Provider Relief Fund Reporting Changes from the HHS: What You Need to Know

COVID-19 has changed the healthcare landscape in many ways, but few people think they should fit out doctor offices with regulation software because of the pandemic. However, due to the impact of COVID on the healthcare system, many hospitals and health systems have suffered severe economic harm, with some even collapsing under basic operational costs.

As part of the COVID relief bills passed in 2020, Congress created the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to help mitigate the fallout from the pandemic. This step has been crucial in helping to protect fragile health systems where a single hospital may be the only healthcare provider in a vast area, but it also means that healthcare institutions need to be aware of what changes have been made to the reporting process for the PRF.

Here’s what you should know about the changes to the PRF’s reporting.

What Major Changes Have Occurred To Reporting Procedures?

When Congress authorized massive spending in the face of COVID-19, they issued new guidelines that healthcare institutions need to adhere to in order to receive the funds. Some of this involves determining which funds were used for pandemic-related spending — such as ventilators, PPE, and ICU retrofitting — while other changes deal with exemptions to reporting requirements.

At the end of 2020, Congress passed additional legislation called the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), which changed rules around reporting again, making it so that new regulations would be enacted after the new year. In the face of the CRRSAA’s passage and the necessity of formulating new requirements, the deadline for completing post-payment reporting has been pushed back.

When Do The Changes Take Effect?

In the wake of new legislation, HHS has been developing a system for managing post-payment reporting. HHS announced these changes would be effective starting January 15, 2021.

Registration has opened, but no deadline has been announced yet. That makes it a perfect time for healthcare providers who have received more than $10,000 in federal aid and aren’t eligible for an exception to start the reporting process now so that it does not create problems down the road if a deadline should be announced.

Are There Exceptions to the Changes?

Currently, changes to the reporting requirements apply to all healthcare providers who have received $10,000 or more in federal aid. However, the conditions are different for a few select groups who have experienced unique difficulties in the face of COVID-19:

• Nursing Home Infection Control distribution recipients
• Rural Health Clinic Testing distribution recipients
• Participants in HRSA’s COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured Program

To find out more about changes to the Provider Relief Fund, or discuss medical practice software solutions, call the MedTrainer team today