A Lifeline for Dental Practices

The Health and Human Services (HHS) CARES Act Provider Relief Fund has been a literal lifeline for dental practices across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible dentists can receive a reimbursement of 2% of their annual reported patient revenue.  Funds were originally intended only for those with Medicaid eligibility, but have finally opened up to non-Medicaid providers, allowing dentists across the country to be awarded business-saving financial help. This new round of HHS funding has an application deadline of August 28th, 2020, making it especially important to apply if you think that your practice might be eligible. Here are some guidelines to know about the application and approval process:

The applicant must meet all of the following requirements (all 6):

1. Must not have received payment from the $50 billion General Distribution; and
2. Either
   1. Must have either (i) directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services during the period of January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, or (ii) own (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has either directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services during the period of January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019; or
   2. Must be a dental service provider who has either (i) directly billed health insurance companies for oral healthcare-related services, or (ii) owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that has directly billed health insurance companies for oral healthcare-related services; or
   3. Must be a licensed dental service provider who does not accept insurance and has either (i) directly billed patients for oral healthcare-related services, or (ii) who owns (on the application date) an included subsidiary that does not accept insurance and has directly billed patients for oral healthcare-related services;
3. Must have either (i) filed a federal income tax return for fiscal years 2017, 2018 or 2019 or (ii) be an entity exempt from the requirement to file a federal income tax return and have no beneficial owner that is required to file a federal income tax return. (e.g. a state-owned hospital or healthcare clinic); and
4. Must have provided patient care after January 31, 2020; and
5. Must not have permanently ceased providing patient care directly, or indirectly through included subsidiaries; and
6. If the applicant is an individual, have gross receipts or sales from providing patient care reported on Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, excluding income reported on a W-2 as a (statutory) employee.

We’ve compiled some helpful HHS links in order to make this process a bit easier to navigate and complete:

The 6 steps for dentists to apply are found on this page (with dropdown links): https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html#6-step

Application portal for dentists: https://cares.linkhealth.com/#/

General Application Instructions: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/medicaid-provider-distribution-instructions.pdf?language=es

Pdf version of the application: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/medicaid-provider-distribution-application-form.pdf

Program terms and conditions: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/terms-and-conditions-medicaid-relief-fund.pdf

Helpline telephone #: 866-569-3522

With so many different forms of government healthcare funding during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s helpful to ensure that you’re getting what your practice is owed for continuing to provide important patient care. If you think your practice fits the bill, apply before the deadline to guarantee timely approval and distribution of funds if your application is accepted.