PhilHealth peritoneal dialysis first Z-benefit now available in Iloilo City

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=897968
• Wednesday, June 29, 2016

(PNA), BNB/PGLENA/CBF

ILOILO CITY (PNA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has contracted the St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo to become its first private hospital partner in the country to offer the peritoneal dialysis (PD) first Z benefit.

Peritoneal dialysis is one of the three renal replacement therapies to substitute kidney functions that have failed already. The two others are kidney transplant and hemodialysis, explained Dr. Helen Caro-Pastolero, head of the kidney center of t the St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo.

Once the necessary surgical procedure is done, the patient only has to visit the hospital once a month for checkup and laboratories. The patient or their folks are trained how to do the draining at home, she further explained.

“Unlike with hemodialysis you need to go to the hospital three to four times a week for your therapy, there is a needle inserted each time we do dialysis. It’s painful but you have to go through the hospital,” she further stated.

Between two, the PD has no restrictions in terms of food and fluid intake.

With the Z benefit for PD first, PhilHealth has provided a package worth PHP270,000 annually to already include the professional fee of the nephrologists. Prior, the treatment was treated under the case rate package.

Since it has two phases the initiation phase will be computed under the case rate package while the maintenance will be covered by the Z benefit.

“When we say initiation that’s the time that the patient is admitted at the hospital; the tube is inserted and the patient is drained. Within a month we submit to Philhealth the pre-qualification form and as soon as they approve the patients could now get their credit at St. Paul’s Hospital,” she explained.

Three patients are now waiting for their prequalification documents to be submitted to PhilHealth.

“With this new development people from Western Visayas suffering from renal disease are assured of easy access to quality medical service having St.Paul’s Hospital as first contracted hospital here in the island of Panay,” said PhilHealth’s regional vice president Lourdes FR. Diocson.

Diocson said that the cost of having the procedure “will cause not just a dent on household income but cause devastating effect on the economic situation of families of those afflicted with the disease.”

“Now the government is looking to the direction through Philhealth of financing these types of illnesses to have more relevance and impact on the economic well-being of families,” she cited.

She disclosed that in the Philippines 120 for every one million or one out of 10 has chronic renal disease. This is caused mostly by diabetes and hypertension.

In 2015, hemodialysis procedure came second to pneumonia in terms of case reimbursement by PhilHealth in Western Visayas. PhilHealth has reimbursed PHP116.95 million for 20,949 cases last year, she said.

In February this year more than PHP13 million was released for reimbursement.

Diocson said that the cost of PD is lower than hemodialysis.

However, not all patients suffering from the illness can avail of the package. The patient must fulfill the selection criteria with approved pre-authorization and must comply with the qualifying contribution of three months within six months prior the availment of the package.

The kidney center of St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo has competent staff composed of nephrologists, 12 nurses, two aides as well as visiting doctors.

The other two health facilities contracted by PhilHealth are the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Manila and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City, both being government hospitals.