Participation in the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund policy by dentists in South Carolina's safety net.

OBJECTIVES: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act appropriated $100 billion to the Provider Relief Fund, allowing for direct payments to health care providers due to COVID-19. Few studies have evaluated participation in the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), and none have specifically looked at dental providers in the safety net. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, secondary data analysis using a quasi-experimental cohort design of South Carolina dentists who received PRF payments, comparing those who did and did not participate in the safety net. Safety net practice was operationalized as those participating in Medicaid, and whether they provided care in dental health professional shortage areas, or rural communities. RESULTS: Of the 628 dental providers in South Carolina who received PRF payments, 34% were identified as Medicaid providers while 66% did not participate in Medicaid; we found no statistical difference between payments to Medicaid versus non-Medicaid dental providers. Of PRF payments to dental providers participating in South Carolina's Medicaid program, we found no difference between payments to rural and urban providers but did find that practices offering services in dental care shortage areas received less than providers practicing in counties not designated as a shortage area. CONCLUSIONS: The PRF achieved its goal of distributing financial support to providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But without policy imperatives linked to need-based allocations or incentives for PRF recipients to serve safety net populations, we may later learn this was a missed opportunity for PRF.

CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Aid to Otolaryngologists in Small Practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented financial strain on otolaryngologists. Otolaryngologists employed by small practices may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of ongoing losses because these organizations often have limited financial reserves. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of federal direct aid provided to small practices (defined as ≤15 clinicians) employing otolaryngologists, using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Physician Compare National Downloadable File and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Provider Relief Fund database. As of June 18, 2020, the HHS had allocated nearly $80 million to 966 (88.9%) of 1087 small practices employing 2455 otolaryngologists. The median amount of aid per clinician was $7909 (interquartile range, $4409-$12,710). These findings suggest that the majority of small practices have received direct aid through the HHS Provider Relief Fund, but aid amounts have thus far been modest relative to the fixed costs of practice.