DESPITE the problems caused by the recent hacking of its system, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) yesterday assured hospitals and healthcare institutions that it would be able to pay the P27 billion in pending claims before 2023 ends.
In a press conference, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma said they remain committed to their earlier commitment to fully pay the pending claims by the end of the year.
“PhilHealth reaffirms its dedication to settling pending claims, particularly the P27 billion in claims,” said Ledesma.
“We are confident that we can fulfill our remaining obligations before the year concludes,” he added.
As of August 2, the PhilHealth chief said they have disbursed a total of P20.651 billion in payments. This accounts for 76 percent of the P27 billion claims from different hospitals and healthcare facilities.
“Despite the temporary system disruptions, we continue processing claims and will expedite this further upon full system restoration,” said Ledesma.
Last week, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) expressed concerns over the recent hacking of the PhilHealth system, saying it may cause further delays to the payment of their claims.
In a related development, PhilHealth yesterday announced that the liquidation of the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) is now complete.
Ledesma said the Commission on Audit (COA) has confirmed that the P15 billion IRM fund is entirely liquidated and settled by the 711 healthcare facilities as of July 2023.
“COA’s Management Letter dated September 22, 2023 confirms full compliance with IRM transactions and recommendations, including tax-related matters,” said Ledesma.
The PhilHealth chief said the full liquidation is clear proof that allegations of misappropriation lack veracity.
“COA’s verification stands as a testament to the transparency and integrity of our actions,” said Ledesma.
In its 2020 audit report for PhilHealth, COA noted that the disbursement of P14.971 billion to healthcare institutions had no legal basis.
COA said that without the required legal authority, the IRM funds could be considered as illegal expenditures.
