PhilHealth expands coverage of its debit-credit payment program

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has urged all healthcare facilities (HCFs) in certain areas to avail of its Debit-Credit Payment Method (DCPM) program to ensure that they have enough funds to continue their operations amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The DCPM has been implemented by PhilHealth to “fast-track the settlement of its payables to HCFs” located in areas with “high concentration of COVID-19 cases” as determined by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
In a statement, PhilHealth said that it is expanding coverage for the DCPM to other provinces and cities.
In Luzon: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Bataan, Cagayan, City of Santiago, Ifugao, Lucena City, Naga City, Puerto Princesa City, Quezon, and Quirino
In Visayas: Iloilo and Negros Oriental
In Mindanao: Agusan del Sur, Butuan City, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao City, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay
The DCPM was first made available to HCFs treating COVID-19 patients in the National Capital Region, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Rizal.
The state health insurer said that interested HCFs in the said cities and provinces are “required to submit their Letter of Intent (LOI) to the concerned PhilHealth Regional Office to qualify for fast-tracked payments under DCPM.”
“As of June 14, 2021, PhilHealth already disbursed more than P6.3 billion to 206 HCFs under the DCPM,” the agency said.