The HHS Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting portal was scheduled to open on 1/15/2021.  The PRF Reporting portal’s operability has been delayed; however, you can begin the registration process to access the portal.  Below are a few tips regarding the registration process: 

• The PRF reporting portal is accessible at https://PRFReporting.hrsa.gov.
• The PRF reporting portal is separate from the application portal.  You will not be able to use your Optum ID and password to access the site.  You must create a new registration for the PRF reporting portal.  You will create a username (in the form of an email) and a password as part of the registration process.  The email provided will be used for communications throughout the reporting process.
• You must use the most current versions of Edge, Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to access the portal.
• The registration process will take at least 20 minutes to complete and you must complete the registration process at one time.  You cannot save a partial registration.  Please note the site will timeout after 15 minutes of inactivity.
• To complete the registration process, you will need the following information:
  • Tax ID Number (TIN) (or other number submitted during the application process)
  • Business Name of the reporting entity
  • Contact information of the person responsible for submitting the report
  • Address of the reporting entity
  • TIN(s) of subsidiaries
  • Payment information for the payments received
    • TIN of the entity that received the payment
    • Payment amount ( check your bank statement for this number)
    • Mode of payment (most were ACH transactions directly to the bank account)
    • Check number or ACH Settlement date (the settlement date is the date of the deposit – check your bank statement)

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will announce the timeline for submission of the reports when the PRF reporting portal is available.

We will continue to provide updates on the reporting process as more details become available.

Dear Client,

As you may be aware, if you received more than $10,000 in HHS Provider Relief Funds (PRF), you will be required to submit reports about the use of those funds.  Preliminary details are as follows:

• The reporting system will become available to recipients for reporting on January 15, 2021.   
• All recipients must report within 45 days of the end of the calendar year 2020 on their expenditures through the period ending December 31, 2020.
• Recipients who have used their PRF in full prior to December 31, 2020 may submit a single final report at any time starting January 15, 2021, but no later than February 15, 2021.
• Recipients with funds not expended after December 31, 2020 must submit a second and final report no later than July 31, 2021.
• Recipients will report their use of PRF payments using their normal method of accounting (accrual or cash basis)

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act appropriated funds to reimburse eligible healthcare providers for healthcare related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the coronavirus.  The reporting guidelines require recipients to report various data elements for calendar years 2019 and 2020.  Much of the required information can be gathered from your financial statements and accounting records, but other required data will come from other sources.  While you are waiting for your December financial statements to be prepared, there are several items you can be working on to prepare for the reporting process:

Review your 2020 purchases and identify the following items:

• Supplies purchased to prevent, prepare, or respond to coronavirus.  Examples include personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer and supplies for patient screening.
• Equipment purchased to prevent, prepare, or respond to coronavirus.  Examples include air purifiers, suction devices added to reduce aerosols, updates to HVAC systems.
• Information Technology (IT) expenses paid for IT or systems to expand or preserve care delivery during the reporting period, such as electronic health record licensing fees, telehealth infrastructure, increased bandwidth, and teleworking to support remote workforce.
• Facilities expenses paid for facility-related costs used to prevent, prepare for, or response to the coronavirus during the reporting period, such as lease or purchase of permanent or temporary structures, or to modify facilities to accommodate patient treatment practices revised due to coronavirus such as plexiglass shields and other methods implemented to create separation needed for social distancing.
• Other Healthcare Related Expenses are any other actual expenses, not previously captured above, that were paid to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus.

Gather Revenue from Patient Care Payer Mix (2019 and 2020 by calendar quarter) for the following categories: (for the dental clients, this information will come from your practice management software such as Dentrix, Eaglesoft, etc.)

• Medicare Part A+B
• Medicare Part C
• Medicaid
• Commercial Insurance
• Self-Pay (No Insurance)
• Other

Gather non-financial data to be reported by calendar quarter.

• Staffing  – report the number of full-time and part-time employees by quarter including the number of re-hires, new hires, and employee separations.
• Patient Visits – report the total number of patient visits (in-person or telehealth)

We will continue to provide updates on the reporting process as more details become available.

Thank you,

The Catalyst and DPA Team

Podcast: Leadership in Uncertain Times

Leadership in Uncertain Times

HHS extended the application deadline to apply for the HHS Provider Relief Funds to September 13, 2020.  You must submit your TIN (tax identification number) for validation by the deadline in order to apply for funding.  In addition to extending the deadline, HHS also simplified the application process.  Please use this link to obtain an updated copy of the application for reference only:  https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/provider-distribution-application-form.pdf?language=en

*Please note the application will still need to be completed via the online portal.  As part of this revised application process, the only document dentists will need to upload with the application will be your most recent federal tax return.

Practices receiving more than $10,000 in relief funds will be required to submit reports about the use of their provider relief funds.  Complete reporting details have not been released yet.  Here are a few things we do know from the HHS Provider Relief site and FAQ:

• The reporting system will become available to recipients for reporting on October 1, 2020.   
• All recipients must report within 45 days of the end of the calendar year 2020 on their expenditures through the period ending December 31, 2020.
• Recipients who have expended their funds in full prior to December 31, 2020 may submit a single final report at any time starting October 1, 2020, but no later than February 15, 2021
• Recipients with funds unexpended after December 31, 2020 must submit a second and final report no later than July 31, 2021.
• Providers may have incurred eligible health care related expenses attributable to coronavirus prior to the date on which they received their payment.  Providers can use their relief funds for such expenses incurred on any date, so long as those expenses were attributable to coronavirus and were used to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus. 
• Funds can also be used to cover lost revenue due to the virus and to cover expenses that the lost revenue otherwise would have covered.  HHS encourages the use of funds to cover payments for the following:
  • Employee payroll or temp help
  • Employee health insurance
  • Rent or mortgage payments
  • Equipment lease payments

**As a reminder you cannot use the HHS Provider Relief Funds for the same expenses covered by the PPP Loan. 

Contact our office is you have questions or need assistance coming up with a plan for the use of all relief funding.

Dear Client, 

HHS announced some major updates on the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) including extending the application deadline to August 28.

Starting the week of Aug. 10, and through Aug. 28:

• Dentists who previously received small automatic payments from the General (Medicare) Distribution due to Medicare billings will be allowed to apply and receive additional funding.
• Dentists who experienced a recent change in ownership may submit their revenue information along with documentation proving a change in ownership for consideration for PRF payment.

On July 22^nd we sent an update listing some concerns related to the HHS Provider Relief Funds and also included a copy of the terms and conditions.  Some of those concerns were related to the balance billing language as well as the reporting requirements.  There have been recent updates as follows:

Term on Balance Billing (as clarified in the ADA hosted webinar on Tuesday 8/28)

• Qualifying for payment from the PRF has to do with past treatment earlier this year when HHS broadly viewed every patient as a possible case of COVID-19.
• Balance billing prohibitions apply only to treating current active COVID-19 patients with a medical record that supports a diagnosis of COVID-19.
• Presumptive and Possible cases are not defined the same way.
• Dental providers who are not caring for patients with presumptive or actual cases of COVID-19 are not subject to balance billing prohibitions.
• ‘Presumptive’ is defined as a case where a patient’s medical record supports a diagnosis of COVID-19.
• HHS thinks few, if any, dentists are performing dental work on active COVID patients, so there should be very few dental patients covered by this requirement.

Reporting Requirements (as clarified in the ADA hosted webinar on Tuesday 8/28)

• HHS posted a notice on 7/20 stating that detailed instructions regarding future reporting will be released on 8/17 and will apply to payments exceeding $10,000
• The reporting system will become available for reporting on 10/1 and will allow providers to demonstrate compliance with the terms and conditions including the use of funds for allowable purposes.
• Reports are due by 2/15/2021
• Recipients of PRF payments do not need to submit a separate quarterly report to HHS or the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.  HHS will handle these quarterly reports.

For more information, you are encouraged to watch the ADA recorded webinar from 8/28.  Use the link below to get to the ADA website page that has the link to the recorded video – it’s about an hour long.  You need to scroll down the page to the section titled “The Latest” and look for Webinar: Updates on the SBA Loans, Provider Relief Fund, Labor Issues and Congressional Action.

https://success.ada.org/en/practice-management/patients/infectious-diseases-2019-novel-coronavirus?utm_source=adaorg&utm_medium=globalheader&utm_content=coronavirus&utm_campaign=covid-19

Note: If you received an EIDL loan, per the EIDL loan agreement,  you need to report to the SBA any proceeds received from other government sources and they will determine if the funds are a duplication of benefits.  You will need to notify them via email at [email protected].  Be sure to include your loan and application numbers found at the top of your loan paperwork (SBA Form 1391)

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions about this program.

A happy patient walking out the door after an appointment confirms that their experience with you, your team, and the care they received has met or exceeded their expectations. You should conclude every appointment this way—leaving the patient with a positive impression of your practice and providing the perfect scenario to generate new patient referrals. So how do you ensure every patient leaves happy? Teamwork and no surprises!

Our recent article explained that patient handoffs are vital to ensuring the best patient experience in your office. Verbal skills, teamwork and personal attention are the key to these handoffs. After completing treatment take a few moments to raise the chair, remove your mask and gloves, sit side by side and have a conversation with the patient about the results of the care or treatment they just received. Next, make sure your patient understands what follow-up care or further treatment they need before you walk them to the front desk. A team member should always, without exception, walk your patient to the front desk. Just as important, never “park” a patient at the front desk – they should not be left standing alone wondering what to do next. Instead, ensure a proper handoff takes place and transitions them to a front desk team member.

As always, make each patient feel important. The team member escorting them to the front desk should be pleasant and not rushed. Likewise, the person receiving the patient should give the patient their full attention—not simply a wave or head nod as they are on a phone call. At this point in the patient visit, there should be no surprises. You and your patient are all on the same page regarding completed treatment, payment, and follow-up care. Lastly, thank them and let them know you look forward to seeing them again!

 

Ken Mathys, CPA
Founder & Principal
Dental Practice Advisors

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Reinforce your brand—that lasting intangible bond with the patient—by ensuring the best patient experience in your office through effective handoffs. From the time a patient enters the waiting room until they walk out the door, a team member needs to guide and smoothly transition them from one part of the office to the next.

The entire team must participate to make each hand off successful. Everyone should know what role they play. Have a structured handoff plan in place, and utilize your morning huddles or team meetings to review and practice your handoff process until everyone is comfortable and competent.

Offices often think they hand off patients, but in reality they simply walk the patient down the hallway to the next stop. They fail to actually hand over the responsibility of the patient from one team member to another. They don’t display interest and excitement, which fails to instill confidence in the patient.

To create a successful handoff, team members need to be prepared to receive the patient during each transition. They should put everything else aside for a moment, pay attention, and listen carefully to make sure they have received all the information necessary to provide an exceptional appointment—from start to finish—for the patient.

Most importantly, you need to prepare your patient every step of the way by explaining what comes next, anticipating their expectations and needs, and introducing them to the next team member. By utilizing appropriate handoffs, you increase the level of trust your patient has with your team and eliminate a lot of their potential fears.

Here are a few important things to communicate during handoffs:

 

1. Summary of what has been accomplished.
   This gives the patient a quick review of the great care they received in your office, allows receiving team members to learn what has been done, and sets the stage for comfortable treatment presentation.
2. Treatment recommendations.
   Reiterating treatment options helps ensure everyone is on the same page concerning the patient’s care.
3. Next step for the patient/decisions made.
   Reviewing the next step(s) reassures the patient about the process and helps the receiving team member know how to handle their step in the process.
4. Confidence.
   Instill patient confidence in your office via your handoff effectiveness!

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Once patients walk into your office, how do you make them stay… and come back? By providing superior service and top quality dental care, starting at the front desk.

A positive front desk encounter begins with the look and feel of the front office when a patient arrives. Patients notice the sounds, smells and overall appearance when they walk in. Put extra effort into giving your front office a fresh, clean scent versus the anxiety-inducing smell of dental materials. Keep the front desk and waiting areas neat and organized, as clutter devalues the professionalism of a practice.

You also need to place just as much importance on how you greet your patient when they enter. A successful front desk receptionist is aware of and anticipates each and every patient arrival. Their number one priority is the patient check-in, with emphasis on making the patient feel welcome. Upon walking in the door, every patient should receive your receptionist’s full attention; they should not be distracted by phone calls or other tasks.

Here are a few additional tips for a winning check-in process:

1. Welcome a patient by standing to greet them by name and introducing yourself while smiling and looking them in the eye.
2. Show them where to hang their coat, if necessary.
3. Efficiently verify their information and offer to walk them through the paperwork.
4. Offer a beverage while they wait.
5. Note their arrival time and compare it to the schedule of the person they are seeing.
6. In the event of a delay in their appointment, inform the patient right away.
7. Ensure that small talk around the front desk is kept professional and minimal.
8. Always remain professional yet friendly and accommodating to the patient

To create the optimal front desk encounter, build a front desk team that is well-trained and prepared for any situation; has strong interpersonal skills – both verbal and non-verbal communication; and consistently demonstrates patience.

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In our last few blog posts we talked about the importance of each patient touch point in establishing your brand—that intangible bond with your patients. Because when patients feel that connection they are more inclined to make appointments and pay a fair price for their care. Yet no-shows can and do happen despite your best efforts.