The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will distribute an additional $10 billion to more than 1,000 hospitals with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
The new distribution is a portion of the $175 billion Provider Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This funding is intended to help hospitals and other providers incurring health care expenses and lost revenue related to the pandemic.
In May, HHS disbursed $12 billion in high-impact funding to 395 hospitals that had 100 or more COVID-19 admissions between Jan. 1 and April 10. Since then, HHS began collecting updated data on hospitals’ COVID-19 admissions between Jan. 1 and June 10. Using this data, HHS will pay $50,000 per eligible admission to hospitals with more than 161 COVID-19 admissions over this period. Alternatively, hospitals that admitted a disproportionate number of COVID-19 patients, as measured by their ratio of COVID-19 admissions to beds, will receive high-impact funding.
HHS will account for funding received by hospitals in the May disbursement of high-impact funds in determining the amount these facilities will receive in the second round.
HHS published a list of hospitals receiving the high-impact funding, as well as a state-by-state breakdown of this funding.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
