The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said that it is already coordinating with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) after it announced that it would stop its COVID-19 testing charged to the State health insurer.
“PhilHealth recognizes the Philippine Red Cross as an important partner in the government’s drive to curb COVID-19 through intensive targeted testing,” the agency said in a statement.
“It is in close coordination with the PRC to thresh out issues pertaining to the said partnership so the PRC can immediately resume accommodating RT-PCR tests for priority sectors that will be paid for by PhilHealth,” it added.
According to the PRC, it would no longer accept specimens of returning overseas Filipino workers, those arriving in airports and seaports, those in mega swabbing facilities through local government units, and others included in the expanded testing guidelines of the Department of Health.
The PRC said that PhilHealth has an overdue balance of P930.9 million.
“As the PRC continues to face challenges with PhilHealth due to its inability to settle its ever-increasing outstanding balance…we are constrained to cease conducting tests chargeable to PhilHealth effective today, Oct. 14,” the PRC said.
The PRC has done more than one million COVID-19 tests that “represents 26 percent of the national test output,” it said.
The State health insurer said that as of September, “PhilHealth already paid the PRC a total of P1.6 billion for at least 433,263 tests.”
“In the meantime, it is requesting that specimens from affected sectors be submitted to other accredited testing laboratories to be able to avail of PhilHealth benefits,” it added.
The Department of Health (DoH), in a statement, has identified eight laboratories “that can take on the testing requirement of overseas Filipino workers and other returning Filipinos.”
These are the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (TALA), Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, PNP Crime Laboratory, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital; Ospital ng Imus, and Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also “has given instruction to ensure coordination with the Isolation Czar, Treatment Czar, and other implementing entities to ensure that testing and isolation strategies for managing returning Filipinos are complementary,” the DoH said.
“This means setting up and operationalizing the patient pathway of RFs (returning Filipinos) in accordance to the Omnibus Guidelines -- from screening, quarantine/isolation, testing, and if needed, referral to hospitals,” it added.