CARES Act

CARES Act: Understanding Provider Relief

CARES Act

The CARES Act has alot to unpack; we can help with that

Passed into law on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also called the “CARES Act”, provided $100 billion in funding for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund is a pre-existing resource overseen by the Office of Financial Planning & Analysis within HHS. The $100 billion added via the CARES Act was made available to qualifying healthcare providers to reimburse them for “health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to [COVID-19]”. The CARES Act stipulated that the $100 billion would be made available to public entities, Medicare or Medicaid enrolled suppliers and providers and other entities as may be further specified in regulations or guidance, provided that any such provider must “provide diagnoses, testing or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19”. Monies received from the Fund may not be used to cover expenses that have already been reimbursed through other sources or that other sources are obligated to reimburse. 

The new funds are in addition to a recent $51 billion expansion to the Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program. But unlike that program, the money now being distributed doesn’t have to be repaid. Distributions to health care providers started on April 10, 2020.

Who is eligible for initial $30 billion (as per HHS.gov):

  • All facilities and providers that received Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursements in 2019 are eligible for this initial rapid distribution.
  • Payments to practices that are part of larger medical groups will be sent to the group’s central billing office.
    • All relief payments are made to the billing organization according to its Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
  • As a condition to receiving these funds, providers must agree not to seek collection of out-of-pocket payments from a COVID-19 patient that are greater than what the patient would have otherwise been required to pay if the care had been provided by an in-network provider.
  • This quick dispersal of funds will provide relief to both providers in areas heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and those providers who are struggling to keep their doors open due to healthy patients delaying care and cancelled elective services.
  • If you ceased operation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are still eligible to receive funds so long as you provided diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19. Care does not have to be specific to treating COVID-19. HHS broadly views every patient as a possible case of COVID-19.

How are payment distributions determined:

  • Providers will be distributed a portion of the initial $30 billion based on their share of total Medicare FFS reimbursements in 2019. Total FFS payments were approximately $484 billion in 2019.
  • A provider can estimate their payment by dividing their 2019 Medicare FFS (not including Medicare Advantage) payments they received by $484,000,000,000 and multiply that ratio by $30,000,000,000. Providers can obtain their 2019 Medicare FFS billings from their organization’s revenue management system.
  • As an example: A community hospital billed Medicare FFS $121 million in 2019. To determine how much they would receive, use this equation:
    • $121,000,000/$484,000,000,000 x $30,000,000,000 = $7,500,000

What to do if you are an eligible provider

  • HHS has partnered with UnitedHealth Group (UHG) to provide rapid payment to providers eligible for the distribution of the initial $30 billion in funds.
  • 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. 
  • 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, 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. The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payment Attestation Portal will guide providers through the attestation process to accept or reject the funds.

The terms and conditions to agree to are as follows:

I acknowledge receipt of $xxx (amount) from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (“Relief Fund”), and accept the Terms & Conditions. If you received a payment from funds appropriated in the Relief Fund under Division B of Public Law 116-127 and retain that payment for at least 30 days without contacting HHS regarding remittance of those funds, you are deemed to have accepted the following Terms & Conditions. This is not an exhaustive list and you must comply with any other relevant statutes and regulations, as applicable. Your commitment to full compliance with all Terms and Conditions is material to the Secretary’s decision to disburse these funds to you. Non-compliance with any Term or Condition is grounds for the Secretary to recoup some or all of the payment made from the Relief Fund. These Terms and Conditions apply directly to the recipient of payment from the Relief Fund. In general, the requirements that apply to the recipient, also apply to sub-recipients and contractors under grants, unless an exception is specified.

By receiving and accepting Relief Fund payment, you attest that in accordance with the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or the “CARES Act”, you are eligible for this payment. You acknowledge that you may be asked to submit to the review process established by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, including its contractor (collectively, “HHS”), to determine your eligibility for this payment. Additionally, upon request by HHS, you will provide any and all information related to the disposition or use of the funds received under the Relief Fund for auditing and/or reporting purposes. I attest that I have the legal authority to act on behalf of the provider group that has received payment under the Relief Fund. For Electronic Funds Transfer / ACH Payments, HHS or its contractor may make adjustments to the payment whenever a correction or change is required. For example, if there is an error, you agree that HHS may correct the error immediately and without notice. Such errors may include, but are not limited to, reversing an improper credit, and correcting calculation and input errors. The right to make adjustments are not subject to any limitations or time constraints, except as required by law.

The referenced “Terms and Conditions” can be found at:

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/relief-fund-payment-terms-and-conditions-attestation-portal-04132020.pdf

If you’re wondering whether you’ll receive a payment based on your 2019 Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements total: CMS partnered with UnitedHealth Group to deliver the stimulus payments. If you haven’t yet received a payment or need to find out if you’re eligible, call UHG’s provider relations department at 866-569-3522.

If you haven’t set up direct deposit through CMS or UHG’s Optum Pay and you qualify for funds, you’ll receive a paper check at a later date. You can set up direct deposit by calling the UHG number listed above.