AHA urges HHS to let providers use relief funds until COVID-19 ends
The provider relief funds have been a lifeline for hospitals and health systems during the pandemic, AHA said.
(Photo by Cavan Images/Getty Images)
The American Hospital Association sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week asking the agency to allow providers to use their COVID-19 relief fund grants past the current deadline, which is set for June 30.
The hospital lobby is asking for an extension of the deadline until the end of the public health emergency.
The provider relief funds have been a lifeline for hospitals and health systems during the pandemic, AHA said, and in some cases have ensured that facilities are able to keep their doors open.
New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have slowed since the pandemic's winter peak, but are still significant. The AHA pointed to the fact that about 50,000 new cases are still occurring each day, while there are still more than 35,000 patients on average who have remained hospitalized over the past several days.
"Hospitals and health systems continue to incur expenses related to these COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, such as ensuring an adequate workforce, acquiring equipment and supplies such as personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and safety equipment, and maintaining testing and additional screening for every hospital patient," the AHA wrote. "They absolutely should be able to apply their PRF funds toward these costs, which they will undoubtedly continue to incur beyond June 30 and through the end of the PHE."
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
The Provider Relief Fund has been a source of financial backing for a number of different efforts and initiatives, including the training, staffing and storage related to COVID-19 vaccines. Typically, providers would bill either insurance plans or patients for these expenses, but providers must administer the COVID-19 vaccine at no out-of-pocket cost to the recipient, according to a policy reiterated by HHS in April when reports surfaced of patients being charged.
In a Dec. 29, 2020 letter to CMS, the AHA recommended that CMS increase the payment rates for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to reflect the higher resource costs involved in administering the COVID-19 vaccine compared to other preventive vaccines. In March, Medicare upped the payment for a single dose COVID-19 vaccine, from $28.39 to approximately $40 for its administration.
For COVID-19 vaccines requiring multiple doses, such as Pfizer and Moderna, Medicare increased payment to about $40 for each dose, from $16.94 for the initial dose and $28.39 for the second.
THE LARGER TREND
As of Friday, there were 156,197,025 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world, including more than 32.6 million in the U.S., which leads the world. The U.S. also leads the world in virus-related deaths, with 580,076, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.
India is second in the world in terms of cases, with more than 21.9 million, while Brazil comes in third at roughly 15 million. Brazil has recorded the second-highest number of deaths, at more than 416,000, while India has the third-highest death rate, with more than 234,000.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
