The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will soon make targeted distributions of the next tranche of the Provider Relief Fund to hospitals and other facilities that have been particularly affected by caring for those with the coronavirus. By 11:59 p.m. ET, hospitals will need to complete the HHS information request on ICU beds, COVID-19 positive patients, etc. Specifically, to be eligible to receive a portion of the $10 billion of the next $70 billion in funding from the CARES Act, providers need to submit the information via a CMS portal. This is not a guarantee of payment—rather, CMS is using this information to decide how to allocate the remaining funds.
HHS is asking facilities to provide the following information:
- Medicare Tax Identification Number (TIN)
- Total number of Intensive Care Unit beds as of April 10, 2020
- Total number of admissions with a positive diagnosis for coronavirus from January 1, 2020 to April 10, 2020
- National Provider Identifier
Site administrators received an email from HHS on Sunday, April 12th, or thereafter, with instructions and a link to register on this portal. Emails would have come from “HHS Protect COVID-19 Portal” at the address Protect-NoReply@hhs.gov. If it is not clear who within your organization received this notification, or if you have questions about the registration process, you may contact TeleTracking Technical Support at 877-570-6903 for assistance.
Contact us for CARES Act and COVID-19 guidance
Husch Blackwell’s CARES Act resource team helps clients identify available assistance using industry-specific updates on changing agency rulemakings. Our COVID-19 response team provides clients with an online legal Toolkit to address challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak, including rapidly changing orders on a state-by-state basis. Contact these legal teams or your Husch Blackwell attorney to plan a way through and beyond the pandemic.