7 Iloilo City hospitals to pursue plan to cut ties with PhilHealth

Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center, Inc. | PHOTO: Metro Iloilo facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Seven private hospitals in Iloilo City will proceed with their plan to cut ties with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. starting January 1 next year despite an appeal from the state insurer to maintain their partnership, a hospital executive said Monday.

Dr. Danilo Encarnacion, President and CEO of Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center, said the recent meeting between the management of the seven hospitals and PhilHealth did not lead to any solution regarding the latter’s debt to the health facilities.

“Wala na kaming magagawa. We have to pursue our plan to disengage by January 1, 2022, dahilan sa noong December 20, nagkaroon sana ng meeting with the president of PHIC (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) dito sa Iloilo pero wala pong nangyari sa meeting,” Encarnacion told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

(We cannot do anything anymore. We have to pursue our plan to disengage by January 1, 2022, because last December 20, we had a meeting with the president of the PHIC here in Iloilo but nothing happened in the meeting.)

“Nag-appeal lang sila na huwag ituloy ang pagkalas ng mga hospitals at mayroon silang idinidiin na promisa regarding sa DCPM (Debit-Credit Payment Method). Alam naman nila na hindi kami sang-ayon sa DCPM,” he added.

(They just appealed to not pursue the disengagement of hospitals and they were insisting on the DCPM when they know that we do not agree with the program.)

The DCPM provides for the fast release of funds to qualified hospitals while reimbursement claims are still under process. Under the method, only 60 percent will initially be paid to hospitals while 40 percent would be paid upon completion of processing requirements.

However, Encarnacion said they did not want the system under the said payment method.

“Ang ayaw po namin dito ay hindi namin malalaman ang proseso nito dahilan sa ang pagproseso nito ay unilateral. Sila lang ang nakakaalam. Ang hospital ay hindi nakakaalam niyan,” he explained.

(What we do not want here is we won’t know the processing because it is unilateral. The hospitals won’t know anything about it.)

“’Yun ang pinipilit nila. Hindi kami binigyan ng chance na kung ano man ang magiging posisyon namin doon. Basta ‘yun lang ang ipinipilit nila. Kapag wala daw ‘yun, wala na daw po,” he added.

(That’s what they are insisting on. They did not give us a chance to express our position about it. They said if there’s no DCPM, there’s no other option.)

Seven major private hospitals in Iloilo City earlier announced plans to disengage from PhilHealth starting next year due to unpaid claims amounting to more than P545 million. These are Iloilo Mission Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo, Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital, Medicus Medical Center, The Medical City of Iloilo, Qualimed Hospital Iloilo, and Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center Inc.

READ: 7 Iloilo City hospitals cut ties with PhilHealth due to unpaid claims

According to Encarnacion, PhilHealth President and CEO Dante Gierran earlier promised that the state insurer would provide final recommendations on the issue with the seven hospitals. Encarnacion said PhilHealth, however, did not provide any final recommendation.

READ: PhilHealth tries to appease unpaid hospitals

“Noong December 24, nagpromise si Atty. Gierran na magbibigay sila ng final recommendation. Naghintay po kami. Wala pong final recommendation na dumating. So desisyon na lang naming lahat na magkalas na this coming January 1, 2022 at pinaghahandaan na po namin yan ngayon,” he said.

(Last December 24, Atty. Gierran promised that they would provide a final recommendation. We waited. There was no final recommendation provided. So we just decided that we will really cut ties with PhilHealth this coming January 1, 2022, and we are preparing for that.)