CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reminded patients that hospital reimbursement is not allowed.
The PCSO made the statement in response to repeated queries and misconceptions that charity agency of the government reimburses cash payments made by patients, families, or relatives to hospitals.
Dr. Larry Cedro, PCSO Charity Sector assistant general manager, reiterated that the PCSO does not allow reimbursements of any kind.
“’Yung programa ng PCSO, may sinusunod tayong panuntunan. Base sa aming programa, bawal ang reimbursement. Ini-encourage namin ang lahat na mag-file ng kanilang [financial/medical] assistance prior to discharge. Dapat may final bill na isu-sumite sa amin tapos i-a-asses ng social worker who will determine the appropriate amount, depending on the status of the patient,” Cedro said.
The PCSO also highlighted the 2018 First Quarter Report of the agency led by PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan where he disclosed the P15.9 billion earnings from the various lottery games.
“For the first quarter, we have 120,356 IMAP beneficiaries, a 34.09 percent increase from the same period last year. The agency also spent P2.35 billion for IMAP assistance, a 39.96 percent increase from the same period last year,” said Balutan.
The Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP) of PCSO attends to the financial needs of all individuals with health-related problems through the provision of financial assistance. Patients must submit a letter of request, medical abstract and final hospital bill.
After assessment, the PCSO will issue a guarantee letter (GL) to the hospital or partner health facility, which assumes the obligation of a specific amount due from the client for the services rendered.
“If you pay it using your personal loans or credit cards, we will treat it as a settled case. Remember, we are using public funds and PCSO is accountable for that. Our basic requirement is no reimbursement is allowed,” he said.
Depending on the patient’s classification, if he is classified as “F” and the patient is admitted in the charity ward of a government hospital, the patient is entitled to receive 100 percent (of his medical expense).
In a private charity ward, a patient can receive a maximum of 70 percent, and in private hospital, the subsidy is not going to exceed 60 percent.
“For chemo and radiation therapies, we have a scheme. We enroll the patient to the program briefly. If the patient needs six cycles, we can cover 50 percent of that requirement or three cycles. For rehabilitation, we require quotation,” Cedro said.
At present, there are 58 At-Source-Ang-Processing (ASAP) Desks in partner hospitals and facilities, and 63 PCSO branches where patients, relatives, and families can directly seek financial assistance without the need to go to the main office or Lung Center of the Philippines.
