Today, President Benigno Aquino III and Health Minister Enrique Ona unveiled the latest package of benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), which will focus on catastrophic cases. Referral hospitals committed to providing Z services include the Philippine Children`s Medical Center in Quezon City for the treatment of ALL; Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila for breast cancer; and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City for prostate cancer. About 19 public hospitals have already been contracted by PhilHealth nationwide. PhilHealth initially partnered with nationally selected referral and contract hospitals to provide Z services. Reference hospitals provide technical services such as the development of a registry centre called the Z Benefit Information Tracking System, or ZBITS, which contains patient information and monitors registered Z-type cases, the cost and acquisition of agreed mandatory services, and the establishment of standards of care. On the other hand, the contracted hospitals are all level 3 and 4 hospitals that have signed the performance commitment and the contract to ensure quality care for type Z conditions. Other benefits are still being studied and developed, such as packages for premature babies, peritoneal dialysis, and treatment for colon and rectal cancer. “With better benefits come quality service. We want to reduce the burden of our members affected by catastrophic illnesses not only by improving benefits, but also by ensuring trouble-free use,” said Banzon.

PhilHealth members or qualified dependents may contact selected affiliated hospitals (see list below) where physicians will assess whether they meet the selection criteria for performance Z. All eligible PhilHealth members (whether they work in the employment sector, single-payer, lifetime program, sponsored program or foreign worker categories), including their qualified dependents, are eligible for the package. Why “Z”? PhilHealth classifies medical conditions from type A (simplest and cheapest) to type D (most severe and expensive). The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the number of new cancer cases worldwide has increased by 11% in 5 years, reaching 14.1 million in 2012. “Every Filipino has the right to better and comprehensive medical treatment so they can fight and continue living. It is not appropriate to deprive them of what they are entitled to. Z is neither an advantage in itself nor the end, but the beginning of a new standard for providing quality healthcare,” he added. (END) Do you have any interesting, smart, amazing or even crazy and crazy questions in mind? Email us at research@rappler.com and let Rappler IQ provide you with the answers. For more information, visit PhilHealth`s offices or visit their website.

– Research by Fritzie Rodriguez and Michael Bueza/Rappler.com To cure some cases of cancer and other serious illnesses in the Philippines, the government launched the Z Benefit Package through Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth). The no-balance billing (NBB) or “Walang dagdag bayad” policy applies to referred members who benefit from the Z package, while the fixed co-payment is applied to non-referred members. The fixed co-payment is an identified amount invoiced and borne by the member in addition to the Z package, but does not exceed the payment of the service paid by PhilHealth. In addition to these cancers, other diseases for which Z-benefits have been or are being developed include end-stage renal disease and congenital heart disease. The package is called “Z-Performance” because if we were to classify and classify all diseases from A to Z, diseases that push patients to a longer hospital stay and very expensive treatments would be the last letter or Z diseases. These diseases are treated in the package. The package was developed after nearly four months of hospital visits, consultations, brainstorming, hard work and perseverance. The Z Benefits package is available to PhilHealth members to treat health conditions that trigger extended hospital stays and very expensive treatments. With this in mind, PhilHealth has developed an advantage that not only covers hospital costs, but also ensures overall care and better health outcomes.

Benefit Z is paid directly to the referral hospital, so PhilHealth members automatically deduct their benefit from their total hospital bill. “We also want to protect our non-sponsored members from potentially high fees for the treatment of type Z diseases, which is why we have established relationships with our partner providers to ensure correct and strict implementation of fixed user fees,” Banzon said. Members classified as indigent by the DSWD are automatically registered. Cancer deaths reached 8.2 million in 2012, up 8.4% from 2008. WHO said lack of access to treatment was one of the contributing factors to deaths. First, the cases identified under Z-performance are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in childhood, breast cancer and prostate cancer. The overall cost for the full treatment of these cases is 210,000 pesos for ALL and 100,000 pula each for breast and prostate cancer. Upon approval by PhilHealth, the physician can then provide all mandatory services to the patient. MANILA, Philippines – As we commemorated World Cancer Day on Tuesday, Feb. 4, Rappler reviewed efforts to reduce cancer cases in the country. If the hospital is qualified, it submits the appropriate documents to the PhilHealth regional office. The checklists and forms can be found below: Type Z conditions, the end of the spectrum, are cases that are “perceived as economically and medically catastrophic” due to the severity of the case.

There are currently 23 hospitals under contract with the Z-Benefit program nationwide, all of which are state universities. “We must aggressively reduce household health care costs, especially in times of catastrophic illness that can push Filipinos into poverty or even further,” said Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon, President and CEO of PhilHeath. The package includes payment for hospital services such as hospital room and meal fees, medications and laboratory tests, operating room and fees for the entire treatment, including mandatory and other services required per disease.