PhilHealth

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) introduced its innovations and proposed a system enhancing its implementation of the new manner of accepting premium collections from its members in the next three (3) years during the 9th PhilHealth Accredited Collecting Agents (ACAs) forum recently held in Luxent Hotel, Quezon City. The annual event was attended by more than 60 collecting partners from banks and non-bank institutions.

Dubbed "Digitalization at its Full Swing", the forum aims to get the support of ACAs in the implementation of various collection and premium payment systems and mechanisms such as Online Scheme and Over-the-Counter Collection Scheme with Pre-validation Link to PhilHealth System; and submission of Remittance Reports (RF2A) using the Electronic Collecting Reporting System (ECRS), among others.

The online innovations through the Electronic Premium Remittance System (EPRS) were earlier introduced in 2012 but only to a limited number of ACAs. Over the years these were continuously enhanced and developed to make sure that PhilHealth members, clients and customers will be able to experience faster, easier and accessible services. In addition, the automation of these systems and processes is part of PhilHealth's corporate priorities in line with the implementation of Universal Health Care as well as in support of President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to streamline services and to make government services efficient under the Ease of Doing Business Act.

In her message, Acting Senior Manager of Treasury Department Maria Lourdes V. Naguit said that the proposed innovations and projects are beneficial to both PhilHealth and ACAs since these will promote operational efficiency and synergy.

Naguit added that through such partnerships, ACAs are able to offer PhilHealth clients and stakeholders with the possibility of opening deposit accounts and to market their other products and services, while the non-bank ACAs are given the opportunity to further expand their reach and collection windows particularly in areas that remain underserved or even unserved by PhilHealth ACAs at present.

Most importantly on PhilHealth's part, these will lead to the attainment of its strategic objective of improved, easier, speedy, accessible, and transparent transaction services, she added.

Naguit concluded her message by stressing that PhilHealth duly recognizes the vital role of ACAs in the efficient collection effort especially in the proper and timely reporting and posting of payments of PhilHealth members and employers, something that cannot be done by PhilHealth alone but with the help and support of its collecting partners.