Marcos orders extension of hospital claims filing to 120 days

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has ordered the extension of the filing period for hospital reimbursement claims to 120 days in order to ease delays in PhilHealth payments.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the decision came following reports of more than P1 billion worth of return-to-hospital (RTH) claims and other reimbursements, which were not immediately paid.

''Dahil dito po ay ipinag-utos din po ng Pangulo na i-extend po ang maaaring period para makapag-claim ang ibang ospital. Na-extend po ito up to 120 days, ito po iyong tinatawag na Claim’s Flexibility at dahil dito po ay natutugunan po ng DOH, ng PhilHealth ang kanilang mga obligasyon,'' Castro said.

(The President directed for the extension for hospitals to file their claims. This was extended for up to 120 days, which is called the claim's flexibility. Through this, the DOH and PhilHealth were able to do their obligations.) 

''Basta po ang nais lang din po natin, ang mga ospital po ay makapagbigay ng kanilang mga dokumento sa tamang oras at panahon,'' she added.

(We just want hospitals to provide documents at the right time.) 

Earlier, the Commission on Audit warned that the operations of 13 Department of Health hospitals are in limbo due to over P1 billion in claims from PhilHealth. 

“Thirteen DOH-retained hospitals are encountering challenges in ensuring the accuracy and collectability of its claims totaling P1,05,422,417.35 from Philhealth... comprising its denied and RTH claims amounting to P786,655,056.20 and P298,767,361.15 respectively, due to persistent non-compliance with PhilHealth claims processing guidelines,” COA added. 

The DOH explained that hospitals are once again allowed to file their claims after a discussion and resolution by the PhilHealth Board, which is chaired by the department. 

The audit showed the risks that could affect PhilHealth’s operations. —VAL, GMA Integrated News