During the Committee Hearing on August 17, Marikina Rep. Quimbo was surprised to know that hospitals are allowed to use funds from the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) for other operational expenses (e.g. salary). Let me reiterate that the same mechanism is expected when "prospective payments" (in the form of global budgets) will be provided to hospitals … Continue reading Principle behind IRM is good
Health
Congressional hearing: Corruption allegations against PhilHealth
Congressional Hearing 5 August 2020 1) I do not agree with Cong. Defensor when he said that investing in an IT system while still using the All Case Rate (ACR) system will "computerize" corruption in PhilHealth. Regardless of the provider payment system, an IT system will actually help the Corporation and health care providers … Continue reading Congressional hearing: Corruption allegations against PhilHealth
Stepwise Approach to Address the Nursing Shortage in Critical Care Settings
With limited manpower and resources, hospitals can only do so much in a pandemic. Sadly, the country is still in the pandemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak and more cases are expected to be confirmed in the following weeks. The Department of Health (DOH) has recently identified six areas in the Visayas as emerging COVID-19 … Continue reading Stepwise Approach to Address the Nursing Shortage in Critical Care Settings
Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 2)
What are the considerations in the provider payment mechanism? How we raise money to pay for health care is an important issue. But equally important are the daunting tasks of organizing health service delivery, and compensating individuals and organizations that provide these services. To meet the increasing demand for health care services, health care workers … Continue reading Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 2)
Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 1)
Introduction Many countries are scrambling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary focus has been on strengthening health systems to improve surge capacity1,2. At the same time, countries are faced with the difficulty of balancing the demands of responding to the pandemic with the need to maintain the delivery of essential health services2. This … Continue reading Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 1)
Nurses’ professional and moral duty
Nurses have 5 fundamental responsibilities: -to promote health -to prevent illness -to restore health -to alleviate suffering -to assist towards a peaceful death Inherent in nursing is our duty to perform these responsibilities especially in the context of a pandemic. It is hard for many of us to turn our backs on our patients simply … Continue reading Nurses’ professional and moral duty
Foster collaborative relationships
Immediately after the news broke that three doctors died due to COVID-19, people took their frustration to Twitter and were quick to blame patients for their failure to divulge accurate health and travel history. For many, this alleged ’lie’ caused the life of an unsung hero who was at the frontline battling the pandemic. A … Continue reading Foster collaborative relationships
Nudging in health care
We saw a dramatic change in people’s behavior brought about by information (and misinformation) regarding the worldwide spread of COVID-19. People began clamoring for more health information and others started wearing surgical face masks to protect themselves. Following advice from the Department of Health, several organizations cancelled their scheduled conferences and conventions this year. What … Continue reading Nudging in health care
Foreign ownership in the health care market
The proposed measure to allow foreign ownership of transportation and telecommunication services clearly sets a precedent for other public services in the Philippines, such as health care. Opening the Philippine health care market to foreign ownership, obviously, has potential benefits including employment opportunities, better provision of health services, and health technology exchange. Foreign ownership of … Continue reading Foreign ownership in the health care market
Call for fair and adequate hazard pay
How much is the price of upholding the rights of nurses in the country? For some, it costs nothing. Nurses are at the frontline of the health care delivery system. They become the first and last health workers in contact with patients and their families. As such, nurses are exposed to low- and high-risk hazards … Continue reading Call for fair and adequate hazard pay
Pens & Needles 