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PhilHealth debts affect salary of health workers, medical supplies: private hospitals

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/01/26/20190607-philhealth-qc3.jpg"/><figcaption><em>ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Unpaid health claims of state insurer PhilHealth that run to billions of pesos may hamper the ability of private hospitals in treating COVID-19 patients, an official said Monday.</p><p>Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc, said the delayed reimbursements would be used to cover the salaries of healthcare workers, medical equipment and supplies.</p><p>&quot;Malaki ang epekto &#x27;yan kasi siyempre ang private hospitals nagre-rely lang sa aming services, admission namin sa aming mga pasyente,&quot; he said.</p><p>(It will have a big impact because we only on our services and admission of patients.)</p><p>&quot;Pagka nawalan na nga ng pondo, siyempre maapektuhan po &#x27;yung pangsuweldo, pambili ng supplies, pambayad sa oxygen,&quot; he added.</p><p>(When there&#x27;s no funds, it will affect the salary [of our employees], our capacity to buy [medical] supplies and pay for oxygen.)</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/08/21/philhealth-owes-hospitals-some-p20-b-covid-19-in-claims">PhilHealth owes hospitals some P20-B in COVID-19 claims</a></li></ul><p>The Philippine Hospital Association had said that PhilHealth owed private and public medical facilities some P20 billion in COVID-19 claims.</p><p>De Grano said its members in the Visayas and Mindanao had yet to receive reimbursements from PhilHealth.</p><p>He noted that private hospitals usually received moderate, severe or critical COVID-19 cases. Hospitals usually receive about P143,000 for moderate COVID-19 cases.</p><p>&quot;Kung may 10 pasyente kayo (If you have 10 patients), in 2 weeks time that&#x27;s P1.4 million or around P2.8 million in a month,&quot; De Grano said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1743736" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>For his part, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said while he wanted PhilHealth to reimburse hospitals as soon as possible, he called on them to wait to ensure the funds that would be disbursed would be &quot;legally defensible&quot;.</p><p>&quot;They continue to do reconciliation of their figures because there seems to be a difference between what the hospitals are submitting versus what PhilHealth has established as payables to the private hospitals,&quot; he said in an interview on ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot;<br/>        <br/>&quot;You see, PhilHealth is subject to COA auditing rules and regulations and it just simply wants to ensure that any taxpayer or contributor’s money that is paid to the hospitals as its partners has legal basis,&quot; he added.</p>

Unpaid health claims of PhilHealth that run to billions of pesos may hamper the ability of private hospitals in treating COVID-19 patients.