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Karl Rebay, Partner, Moss Adams Georgia Green, Manager, Health Care Consulting Practice, Moss Adams

COVID-19 Grants and Funding Updates for the Health Care Sector


By Karl Rebay
Partner, Moss Adams

By Georgia Green
Manager, Health Care Consulting Practice, Moss Adams

See all this Month's Articles

Original Publish Date: July 7, 2020

This article is up-to-date as of July 1, 2020. We’ll continue to revise it as new information becomes available.

There are a number of financial relief efforts for the health care sector due to COVID-19 disruption. Details about grants and funding opportunities as well as important considerations for health care entities are below.

Federal Funds

Congress approved funding packages that have been and will continue to be awarded to federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

Large sums have been designated for health care industry purposes. The federal agencies will award the funds directly to health care providers as well as to states or state agencies, which will then pass the funds to hospitals and provider recipients.

Following are the distribution amounts to date.

Current Funding Sources Available

Here is a list of the funding sources available. We’ll continue to update it with new opportunities.

Note on FEMA Funds

FEMA funds are awarded via a state, tribal, or territorial agreement (recipient) and then distributed to government and not-for-profit organizations (applicants). Organizations, including private not-for-profits, district hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and clinics, can apply for public assistance once the recipient sets up an account for the applicant. Applicants must use the Grants Portal to submit a Streamlined Application for COVID-19-related expenses.

Assistance for emergency protective measures and activities include, but aren’t limited to:

Additional Resources

Applicants in any state can contact their Moss Adams professional for further information and guidance through this process.

Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments

Beginning on Monday, March 30, 2020, Medicare providers may submit Accelerated and Advance Payment Request forms to their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), via the MAC’s website. Their goal is to review and issue payment within seven days.

There are four requirements:

  1. Filed Medicare claims within 180 days
  2. Not in bankruptcy
  3. Not in active medical review or program integrity investigation, which includes any current Targeted Program Educate (TPE) audits or requests (known or unknown) and Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) audits
  4. No outstanding delinquent overpayment amounts due for which you’ve received notification, including any you believe are incorrect

The last two requirements could be challenging for many hospitals if they don’t know their current status on TPE or other audits with Medicare. It’s recommended providers assess their audits, medical review, and overpayments status.

According to the CMS Fact Sheet:

Claims will continue to be submitted and paid for the first 120 days; after this point, an automatic recoupment process will begin.

Philanthropic Funds

Additional funding sources may be available through regional philanthropic organizations for COVID-19 response.

Loans

One compelling option is the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) Loan Expansion, the Paycheck Protection Program, which was part of the CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020, and greatly expanded and updated on April 24, 2020. Please see our updated guidance below.

Additional Resources

Additional Non-Application Based Assistance

Some benefits to help reduce hardship will be given to health care providers universally, without requiring an application or reporting process.

Universal Benefits

Strategic Considerations

To utilize current and future grant funding, staff must be trained on COVID-19 billing and coding procedures. This will help them provide complete and accurate counts of patients, procedures, and tests specifically related to the disaster.

Thorough record-keeping is essential—both for reimbursable direct costs such as testing kits as well as timekeeping for administrative staff that reflects added tasks and time related to the disaster.

Telehealth Billing

Demand and reimbursement for telehealth services is greatly expanded with required matching to the equivalent in-person service. It’s incumbent upon providers to develop capacity to provide these services.

Both telehealth and visits using noninteractive audio and video are available to furnish services. Ideally, telehealth service should integrate with the electronic health record for continuity of documentation practices and staff should be trained in telehealth billing procedures. Concise information about telehealth can be found on a web page created by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA).

Use the following when billing for telehealth during the pandemic:

We’re Here to Help

Navigating the application process for federal and state grants as well as other funding sources can be challenging, requires swift action, and oftentimes needs extensive supporting documentation.

And the process doesn’t stop once you apply for the funds. After an application is submitted, you’ll need to have ongoing administration to help receive available funds, account for them correctly, and decipher complex rules and regulations relating to funding overlap.

To learn more about applying for available grants and funding and subsequent administration, contact your Moss Adams professional.

Note on COVID-19

During this unparalleled time, we’re closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it evolves so we can provide up-to-date guidance and support to help you combat uncertainty. For regulatory updates, strategies to help cope with subsequent risk, and possible steps to bolster your workforce and organization, please see the following resources:

Karl Rebay has worked in health care consulting since 1994. He specializes in provider operations and finance, strategic business planning, and capitation arrangements to assist hospitals, physician organizations, health plans, and management services organizations. He can be reached at (949) 623-4193 or karl.rebay@mossadams.com.

Georgia Green has worked in the health care industry since 2011. She provides strategic and operational consulting services to health care providers and payers and has extensive experience helping clients integrate value-based care models from start to finish. She can be reached at (916) 503-8251 or georgia.green@mossadams.com.