President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to shorten and amend its process for paying claims, following complaints from hospitals about its delayed payments.
PhilHealth officials were asked to explain the delayed payments during a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday and it provided a lengthy explanation, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
“The President ordered PhilHealth to shorten, reconfigure, and simplify requirements for settling claims, as well as to stretch the limit for late filings,” Roque said at a press briefing.
He noted that claims filed late are usually not paid anymore.
Mr. Duterte wanted the process to be simplified so that indigent patients could immediately go home after their treatment after signing documents.
PhilHealth president Dante Gierran promised to meet with the PhilHealth board to carry out Mr. Duterte’s instructions, said Roque.
Private hospitals earlier said PhilHealth had been slow to reimburse them for treatments, although the state health insurance firm officials disputed this.
The Philippine Red Cross earlier also suspended COVID-19 testing for the government after PhilHealth failed to pay it promptly. INQ