Operators who received more than $10,000 in Provider Relief Fund payments must now submit healthcare-related expenses attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new guidance released by the Department of Health and Human Services.
HHS released guidance on its post-payment reporting requirements for the program over the weekend in an effort to assess whether providers used their PRF payments properly. The notice provides additional details regarding data elements providers will be required to submit as part of the post-payment reporting process.
Providers will be expected to report their healthcare-related expenses that are not reimbursed by other sources in two categories: general and administrative (G&A) expenses, and healthcare-related operating expenses, LeadingAge explained in a blog post.
Additionally, providers must also report lost revenues if “all PRF dollars received were not consumed by the COVID-19 healthcare-related expenses.”
The data elements must be submitted for calendar years 2019 and 2020 as part of the reporting process, according to the department. These reporting requirements do not apply to the Nursing Home Infection Control distribution.
Additional data elements operators are being asked to submit include: other types of assistance received, like funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, and information regarding their personnel, patient and facility metrics.
“The reporting guidance confirms that PRF payments can be used through June 2021,” Nicole Fallon, LeadingAge’s vice president of health policy and integrated services, wrote.
“It is not clear if these timelines may shift should Congress appropriate additional dollars for the Provider Relief Fund or if the public health emergency (PHE) is extended beyond October 23, 2020,” she added.
