SEVERAL partners of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) were engaged in a roundtable discussion to find ways to strengthen the implementation of the state health insurer’s Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) program.
Over 70 stakeholders composed of city health offices from local government units (LGUs), private providers, and patient groups had gathered in a roundtable discussion called “Working Towards Universal Health Care’s Comprehensive Outpatient Benefit Package” under the auspices of the Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP).
At the gathering, the Unilab center introduced the Konsulta Manual of Operations (MOP), a guidebook for health care providers and LGUs to streamline the implementation of PhilHealth’s Konsulta program.
According to Unilab Foundation Executive Director Jose Maria Ochave, the discussion aims to take “small, yet deliberate and steady steps that will advance the ‘health for all’ promise of Universal Health Care.”
The Konsulta program, launched in 2020, aims to ensure equitable access to quality and affordable health care for all Filipinos while protecting them against financial risks.
The program allows Filipinos to register with accredited providers to access a range of services, including consultations, health risk screenings, 15 laboratory tests and 21 essential medicines.
Despite this, some challenges were encountered in the implementation of the program during the open discussion with the stakeholders, including difficulties with navigating finances, facility accreditation and patient registration, patients’ unfamiliarity with the importance of the program, and the need for clearer processes and better information dissemination.
“The UCHP believes in PhilHealth’s Konsulta, which is why, when it was launched, one of Unilab’s first priority projects was to develop the Manual of Operations for the Konsulta package,” said Director Ruben Basa.
The Konsulta manual, authored by Dr. Maeda Gonda and Dr. Shirley Domingo, addresses the implementation challenges by providing a step-by-step guide on key aspects such as membership registration, provider accreditation and social mobilization.
The manual also covers practical aspects of the program, such as benefit availability, provider billing, payment processes, and information systems, to foster a more structured and efficient approach.
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