FINALLY HHS has announced funding for private pay assisted living facilities!
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, private pay communities can apply for Provider Relief Fund dollars by going to the appropriate PRF portal and completing the required application. This process is part of the Phase 2 distribution, and assisted living payments will be 2% of annual patient revenue. Assisted living communities interested in applying need to submit their tax identification number (TIN) by September 13, 2020. Assisted living providers who previously received 2% of revenue through either phase of the General Distribution by virtue of Medicaid participation or who have a common TIN with a Medicare provider are not eligible receive additional funding.
https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html
Additionally, per an Associated Press article, HHS intends to provide Assisted Living Centers with Abbott Point of Care Testing Cards for COVID-19. The recently authorized, credit card-sized COVID-19 tests developed by Abbott Laboratories are rapid, reliable, highly portable, and an affordable tool for detecting active coronavirus infections. HHS is purchasing 150 million of the tests from Abbott. The cards, which are a type of antigen test, deliver results in 15 minutes.
Abbott also plans to offer a “no-charge, complimentary phone app”, to allow people to display their BinaxNOW test results when asked by organizations where people gather, such as workplaces and schools.