HRSA April 13 update: HHS Distributing $1.75 Billion in Provider Relief Fund Payments to Health Care Providers Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Department of “HHS” (Health and Human Services), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced today that the 3680 providers around the country would receive over $1.75 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments. Since November 2021, HRSA has issued almost $13.5 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments to approximately 86,000 providers and nearly $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to more than 44,000 providers.
HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said, “Health care providers have been diligent in protecting their communities and ensuring access to health services during the pandemic. Resources from the Provider Relief Fund continue to help providers retain and recruit key personnel, execute safety measures, and remain their doors open to care for their patients.” (13 April 2022, HRSA Press release)
HHS will launch applications for $25.5 billion in COVID-19 provider financing in September 2021. Around $21 billion of this funding has been distributed in this latest round of payments. Phase 4 payments include bonus payments for providers who serve Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries and reimburse smaller providers for higher losses during the pandemic.
Until June 30, 2023, providers can use Provider Relief Fund payments received in the first half of 2022 to compensate for losses and expenditures. Approximately 92% of all Phase 4 applications have been processed due to these new payments. The remaining applications will review manually, and HRSA will work to process them as promptly as possible.
Provider Relief Fund payments would play a significant role in the national response to COVID-19. It will help health care providers prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Health care providers can use the funds/payments for various COVID-related expenses. These include managing staff challenges through recruiting and retention efforts in order to ensure patient access to treatment.
View a state-by-state breakdown of all Phase four payments disbursed to date.
Individual providers will be reflected in the public dataset as they agree to the terms and conditions of Phase 4 payments.
For more information, https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief.
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