The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) – Ilocos Region said Z benefits for select orthopedic implants are available at Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) here.
The no balance billing policy will be applied, where eligible PhilHealth members won’t incur out-of-pocket expenses beyond the approved rates for their hospital care.
The cases and implants covered by the benefit package include joint replacement (hip and knee); hip trauma; humerus (plates, screws, and pins; forearm (plates, screws, and pins); wrist (plates, screws, and pins; femur (nail interlocking, plates and screw); and tibia (nail interlocking, plates and screw), Philippine Hip and Knee Society vice president Dr. Michael Muñoz said in a press conference Friday.
These are for hip arthroplasty, hip fixation, pertrochanteric fracture, femoral and tibial shaft fracture, total knee replacement, and upper extremities, he said.
PhilHealth-Ilocos Region benefit administration section head Janette Manaois said the Z (medically and economically catastrophic) benefit package is for patients needing device or orthopedic implants to replace broken joints, bones or muscles.
Eligible patients, depending on the clinical definition or selection criteria, can avail of services worth PHP100,000 up to PHP260,000 in contracted facilities.
Contracted facilities such as ITRMC have the necessary medical equipment and orthopedic medical specialists to ensure the safety and success of operations.
ITRMC was approved as a contracted facility in the Ilocos Region in 2022. Manaois said some 380 patients have availed of the package since then.
ITRMC medical center chief Dr. Eduardo Badua III said the Z package helps patients and empowers hospitals like ITRMC to deliver timely, appropriate and complete care without pushing patients into additional financial hardship.
“And this, through Philhealth, affirms that the success of essential surgical care is a right, not a privilege,” he said.
The facility is also applying for rehabilitation medicine. (PNA)
