Federal Agencies Offer Financial Assistance for Health Care Professionals and Practices

Psychiatrists and other health care professionals who need financial support to continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for assistance from the federal government. There are several options to choose from depending on practice setting and services provided. The options include the following:

• The COVID-19 Telehealth Program, a $200 million program administered by the Federal Communications Commission, is now accepting applications to help health professionals who provide telehealth services to patients in their homes or in mobile locations during the pandemic. This program is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in March. It will enable eligible nonprofit and public health care professionals to purchase telecommunications equipment, broadband connectivity, and devices necessary to engage in telehealth. This program is not a grant program. Eligible health care professionals who are approved for funding will be required to submit an invoicing form and supporting documentation to receive reimbursement for eligible expenses and services.
• The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund is also part of the CARES Act. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is beginning to disburse the first part of the $100 billion dollar fund. As part of the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, these payments are not loans and will not need to be repaid, although recipients must accept the terms and conditions of the payments. Eligible recipients will receive a portion of the initial $30 billion based on their share of total Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019.
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) has expanded its Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program to a broader group of those who provide care through Medicare Part A or Part B. CMS is authorized to provide accelerated or advance payments during the period of the public health emergency to those who submit a request to the appropriate Medicare Administrative Contractor and meet the required qualifications. CMS has extended the repayment of the accelerated and advance payments to begin 120 days after the date the payment was issued.

(Image: iStock/flySnow)

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APA Members Invited to Join AHA Webinar to Focus on Lessons Learned Regarding Behavioral Health Services During COVID-19 Pandemic

Wednesday, April 22, 2-3 p.m. ET

Senior leaders from Baltimore’s Sheppard Pratt Health System, including President and CEO and AHA Trustee Harsh Trivedi, M.D., will discuss how they re-engineered care processes, developed new care protocols for agitated patients, and created a virtual emergency department assessment to decrease the number of psychiatric patients in the ED during the COVID-19 surge. Sheppard Pratt also will discuss its efforts to support staff and build resilience during the crisis. Register for the webinar here.

APA Praises Mental Health Provisions in COVID-19 Stimulus Aid Package

APA today praised Congress for approving a $2 trillion stimulus aid package to provide fiscal relief for Americans and businesses in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), includes many provisions supported by APA that will enable psychiatrists and mental health care professionals to better respond to the pandemic. President Donald Trump signed the legislation on March 27..

“You can’t have a healthy economy without healthy people—and that includes mental health,” said APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D. “This stimulus bill will strengthen our ability to help the millions of Americans with existing mental illnesses or substance use disorders, and more with emerging mental health issues as the pandemic unfolds. This is a promising development in the nation’s efforts to fight the impact of COVID-19.”

Among the provisions of the CARES Act that APA supports are $425 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration programs (including $250 for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and $50 million for suicide prevention programs) and $4 billion for community health centers. The bill further loosens restrictions governing telehealth services by repealing the Medicare requirement that allows only health care professionals to see a patient remotely if they have previously seen that patient within the past three years. The legislation also aligns 42 CFR Part II with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to allow sharing of substance use disorder records between health care professionals. Additionally, the legislation suspends the 2% Medicare sequester cut through December 2020.

“As we respond to one of the largest public health threats facing our country in decades, funding for behavioral health initiatives and expanding telemedicine is critical,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “We strongly believe that federal and state government will need to continue to support physicians, who will be working long hours and in many cases risking their own health, as we continue to address this pandemic.”

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APA’s COVID-19 Resource Center Keeps You Updated

APA’s COVID-19 Resource Center brings together a number of useful resources from APA and other authoritative sources to help you deal with the COVID-19 crisis.