Healthcare providers who received more than $10,000 in federal Provider Relief Funds through the CARES Act will have a little longer to report how those funds were used but should still go ahead and establish a reporting account.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this month that the February 15, 2021, deadline for reporting how recipients used the PRF funds is temporarily suspended while the department updates the PRF reporting requirements to comply with the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act passed in December. The new law added another $3 billion in funding to the PRF program and includes language specific to reporting requirements.
Initially, the reporting portal would open January 15, 2021, for providers with February 15, 2021, being the first reporting deadline for all providers to report how the PRF funds were used. The final reporting deadline was set for July 31, 2021.
While the February 15 deadline has been temporarily suspended, the HHS recommends all PRF recipients who have received at least $10,000 in PRF payments establish a reporting account by registering at the PRF reporting portal. Establishing a reporting account through the portal is required in order to advance and fulfill the reporting requirements once the HHS announces the new deadline.
What is needed to complete registration on the reporting portal?
- Tax ID Number (TIN) or other number submitted during the application process, such as Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number;
- Business name as it appears on the W-9 of the reporting entity;
- Contact information of the person responsible for submitting the report;
- Address of the reporting entity as it appears on a W-9;
- Tax ID numbers of any subsidiaries;
- Lost revenues;
- Revenue/net charges from patient care
- Revenue by patient care payor mix
- Payment information for any one of the payments received;
- TIN of entity that received the payment
- Payment amount
- Mode of payment (check or direct deposit)
- Check number or ACH settlement date
- Other assistance received in 2020;
- Paycheck Protection Program loan
- FEMA CARES Act
- CAREs Act Testing
- Local/state/tribal government assistance
- Business insurance
- Other assistance
- Number of employees, including re-hires;
- Number of patient visits and admissions; and
- Number of staffed beds
How can Provider Relief Funds be used?
PRF payments can be used toward healthcare-related expenses attributable to coronavirus that have not been reimbursed by another source. These may include General & Administrative expenses or healthcare-related operating expenses.
Examples of G&A expenses:
- Mortgage/rent: Rent for a clinical setting or medical office building, etc.
- Insurance: Property, malpractice or other business insurance.
- Personnel: Direct employee expenses for staff, such as nurses, administrators, or support personnel.
- Fringe benefits: Health insurance, childcare assistance, overtime pay, hiring bonuses or retention payments to expand or maintain patient care capacity.
- Lease payments: Diagnostic equipment leases or clinical care software leases.
- Utilities/operations: HVAC services, environmental services for cleaning, or food and nutrition services.
Examples of Healthcare-related expenses:
- Supplies: N95 or surgical masks, gowns, temperature monitoring devices or cleaning agents.
- Equipment: Ventilators, HVAC systems or improved filtration for infection control, or lab and radiology diagnostic equipment
- Information technology: Telehealth software and hardware, improved internet services to support increased telehealth or remote working, or new Electronic Medical Record modules to support patient care
- Facilities: temporary Emergency Department expansions or patient volume increases, inpatient unit retrofits to accommodate Covid-19 or other patients, or outpatient clinic enhancements or improved infection control.
Nina Daigle, CPA, is a partner with Antares Group, Inc. She can be reached at ndaigle@antarescpas.com.
