PHAPi appeals PhilHealth: Avoid revoking hospitals' accreditation

The Private Hospital Association of the Philippine Inc. on Saturday appealed to state-run health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation not to strip member-private hospitals of their accreditation.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday, PHAPI president Dr. Rustico Jimenez made the appeal amid the controversy over delays in PhilHealth's payments of some of its hospital obligations.

Dr. Jimenez: Umapela kami sa PhilHealth na huwag tanggalan ng accreditation ang mga private hospital. https://t.co/Jl7zdrja0g

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) October 26, 2019

Jimenez also said that if private hospitals under the PhilHealth program fail to collect their due from the state insurer, and would eventually be unable to shoulder unpaid accounts, they would be forced either to shut down or cut their membership in the state health system.

Also, Jimenez pointed out that if the situation remains unaddressed, poor patients would ultimately suffer the most.

Dr. Jimenez: Sa 900 private hospital, mahigit 100 ang problemado sa paniningil sa PhilHealth. https://t.co/Jl7zdrja0g

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) October 26, 2019

"Kapag tinanggalan ng accreditation ang mga ospital ang magsa-suffer ay ang mga pasyente," Jimenez said.

Earlier, the PhilHealth said that caution against fraud causes delays in payment of its hospital obligations.

Last Thursday, PhilHealth CEO Ricardo Morales  told GMA News that delays payments  were due to the strict process of ensuring that only authentic claims would be paid for.

He cited a recent controversy over “ghost dialysis” in which its partner WellMed Dialysis & Laboratory Center Corp. supposedly processed and benefited from claims of deceased or "ghost" patients.

Also he said that some 600 hospitals reportedly threatened to forego renewal of their PhilHealth accreditation in 2020 due to unpaid claims in billions of pesos.

“We want to err on the side of caution. You know what happened with WellMed,” Morales said.

According to Morales, the P2.5-billion unpaid reimbursement to hospitals is not even a ‘huge amount’ for PhilHealth to run away from it, noting that they actually spend P3.5 billion a week.

“This is not a large amount for us. We're still being investigated by four government agencies. We want to be careful now,” he said.

Morales claimed that some 600 hospitals under PHAPI denied reports that they will cut ties with PhilHealth.

He added that only PHAPI President Dr. Rustico Jimenez made the threat, which he said a threat not to PhilHealth but to the Filipinos who need health care.

According to him, as of August this year, PhilHealth has already paid some P75 million in claims, adding that the state health insurer has allocated this year a budget for improving their interconnection system for the processing of claims.

Also he noted that some doctors have already been suspended due to the corrupt activity. —LBG, GMA News