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Stock image of a hospital aisle.
Image by Claudia from Pixabay
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) assured it is in the process of settling unpaid claims to private hospitals, after a hospital group flagged delays that have made some medical centers reluctant to accept guarantee letters for indigent patients.
“DOH will continue to reconcile payables to specific private hospitals in compliance with prevailing laws and policies. This is ongoing,” DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said in a message to reporters on Tuesday, July 8.
A guarantee letter is often issued by high-ranking public officials or organizations promising to pay a portion of a patient’s medical expenses. It is normally given to indigent or financially incapacitated Filipinos.
According to Domingo, the DOH is taking steps to increase how much PhilHealth pays hospitals to allow higher payouts and quicker disbursement to hospitals.
“Payment through PhilHealth should be better than through the MAIFIP system,” he said, referring to the government program Medical Assistant to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP).
Domingo explained that in DOH hospitals, guarantee letters are no longer needed.
He also urged hospitals to revisit the Universal Health Care Act and assess each patient’s capacity to pay, to determine whether they qualify for admission under basic or ward accommodation with zero balance billing.
If unable to provide this, hospitals may refer patients to nearby DOH or government hospitals, where the DOH budget and PhilHealth reimbursements can be used to cover costs.
“The DOH, in its hospitals, does not use guarantee letters. It is only the DOH budget for the hospital, PhilHealth reimbursements, and if still needed, MAIFIP that is based on the professional assessment of a medical social worker,” Domingo said.
With unpaid MAIFIP claims now exceeding P500 million, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said some hospitals, such as those in Batangas, have temporarily suspended accepting guarantee letters due to mounting financial pressure.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said that DOH informed them of 39 hospitals in Batangas facing delays in guarantee letter payments due to missing documents.
She added that the Universal Health Care Act requires private hospitals to reserve 10% of their beds for zero balance billing through PhilHealth.
“Marami ang DOH hospitals na hindi kailangan ng guarantee letters from any politicians. Dahil po pagka DOH hospital, social worker mismo ang tumitingin kung sila ay qualified,” Castro said at a July 7 press briefing.
(Many DOH hospitals do not require guarantee letters from any politicians. That’s because in DOH hospitals, it’s the social worker who assesses if a patient qualifies.)
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