| PhilHealth extends dialysis coverage from 45 to 90 days - InterAksyon |
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InterAksyon.com MANILA - The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has announced that coverage for hemodialysis is now expanded from 45 to 90 sessions per year in order to help lessen the financial burden of its members undergoing the treatment. The PhilHealth Board of Directors approved the expansion due to the growing incidence of kidney diseases in the country and to respond to the increasing clamor from different stakeholders to increase PhilHealth coverage for hemodialysis. “Based on a series of consultative meetings and dialogues with our stakeholders, our current coverage of P4,000 for hemodialysis is more than enough to cover the treatment cost per session, thus, we are adjusting the case rate amount to P2,500 per session but extending the number of sessions per year,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander Padilla. Padilla also explained that the reduction in the package amount will extend the members’ accessibility to the treatment of up to 90 sessions per year instead of the current maximum allowable sessions of 45 per year. “We want to assure our members that this adjustment will not in any way affect the quality of care being provided by our accredited facilities,” Padilla added. With this new development, PhilHealth members including their qualified dependents undergoing dialysis treatment are ensured of longer sessions in a year thereby reducing out-of-pocket expenses to achieve better health outcomes. The adjusted PhilHealth coverage of P2,500 per session includes payment for facilities and professional fees of attending physicians. PhilHealth records show that in 2014, hemodialysis posted the most number of filed claims among procedures at 691,489, with total benefit payments amounting to P4,666,806,642. PhilHealth members can avail themselves of the benefit package at any of its accredited Free Standing Dialysis Centers and hospitals nationwide.
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