Officials of hospitals with pending cases with PhilHealth summoned to House hearing

The House committees looking into the alleged irregularities in PhilHealth have summoned officials of 45 hospitals that are facing fraud cases involving transactions with the state health insurer.

Anakalusugan party-list Representative Michael Defensor made the call during the resumption of the congressional inquiry on PhilHealth on Tuesday. He said the cases spanned the years 2013 to 2019.

“Ipapatawag natin ang mga ospital na ito [sa next hearing on Thursday]. Pinakamababa po diyan ay may dalawang kaso. Iyong iba, more than 10 cases,” Defensor said.

Among the hospitals he mentioned are Abra Provincial Hospital, Baguio General Hospital, Benguet General Hospital, Cagayan de Oro Maternity and Childrens Hospital, Divine Word Hospital, Domingo Casano Hospital, Butuan Doctors Hospital and College, University of Perpetual Help Medical Center, Pines City Doctors Hospital, Quezon City Eye Center, and Pacific Eye Institute.

Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga said PhilHealth should also come clean if these hospitals continued to receive reimbursement despite the pending cases against them.

“How much PhilHealth funds were paid to them during the last three years? Also, gusto ko malaman kung naka-receive rin ba sila ng IRM,” he said.

IRM is PhilHealth’s Internal Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) fund released in advance to hospitals so they can supposedly quickly respond to the needs of its members.

The release of IRM funds for COVID-19 to dialysis centers and hospitals that are not COVID-19 referral centers, however, has since drawn flak after resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud officer Thorrsson Montes Keith accused PhilHealth officials of pocketing IRM.

This has since been denied by PhilHealth officials led by PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales.

Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez, for his part, said that PhilHealth should also present at least 10 biggest amount of fraudulent cases that it has resolved for the next hearing on Thursday. —KBK, GMA News