Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to distribute $15 billion from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers.
The deadline to apply and submit patient revenue data is July 20.
Eligible physicians who have not already received funds from the Provider Relief Fund may apply through the new
HHS application portal. Payments will be at least 2% of reported 2019 gross revenue from patient care, as determined based on patient revenue data submitted and the number of Medicaid patients served.
An archived HHS webcast,
Getting Started with the Provider Relief Fund for the Medicaid and CHIP Distribution, provides additional details and answers to questions about the application process. Bookmark and visit the
CARES Act Provider Relief Fund homepage for updates.
Why a new application portal?
Q: Why is there a new Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal?
A: The portal will initially be used for new submissions from Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers seeking payments under the Provider Relief Fund. At this time, this portal will serve as the point of entry for providers who have received Medicaid and CHIP payments in 2017, 2018, 2019 or 2020 and who have not already received any payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution.
Q: What is the difference between the first Provider Relief Fund payment portal and the enhanced portal for the Medicaid targeted distribution?
A: The first portal was used for providers who received a general distribution payment prior to April 24. These providers were required to submit financial information in order to receive approximately 2% of gross revenues derived from patient care.
HHS has developed the new, enhanced portal for providers who did not receive payments under the previous general distribution, including those providers who bill Medicaid and CHIP (e.g., pediatricians, long-term care, and behavioral health providers).