Key Information About the Provider Relief Fund Portal
The wait is finally over! The Provider Relief Fund Portal opened up to organizations on July 1, 2021.
Although there will most likely be some pain, confusion, and/or changes along the way for this process, below are some key items that you should know in regard to the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting requirement to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
Who is required to report the use of the PRF to HRSA?
Any organization that received total funds greater than $10,000 during the period of April 10, 2020, through June 30, 2020.
If you received additional funding after June 30, 2020, you must wait to report on those funds until the required reporting period noted below even if the organizations have used the funding in its entirety on eligible expenses and loss revenue. Organizations that do not report within the respective Reporting Time Period are out of compliance with payment Terms and Conditions and funds may be subject to recoupment.
Reporting Period | Payment Received Period | Deadline to use funds | Reporting Time Period |
1 | April 10, 2020, to June 30, 2020 | June 30, 2021 | July 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021 |
2 | July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2022, to March 31, 2022 |
3 | January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021 | June 30, 2022 | July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022 |
4 | July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2022 | January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023 |
As noted in the table above, for each reporting period, the organization has 90 days after the deadline to use funds to report the use of the PRF.
What are the first steps to report of the use of PRF?
Before reporting begins, the organization must register as a PRF Reporting Portal user. Please note that the registration process must be completed in one session and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
What are some key items that need to be reported?
- Interest Earned on PRF Payments, Tax information, and Single Audit information
- If the funds were held in an interest-bearing account, the interest must be reported to HRSA.
- Other Assistance Received
- Report any additional COVID-related funding received during the calendar year by quarters for 2020 and 2021.
- Examples of Other Assistance
- Department of the Treasury and/or Small Business Administration Assistance
- Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs
- HHS CARES Act Testing
- Local, State, and Tribal Government Assistance
- Business Insurance
- Expenses for Payments Received During the Payment Period
- Report eligible General and Administration and Healthcare Related expenses.
- Note that the expenses reported are not allowed to be recorded if reimbursed by other sources received by the organization.
- Actual Patient Care Revenue or Lost Revenue
- The organization has three methods to choose from when calculating lost revenue by payor buckets:
- 2019 Actual Results – Calendar year quarters, which will then be compared to 2020 calendar year quarters.
- 2020 Budget Revenue – Budget must have been approved before March 27, 2020, and proof must be submitted to the portal. The 2020 Budget revenue by quarter is then compared to the 2020 actual calendar year quarters (uses 2019 calendar year quarters as the baseline.)
- Alternate Reasonable Methodology – The organization must submit a narrative explaining the methodology, the calculation description, and any additional supporting documentation that the organization finds helpful. HRSA will notify the organization if their proposed methodology is not reasonable. If that is the case, the organization has 30 days to resubmit the application using on the other two methodologies.
- The organization has three methods to choose from when calculating lost revenue by payor buckets:
What happens if there are unused PRF Payments?
The organization must return unused PRF payments within 30 calendar days after the end of the applicable Period of Reporting through the Reporting Portal.
Helpful Links:
Here is the link to access the Provider Relief Fund Reporting Portal where you are able to register as well as submit your report.
Here is the link to access detail instructions on how to register as a user and how to report the use of the PRF.
If you have questions about the information outlined above, our seasoned and experienced professionals are here to help. You can learn more about our Healthcare services by visiting our website and don’t hesitate to contact Janice Snyder, Partner at jsnyder@macpas.com. If you have any questions regarding this article, contact Kady Faller, Audit Supervisor.
About the Author
Kady joined McKonly & Asbury in 2016 and is currently a Manager with the firm. As a member of the Audit & Assurance Segment, she focuses on providing client services, particularly in the areas of healthcare entity audits and single… Read more