PhilHealth-6 not remiss in paying good claims, says official

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth-6) claimed that it “has not been remiss in its duty to facilitate the payment of good claims within the time provided by law.”

“[PhilHealth-6] considers healthcare institutions/providers as partners and strives to pay the claims as soon as possible, balancing this with their duty protect public funds,” lawyer Valerie Anne Hollero, PhilHealth-6 regional vice president, said in a statement.

According to Hollero, PhilHealth in Western Visayas has processed the most number of claims among regions in the country.

“For 2021 alone, the [PhilHealth-6] has processed a total of 591,148 claims,” she noted.

“The average Turn-Around Time (TAT) for payment of good claims is 27 days from the time it is filed by the health care institutions (HCIs), making it the second fastest among all Regions in terms of TAT,” Hollero added.

Mayor Jerry P. Treñas earlier wrote a letter to concerned agencies regarding PhilHealth’s payables to nine hospitals and a molrcular laboratory in the Iloilo City, which have now reached a total of P932, 322, 324. 97.

“Quite frankly, we can no longer keep track on how many times we have sent communications and conducted meetings with PhilHealth representatives together with the Department of Health in the hopes of coming up with a solution to this seemingly perpetual concern,” Treñas wrote in his letter dated Aug. 24.

Specifically, the letter was addressed to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., and PhilHealth president and CEO Dante Gierran.

Treñas lamented the “extremely delayed settlement of charges and unjustified refusal of receiving and acknowledging the claims by PhilHealth” in Western Visayas.

“Once and for all, may we earnestly implore your favorable action and benevolence to our dear hospitals by exhausting concerted efforts to aid in the release of these valid claims. More than an acceptable explanation from this agency, we demand answers and actions as our hospitals continuously suffer from losses brought about by their indifference,” he said.

PhilHealth owes the city government’s molecular laboratory claims amounting to P207.441 million.

The hospitals waiting for reimbursements from the state insurer are the following:

* The Medical City Iloilo – P88.052 million

* West Visayas State University Medical Center – P49. 998 million

* Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center – P190.756 million

* QualiMed Hospital – P30.393 million

*The Medicus Medical Center – (for updating)

* Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital – P58.114 million

* St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo – P95.205 million

–IMT