The Kentucky Department for Public Health has distributed a fact sheet that provides guidance on how to request Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in support of health and medical operations during the response to COVID-19. This guidance is specific to the following PPE:
- N95 Masks
- Isolation Gowns
- Face Shields
- Surgical (Droplet Masks)
- Examination Gloves
- Coveralls
The guidance includes the reporting requirements and request process and stipulations related to the review, approval allocation and distribution of PPE. The fact sheet is available here.
CARES Act Emergency Fund Disbursements
This morning the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the immediate disbursement of the first $30 billion out of the $100 billion that Congress allocated to hospitals, physicians and other health care providers in the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
This initial $30 billion is being directed to all hospitals and physician practices that billed Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) in 2019, and disbursements will be in direct proportion to the health care provider’s share of total Medicare FFS reimbursements for that year. Priority for the first $30 billion will be given to providers that care for a large share of Medicare patients. A second disbursement is expected soon that will target providers that do not have high-volumes of Medicare patients as well as providers in COVID-19 hotspots.
These are grants, not loans, and do not have to be repaid. An application is not required to receive the funding. Note that the funds will go to each organization’s TIN which normally receives Medicare payments, not to each individual physician. The automatic payments will come to the organizations via Optum Bank with “HHSPAYMENT” as the payment description. The funds may be used either for health care related expenses or for lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus.
Additional details about the allocation are available at: https://www.hhs.gov/provider-relief/index.html
This website also includes a link to Terms and Conditions for receipt of the funds that each organization receiving the grants will need to attest to within 30 days of receiving the grant. As a part of the Terms and Conditions, physicians must attest that they will not give any surprise medical bills to COVID-19 patients.
