HHS issues clarification to Provider Relief Fund reporting requirements

The Department of Health and Human Services today issued a clarification to its Oct. 22 reporting requirements for providers that received Provider Relief Fund payments.

The Oct. 22 guidance stated that recipients must report their use of PRF payments by submitting the following information:

1. Health care-related expenses attributable to COVID-19 that another source has not reimbursed and is not obligated to reimburse, which may include General and Administrative or health care-related operating expenses; and
2. PRF payment amounts not fully expended on health care-related expenses attributable to COVID-19 are then applied to patient care lost revenues, net of the health care-related expenses attributable to COVID-19 calculated under step 1. Recipients may apply PRF payments toward lost revenue, up to the amount of the difference between their 2019 and 2020 actual patient care revenue. [Italics added.]

As urged by the AHA, HHS now states that health care-related expenses will not be netted against patient care lost revenue in Step 2.