Manila: The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has vowed to expedite paying back health provider partners within seven working days. In a media briefing Saturday, Dr. Edwin Mercado, PhilHealth Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, announced that under the "Rise 30" reform initiative, the organization is working to reduce the payment process for reimbursements to private health clinics and hospitals.

According to Philippines News Agency, the "Rise 30" vision is a 30-month reform initiative by PhilHealth aimed at improving efficiency and trust in healthcare services. Dr. Mercado highlighted that payment processing times have already decreased from seven months to as short as 14 to 16 days, and the goal is to further shorten it to seven days.

Mercado emphasized the importance of cooperation with private health service providers to expedite the reimbursement process, particularly in terms of complying with necessary paperwork. To facilitate this, PhilHealth has established a system to inform its partners about the missing requirements needed for claiming reimbursements.

Dr. Mercado has been visiting the Northern Mindanao Region since October 10 to engage in dialogue with local stakeholders, reinforcing PhilHealth's commitment to improving healthcare services in the country.