet;
• A step-by-step application guide;
• A new stakeholder toolkit to assist others with information dissemination to their network of eligible applicants or interested parties.

Providers and provider associations who want to learn more about the application process can sign up for the first Phase 3 General Distribution webinar. Scheduled for October 15, 2020, registration information can be found here.

This new distribution builds on several other allocations, including targeted “hot spot” relief and rural aid.

Want to read more on the fight against Coronavirus? Read our Coronavirus Bulletin here which contains our extensive FAQ about recent federal actions.

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