The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that $20 billion in new funding for providers, including eligible dentists, would be available in a Phase 3 General Distribution from the Provider Relief Fund created under the CARES Act.
 
Eligible dentists can apply for funds from October 5 through November 6. Dentists will need to submit a new application, even if they previously submitted revenue details for a prior PRF distribution; the application has been updated to include some additional data entries to calculate payment based on the financial impact of COVID-19.
 
Dentists eligible for Phase 3 General Distribution funding include:

• Dentists who previously received, rejected, or accepted a General Distribution Provider Relief Fund payment. Dentists that have already received payments of approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care may submit more information to become eligible for an additional payment.
• Dentists that began practicing January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2020 (previously ineligible)

All provider submissions will be reviewed to confirm they have received a Provider Relief Fund payment equal to approximately 2% of patient care revenue from prior general distributions. Applicants that have not yet received Relief Fund payments of 2% of patient revenue will receive a payment that, when combined with prior payments (if any), equals 2% of patient care revenue.
 
With the remaining balance of the $20 billion, HRSA will then calculate an equitable add-on payment that considers the following:

• A provider's change in operating revenues from patient care
• A provider's change in operating expenses from patient care, including expenses incurred related to coronavirus
• Payments already received through prior Provider Relief Fund distributions.

Impact on General Dentistry: AGD recommends that eligible dentists apply for this round of provider relief funding as soon as possible. Additionally, if dentists feel they previously received an incorrect payment or made a mistake on their previous application, they should take advantage of this opportunity. Funding will likely be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and a wide scope of healthcare providers and organizations will be eligible. HHS staff are available to provide real-time technical support, as well as service and payment support, from 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. CT, Monday - Friday at (866) 569-3522. Please visit the HHS Provider Relief Fund Website for more information.