PHAPI: Some hospitals mulling suspension in accepting gov't guarantees over payment issues

Some private hospitals are considering a slowdown or even suspension in accepting guarantee letters for health services from the government’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. 

The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) said on Monday that 43 hospitals in Batangas have yet to receive some P480 million in payment from the government.

“So far, ayun ang balak nilang gawin kasi nga po medyo tumumal yung pagbibigay sa amin, yung pagbabayad po. Kaya binabalak po nila na kung hindi man i-suspend ay pabagalin muna ang acceptance. Kasi nga medyo, sabi nila, baka maubos naman yung aming pondo na dahil hindi naman naibabalik,” said PHAPI president Dr. Jose De Grano in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(So far, that's what they plan to do because the release of payments has slowed down a bit. So they're planning to regulate the acceptance of letters, if not suspend it. Because, as they say, their funds might run out because they haven't received the payments yet.) 

“Kasi nga medyo maraming nag-avail ng guarantee letter dito sa probinsya sa Batangas. So medyo naipon po isguro, and then, hindi po agad na-release yung funding, at isa pa, sabi nila doon sa region, kulang din sila sa tao na nagpo-proseso ng guarantee letter,” he added. 

(Because many people availed of the guarantee letter here in the province of Batangas. So there was a backlog, and then the funding was not released immediately. And another thing, they said in the region, they also lack people to process the guarantee letter.)

But the private hospitals group said that the regional Center for Health Development of the Department of Health has started to release the payments to the hospitals. 

“Actually, doon sa nakalista sa nai-release na daw nila for the year is around P577 million na po. Pero tuloy-tuloy pa kasi ang pagpasok ng guarantee letters kaya mayroon pa po kaming receivables amounting to around P480 million pa rin,” De Grano said. 

(Based on their list, they have already released P577 million for the year. But more guarantee letters are coming, so we still have receivables amounting to P480 million.) 

PHAPI is now asking the government to hasten the process of releasing the payments. 

“Sana ma-release kaagad nang sa ganoon hindi mahirapan itong mga ospital at hindi pumunta sa punto na iho-hold nila ang pagtanggap ng guarantee letters,” said De Grano. 

(We hope that the payments will be released as soon as possible to ease the burden on the hospitals, and we don’t want to reach the point where we will completely not accept guarantee letters.)

For its part, the DOH said that it will continue to reconcile payables to the specific private hospitals in compliance with prevailing laws and policies.

“This is a welcome development, to highlight that in the past few months, DOH has been increasing the amounts PhilHealth pays to hospitals, while decreasing the waiting time to do so. Payment through PhilHealth should be better than through the MAIFIP system,” said DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo in a statement. 

“In countries like Singapore, these endowment funds provide medical assistance without need for guarantee letters, needing only the professional assessment of a medical social worker. That is how we do it in DOH hospitals - guarantee letters are not needed.” 

Further, Domingo said that Philippine hospitals should review the Universal Healthcare Act  and “always assess the paying capacity of patients and admit them to basic or ward accommodation for zero balance billing, or refer them to nearby DOH or government hospitals.” –Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News