Monday, June 22, 2020

HHS, CMS to Host Sessions on Applying for Provider Relief, Information on COVID-19

1. Help on Applying for Provider Relief

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this month launched the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal to distribute $15 billion in CARES Act Provider Relief Fund payments to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) physicians and organizations. The new portal was developed for providers who did not receive payments under the previous general distribution.

Among the providers who may be eligible for this funding include opioid treatment and behavioral health providers, assisted living facilities, and other home and community-based service providers, according to an HHS press release. “To be eligible for this funding, health care providers must not have received payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution and either have directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services between January 1, 2018, to May 31, 2020.”

HHS will host two webcasts this week for physicians and other health care professionals who are interested in learning more about the application process to acquire these funds (registration is required):

  • Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. ET
  • Thursday, June 25, at 2 p.m. ET

“At this time, this portal will serve as the point of entry for providers who have received Medicaid and CHIP payments in 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020 and who have not already received any payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution,” the agency wrote in FAQs. The site is open to all providers who want to apply for a Provider Relief Fund payment, regardless of network affiliation or payer contract, the agency noted.

(Image: iStock/jacoblund)



2. Next COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Call:
Tuesday, June 23, 5 p.m.-6 p.m. ET


The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hosts stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and subject matter experts. Conference lines are limited so you are invited to join via audio webcast on your computer or smartphone web browser.

Toll-Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820

Access Passcode: 5775248

Audio Webcast link

All call recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page.



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