Malacañang has ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately correct its records and submit complete documentation after state auditors flagged more than P1 billion in denied return-to-hospital claims with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The directive also comes amid findings of expired drugs and other medical inventories valued at P134.28 million, raising concerns over claims processing and inventory management in government health facilities.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Palace has already coordinated directly with DOH leadership to address the issues raised, particularly the denial of PhilHealth claims and lapses in inventory management.
“DOH was asked to fix their records, and we ourselves spoke with the leadership of the DOH, and they are fixing that and providing sufficient documentation,” Castro said.
She explained that, based on DOH’s account, some hospital claims were denied because they were not submitted within the required period.
Under existing rules, hospitals are given up to 60 days to file claims, but several failed to submit the necessary documents on time.
“The President also ordered extending the possible period for other hospitals to file claims. This has been extended to up to 120 days; this is what we call Claim’s Flexibility, and because of this, the DOH and PhilHealth fulfill their obligations,” she said.
Castro noted that the extended deadline is intended to ensure that DOH and PhilHealth can meet their obligations, provided hospitals comply by submitting complete and timely documentation.
She explained that the administration’s expectation is for hospitals to strictly observe the revised timelines to prevent further delays in payments and avoid similar issues in the future.
