Senators express concern with changes to Provider Relief Fund reporting requirements

A bipartisan group of 32 senators today expressed concerns that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Sept. 19 change to COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund reporting requirements will create uncertainty and financial hardship for hospitals, particularly those in rural areas. “In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our health care providers need more certainty, not less,” says the letter, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

In a separate letter led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., 22 Senate Democrats urged HHS to reinstate the original June requirements for determining lost revenue “in order to prevent unnecessary financial uncertainty for hospitals and health care providers and to prevent them from being forced to return PRF funds that they have already received.”

The AHA last month urged HHS to reinstate the reporting requirements outlined in its June 19 FAQ that defined both expenses and lost revenues attributable to COVID-19.