$10 Billion to Rural Health Providers – $1+ Million To Every CAH

01 May $10 Billion to Rural Health Providers – $1+ Million To Every CAH

HHS recognizes that rural hospitals and other rural providers operate on thin margins even during “normal” times, but with the advent of COVID-19, they are particularly hard hit. Therefore, under this targeted provider relief, four kinds of rural healthcare providers will receive dollars:

• Rural Acute Care General Hospitals
• Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs),
• Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and
• Community Health Centers located in rural areas.
• Hospitals and RHCs will each receive a minimum base payment, plus a percent of their annual expenses. This expense-based method accounts for operating cost and lost revenue incurred by rural hospitals for both inpatient and outpatient services.
• The base payment will account for RHCs with no reported Medicare claims, such as pediatric RHCs, and CHCs lacking expense data, by ensuring that all clinical, non-hospital sites receive a minimum level of support no less than $100,000, with additional payment based on operating expenses.
• Rural acute care general hospitals and CAHs will receive a minimum level of support of no less than $1,000,000, with additional payment based on operating expenses.
• 7,988 providers in 56 states and territories will receive funding.
• Eligible providers will begin receiving funds in the coming days via direct deposit, based on the physical address of the facilities as reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), regardless of their affiliation with organizations based in urban areas.
• To see how much each state or territory received from the $10 billion and how many providers received money in each state or territory, go here.