By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, July 23 (PNA) – Senator Teofisto Guingona III grilled on Thursday the officials of the appeals board of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) over alleged failure to resolve even just one case for the last six years.
”Many of these cases were languishing in the appeal board for the last four to six years ago but remain unresolved. Do we have to wait for more people to get blind before we have to act on these cases?,” Guingona said in a media interview after the Senate inquiry on reported suspicious PhP2-billion claims in PhilHealth.
”These cases should have already been resolved in 60 days but it took them six years before they act on these complaints. It is certainly very disturbing,” he added.
Guingona urged the new officials of the PhilHealth’s Committee on Appealed Administrative Cases Against Health Clinics and Providers and Members or CAAC to penalize the fraudulent providers.
”The new officials of the appeal board have promised to act on these pending cases and I hope it would get positive results as soon as possible,” Guingona said.
”It’s about time we start a monitoring system to penalize those who do not respect patients’ rights,” he added.
Former Partylist Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel has been appointed as new CAAP chairperson who promised to address immediately the complaints against the health clinics and providers.
”We are already addressing these cases,” Baraquel said.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Janette Garin also assured that the DOH is coordinating with the PhilHealth to make sure that suspicious PhilHealth claims will be stopped as soon as possible.
Guingona urged the DOH and the PhilHealth to coordinate and monitor closely the fraudulent health services in the country.
DOH Assistant Secretary Nicolas Lutero III for Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau said before the issue came out, the bureau has monitored six of the 38 eye clinics in the country.
Meanwhile, Quezon City Eye Center owner Dr. Raymond Evangelista said his clinic has only over PhP100 million claims and not PhP146 million as reported by PhilHeath.
”The figure of PhilHealth is bloated by PhP46 million,” Evangelista said.
Evangelista also appealed to PhilHealth to lift the suspension of the claims, saying it would affect at least 15 patients who go to their clinic every day. (PNA)