Provider Alert! Provider resources: Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) ACT and more

Attention: All Providers
Effective Date: March 27, 2020

Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event.\

Call to action: TCHP sincerely appreciates the care you and your staff deliver to our members and want you to know that we are here to provide guidance and support to you during this health crisis. Your ongoing business continuity is important to us therefore below you will find a series of public information resources created out of the COVID-19 event impact. 

New information effective August 5, 2020:

• Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced that the federal government has further extended the deadline to apply for the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund. The deadline has now been extended to Aug. 28, 2020 for Medicaid and CHIP providers as the state responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline was previously announced as extended to August 3, 2020 but due to low number of applicants, the deadline was extended to August 28, 2020.
• In addition, starting August 10, 2020, Medicare providers can apply for additional funding from the $20 billion portion of the $50 billion Phase 1 Medicare General Distribution.
• Provider Relief Funds may be used to cover the following:
  • Lost revenue due to COVID-19 or health related expenses purchased to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the virus, including supplies and equipment to provide health care services for COVID-19 patients
  • Workforce training, reporting test results to federal, state, or local governments, and acquiring additional resources, equipment, supplies, staffing and technology to expand and preserve care delivery

Up to $15 billion from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund is available to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs.

How this impacts providers: Resources available to you as a small business owner:

• CARES Act Provider Relief Fund

• Funding options: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options
  • https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/sba-express-bridge-loans
  • https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/economic-injury-disaster-loan-emergency-advance
  • https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program-ppp
  • https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/sba-debt-relief 
• Local assistance: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/

• Workplace practices that reduces the transmission of COVID-19:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fguidance-business-response.html

• Texas Department of Insurance updates and preparations:
  https://www.tdi.texas.gov/news/2020/coronavirus-updates.html
• Cultural sensitivity and awareness:
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/reducing-stigma.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fsymptoms-testing%2Freducing-stigma.html

TCHP does not endorse or financially support any of the above programs, but offers them as possible educational resources and assistance sites for our providers seeking business advice.

Next steps for providers: Providers should access our COVID-19 provider communication page at: http://www.thecheckup.org/tag/covid-19/

Provider Relations Liaison contact information is available at: https://www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers/meet-our-team

If you have any questions, please email Provider Network Management at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.

For access to all provider alerts, log into:
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.