MANILA – Some private hospitals in the National Capital Region, General Santos City, Iloilo City and northern Luzon plan to announce their disengagement with public insurer PhilHealth this week due to delayed claims, said Wednesday the head of the Association of Private Hospitals of the Philippines.

“I do not have the right to name the hospitals in the NCR but at the moment there are in fact large hospitals in the NCR, the group from the town of General Santos, the group from the town of Iloilo, a group from northern Luzon or the Cagayan Valley, they are already planning to announce their non-renewal this week, ”Dr Jose Rene de Grano told ANC’s“ Rundown ”.

He said, however, that he asked hospitals to suspend the announcements first, as they hoped to meet with PhilHealth chief Dante Gierran.

“But then I asked them to stay on hold first because we are trying to get the president of PhilHealth to talk with the different hospitals so maybe medyo can maayos tayong solusyon (we can work on a solution) for this so that hindi muna matuloy ‘to (this disengagement will not pass) and we examine it within the week, ”he said.

The ailing public insurer owes hospitals up to 20 billion pesos in claims in August.

De Grano said private hospitals could potentially run out of funding if their PhilHealth claims go unpaid, part of which relates to COVID-19 cases.

“Much of the funding for private hospitals also comes from HMOs and PhilHealth. And because of the COVID cases which are actually malaki (big), sobra rin ang COVID cases natin na COVID claims (there are a lot of COVID claims), and this is the big problem plaguing private hospitals right now. . “

“If they continue to fail to pay these COVID claims, then they will fund private hospitals (private hospitals will run out of funding) to the point where they will eventually close,” he said.

De Grano noted that PhilHealth had tried to pay new claims in recent months. But dues from 2020 and COVID claims remain unpaid.

He said he still hoped they could meet with PhilHealth officials this week and that a deal could be reached.

“So in the week we will try to do it and see [if] mai maaayos tayo dito (we can come to an agreement), ”he said.

“And let’s hope it’s going to be a good week. To hindi naman po magkaroon tayo ng announces a non-renewal (and that we will not have a hospital announcing the non-renewal of its accreditation with PhilHealth). ”

– ANC, November 3, 2021