If you received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund CMS is now giving you 45 days to attest to receiving the funds and agree to the terms and conditions or return them. Originally, providers had only 30 days.
By May 24, most physicians will need to complete the attestation process for their portion of the first $30 billion tranche of the $100 billion provider relief fund provided for in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. A lump sum payment was transferred around April 10 by direct deposit to each physician organization’s tax identification number (TIN) that normally receives Medicare payments. The electronic funds transfer came from Optum Bank with “HHSPAYMENT” as the payment description. Providers who normally receive a paper check for reimbursement from CMS received a paper check in the mail around the end of April.
If you received a payment, you must complete the attestation process within 45 days of receipt. If you do not contact the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding remittance of those funds, you are deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions.
On or about April 24, the second $20 billion tranche was distributed to some providers to augment their allocation so that the whole $50 billion general distribution ($30 billion on April 10 plus $20 billion on April 24) is allocated proportional to providers’ share of 2018 net patient revenue. Providers without adequate cost report data on file must submit their revenue information for additional general distribution funds. Providers who receive their money automatically will still need to submit their revenue information so that it can be verified. The attestation process automatically takes providers through the steps to determine if they qualify for this additional payment first before obtaining attestation information for both the provider’s allocation of the original $30 billion tranche and the subsequent $20 billion tranche.
Visit the HHS CARES Act Provider Relief Fund page
