Hospitals sort through the last 18-plus months to report expenses and lost revenue on a pandemic that is not over

• The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) became available to providers on July 1.
• Portal and Reporting FAQs continue to be updated as providers ask for clarification on guidance surrounding the reporting of varying financial structures, expenses and losses in revenue.
• The HRSA provider support line’s steep learning curve has been strained as providers call in with detailed questions on how and when to report detailed expenses, losses in revenue and to get clarification on the impacts of different sources of COVID-19 funding.
• Providers anxiously await to hear what the appeal process structure will be for PRF funds reporting as they do their best to sort through the complexities of reporting and draft playbooks that they hope will help prepare them for future audits.

Providers should develop a strategy for PRF portal reporting early on to ensure that they account for all detailed expenses and loss of revenue to maximize PRF distributions and meet the aggressive portal reporting deadlines.

To ensure compliance with the reporting process, providers should review the reporting portal early, the HHS resources as they are regularly updated and the GAQC website. 

While HFMA understands that providers may want to save FAQs, tutorials and guides as historical records, we strongly encourage referring to live online guidance materials to capture the latest updates from HHS regarding the PRF reporting process. Providers should also consider audit preparation and risk when completing the reporting requirements and recognize that building a playbook to prepare for future audits can be crucial.

PRF reporting process resources

HFMA recently published an article by Norman Mosrie, CPA, DHG Healthcare partner-in-charge, assurance services and chair of the HFMA Principles and Practices Board, and Sabrina E. Preston, DHG Healthcare senior manager, on how to successfully navigate the PRF reporting process. HFMA also has compiled the following resource list to assist providers with the PRF reporting process:

• June 11, 2021 Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements
• Portal Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Portal Use Guide – Registration
• Portal Use Guide – Reporting
• Portal Worksheets (downloads a pdf)
• Reporting Portal Registration Tutorial
• Provider Relief Fund Reporting Tutorial
• Reporting Specific FAQs
• Reporting and Auditing Webpage
• Reporting One-Pager
• Stakeholder Toolkit
• July 8, 2021 PRF Reporting Portal: Provider Webcast Slides
• HRSA Provider Support Line:
  (866) 569-3522 for TTY dial 711
  Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT, Monday thru Friday

Takeaways

Preparation is key to helping healthcare providers navigate the PRF process. Here are a few other takeaways to keep in mind.

•  Become familiar with the HHS resources, guides, tutorials, FAQ’s and example worksheets early on to prepare for reporting and to get a strong strategy in place (see list of resources above).
•  Note that HRSA has more recently provided guidance that all reporting periods can go back to as early as Jan. 1, 2020, to assign funds to expenses and lost revenue, allowing for retention of more of PRF for quarters where COVID-19 expenses surged in response to regional fluctuations during the pandemic.
•  Visit online resources regularly to check for updates, especially when it comes to lost revenue guidance as HRSA and HHS are continually revising and clarifying online FAQs.
•  It is never too early to start preparing and getting your strategy in place, even if your first reporting period falls later on the timeline. We do not recommend relying on HRSA to provide any additional timeline extensions.