PhilHealth continues to pay hospitals thru debit-credit method

MANILA – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) continues to pay hospitals’ claims, an official said Thursday.

In a televised Laging Handa public briefing, PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs Dr. Shirley Domingo noted their regional offices are coordinating with the hospitals for their claim’s payment.

“They are doing reconciliation meetings. Nagbayad po tayo ng tinatawag na DCPM [Debit-Credit Payment Method]. So, naka-DCPM releases na tayo, siguro mga tatlong types of DCPM – DCPM 1, ini-extend natin iyong one, and then, two and three (We have paid through DCPM. So, we had DCPM releases, like three types of DCPM – DCPM 1, we have extended one, and then, two and three),” Domingo said.

In its Circular 2021-0004, PhilHealth uses the DCPM to facilitate the settlement of accounts payable to healthcare facilities during the State of Public Health Emergency brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

PhilHealth initially applied DCPM only to areas identified by the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases and National Task Force Against Covid-19, particularly in the National Capital Region, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Rizal.

As for the investigation of hospitals in Northern Mindanao, Domingo clarified that none like it happened recently or is ongoing.

“That statement or that news came out, when actually nagkaroon ng MOA [memorandum of agreement] signing ang ating regional office noon at saka NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] para i-train ng NBI iyong ating regional personnel on fraud management or investigation. So iyon po talaga, MOA signing po iyon (there was a MOA signing between our regional office and the NBI for the NBI to train our regional personnel on fraud management or investigation),” she said.

She emphasized the suspension of the hospitals happened years ago when the corporation started with its investigations.

“Iyong mga hospitals na-suspend iyon dati pa at saka iyong sinasabing revoked ay actually, isa lang ang galing doon sa region na iyan, the rest were mga five iyon nationwide. Pero ever since, matagal na po iyon, hindi iyan current (Those hospitals were suspended a long time ago and the hospitals said to be revoked is just one, the rest were five nationwide. That was before, that is not current),” she said.