Deadline extended by 45 days for accepting Provider Relief Funds
Last week, HHS announced a 45-day deadline extension for providers to accept the terms and conditions for provider relief fund payments. This extension gives providers a total of 90 days from the date they received a payment to review and comply with the terms and conditions or return the funds.
If a provider receives payment and does not wish to comply with these terms and conditions, the provider must do the following: contact HHS within 90 days of receipt of payment and then remit the full payment to HHS as instructed. For further information, please see the HHS Provider Relief site.
HHS adds ‘change in ownership’ guidance to provider relief FAQs
HHS has updated its FAQs document to address concerns related to mergers and acquisitions of provider organizations, including practices. There are a few general principles that run through this most recent guidance.
First, General Distribution funds cannot be transferred mid transaction between owners/entities, rather the funds must flow from HHS to the owner/practice.
Second, the attestation of the General Distribution terms and conditions necessitates that the entity that is receiving the funds has provided diagnoses, testing or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19 and can substantiate that these funds were used for increased health care-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to coronavirus, and that those expenses or losses were not reimbursed from other sources and other sources were not obligated to reimburse them.
For more information, view the updated FAQs from HHS.
COVID-19 dermatology registry qualifies for a MIPS Improvement Activity
CMS has confirmed that reporting at least one case to the COVID-19 dermatology case registry is acceptable for the attestation of the high-weighted practice Improvement Activity (IA), “COVID-19 Clinical Trials related to the Emergency Response & Preparedness,” under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
Documentation requirements should remain available for at least six years in the event the eligible clinician or group was asked by CMS to provide further information or validation of their performance. To learn more:
View the Quality Payment Program fact sheet
Contact macra@aad.org if you need assistance with MIPS reporting or have questions
U.S. House of Representatives passes Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7010, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which would provide access to funds through the end of 2020 and ease restrictions on businesses to receive loan forgiveness. Specifically, the bill would:
Reduce the percentage of the loan required to be spent on payroll from 75 percent to 60 percent, in order to benefit from full loan forgiveness
Expand the loan forgiveness period from eight weeks to 24 weeks
Provide an exemption for companies that attempt to rehire or replace their employees but are unable to do so
The Senate, which is currently in recess, is expected to address expanding the PPP as well and could go into a pro-forma session later this week to act on legislation introduced by Senator Marco Rubio, who is the chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
The AAD will continue to track COVID-19 developments, along with member issues and experiences, and provide updates on telehealth, small business relief, clinical guidance, and more via email and at www.aad.org/coronavirus.
Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Dermatology
Our address is 9500 W Bryn Mawr Avenue, Ste 500, Rosemont, IL 60018, US