(800) 585-5242 info@sdwems.com

Applying for money from the $20 Billion for General Allocation Relief Fund
You must have accepted Round 1 funding and completed the attestation (Portal Link).
Complete the User Application Guide (Link).
In the application portal (link), you will need:

  • Tax ID Number
  • Bank account number into which the first round of relief funding was deposited
  • Dollar amount of first round (Tranche 1) deposit
  • Email account you’re using on the application
  • PDF copy of your most recent tax return, 990 (if non-profit), or most recent audited financial statements or other reporting if you are a governmental agency (see FAQ link).

Funds are released every Friday. The sooner you complete the validation, the sooner you will receive your payment. 

Part of this application involves an estimate of your lost net revenue from March and April 2020 dates of service. Providers should have a fact-based, reasonable way to make this estimate. You should also document your calculation method and your fact base.

Reimbursement for the testing and treatment of uninsured COVID-19/COVID-19 presumptive patients
HHS will reimburse for testing and treatment of uninsured COVID or COVID presumptive patients for emergency and non-emergency ground ambulance transports, and any testing performed. To qualify, a provider must:

  1. Reasonably know that the patient is truly uninsured (SDW will document its insurance searches).
  2. Accept program’s reimbursement as payment in full.
  3. Not balance bill COVID-19 patients
  4. Abide by Terms & Conditions of Relief Funding, including a potential post-payment review (audit)

The timeline for the program is as follows:
April 27: Sign up period begins. This must be completed by the provider and cannot be done by SDW – we do not have the authority to do this on your behalf.
April 29: On-demand training opens for claims submission.
May 6: Begin submitting claims electronically.
Mid-May: Reimbursement begins. 

HERE is a link to the program website, including the registration, FAQ, and overview. 

Reimbursement will be made for: qualifying testing for COVID-19 and treatment services with a primary COVID-19 diagnosis, including the following:

  • Specimen collection, diagnostic and antibody testing.
  • Testing-related visits including in the following settings: office, urgent care or emergency room or via telehealth.
  • Treatment: office visit (including via telehealth), emergency room, inpatient, outpatient/observation, skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care (LTAC), acute inpatient rehab, home health, DME (e.g., oxygen, ventilator), emergency ground ambulance transportation, non-emergent patient transfers via ground ambulance, and FDA approved drugs as they become available for COVID-19 treatment and administered as part of an inpatient stay.

 Services not covered by traditional Medicare will also not be covered under this program. In addition, the following services are excluded:

  • Air and water ambulance.
  • Any treatment without a COVID-19 primary diagnosis, except for pregnancy when the COVID-19 code may be listed as secondary.

 All claims submitted must be complete and final. The program begins retroactively to February 4, 2020, and extends until the Public Health Emergency ends.

There is speculation these funds for uninsured patients will run out, so it is important that you register ASAP and that Systems Design West has your claims in-house and ready to submit on May 6th. Presumably you must have participated in the other parts of the HHS funding to participate in this, although it is unclear at this time. 

Your clear documentation of suspected COVID-19 patients is critical in our ability to be able to route these claims correctly in these new programs. Please continue to monitor your crews’ documentation for billing. 

Governmental and municipal agencies may want to consider attending this American Ambulance Association webinar for additional information on all of the funding sources available to them at this time. 

Disclaimer: Systems Design West provides this information to be a helpful resource to providers, however each provider is solely responsible for understanding the programs in which it will be participating and abiding by the terms and conditions associated with all.