Ho outlines 5-point PhilHealth reform plan
She said PhilHealth should bring services to people instead of waiting for them to seek assistance, including through schools and workplaces.
She said PhilHealth should bring services to people instead of waiting for them to seek assistance, including through schools and workplaces.
Newly installed hilHealth president and CEO Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho said she was grateful and excited to return to public service, with her new role focused on improving access to health care and streamlining PhilHealth services.
Ho said she was surprised by the appointment but welcomed the opportunity to work with former mentors and colleagues, including members of the PhilHealth board.
“It was a surprise. I had a very quiet time before this, but I’m also grateful to be considered, and more importantly, excited because there was an opportunity to serve the public again, alongside a lot of my mentors,” Ho said.
She outlined a five-point plan centered on bringing health services closer to patients, strengthening primary care, expanding access to no-balance-billing services, streamlining accreditation and improving the organization’s internal operations.
Ho said PhilHealth should bring services to people instead of waiting for them to seek assistance, including through schools and workplaces.
She also said public health programs should eventually be integrated into primary care so patients would not have to navigate different government services separately.
Reorganization
The third priority, she said, would be ensuring patients would not fear hospital costs by expanding No Balance Billing and Zero Balance Billing services and increasing the number of NBB beds.
The fourth would be streamlining accreditation and other frontline processes, including exploring a single platform for health care providers applying for Department of Health and PhilHealth accreditation.
The fifth involved PhilHealth’s reorganization and workforce.
“We have a short runway for us.... We want them to focus on the reforms. But for them to be able to focus on the reforms, we have to make sure that our reorganization, which is mandated, will also run smoothly,” Ho said.
She said PhilHealth workers should feel secure, empowered and fairly compensated while the agency implements the reforms.
Ho also said the agency would study ways to expand the roles of health workers, including allowing nurses or general practitioners to perform tasks previously reserved for doctors or specialists when appropriate.
