PRF Phase Three Payments Going out to Providers

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Jeff Bostic

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) started distributing payments to providers who applied for phase three of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) general distribution. Nationally, they are distributing $24.5 billion to more than 70,000 health care providers. The basis for the payments is half of the reported lost revenue and increased expenses from the first half of this year.  Combined with previous PRF payments this is designed to cover the majority of the lost revenue and higher expenses experienced by health care providers through June.

In the first portion of the phase three distribution, 955 health care providers in Minnesota will receive more than $90 million. Note that this first portion of payments is less than half of the total distribution of $24.5 billion, so both of those numbers will grow.  Congress is currently working on a further Covid-19 relief bill, and if that passes additional PRF funding should be available sometime early in the new year for providers who have continued to have impacts on revenue and expenses in the second half of this year.