Background: Guaranteeing quality of health care services is part of the objectives of Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019. In assuring that quality services are delivered by health care providers, they must be accredited to participate in the National Health Insurance Program. The UHC Act mandates the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to recognize third party mechanisms as basis of granting incentives for health facilities that deliver services of higher quality. This review aimed to identify lessons and experiences from literature that can be adopted and contextualized in the Philippine setting, for strategic policies on strengthening the national health facility accreditation system. Methods: A systematic review of literature was conducted to generate evidence-based recommendations from discussions on cross country experiences and local government initiatives towards improved accreditation system. Results: By virtue of the UHC Act, a form of strategic purchasing is further institutionalized through a rating system that incentivizes health facilities that provide better services in terms of quality, efficiency, and equity. It is imperative to consider the country’s previous and current gaps and challenges in accreditation and adopt the best practices of other countries, as appropriate to Philippine's local settings. A tool is proposed in creating a national hospital accreditation system using the domains of leadership and governance, financing and sustainability, standards development, program management, and continuing quality improvement. Conclusion and Recommendations With the legitimacy of third party accreditation body mandated by the UHC Act, operationalization of the prescribed mechanisms and organizational structure must enjoin all pertinent stakeholders and be supported by sustainable funds and technical assistance by the government.
Universal Health Insurance ; Universal Health Care ; Insurance ; Health Policy ; National Health Programs ; Accreditation

Background: The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act seeks to delineate the roles of key agencies and stakeholders towards equity in access to quality and affordable health care. Under the pillar of health regulation, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is mandated to recognize third party accreditation mechanisms as a basis for granting incentives to health facilities that provide better service quality, efficiency, and equity. Methods: A systematic review of literature was conducted to generate a policy brief that outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the current accreditation system, and how to address arising fragmentation issues in implementation based on international and local evidence. To generate recommendations from a multi-stakeholder approach, a roundtable discussion enjoined by all major stakeholders of the policy issue was conducted by the University of the Philippines Manila Health Policy Development Hub in collaboration with the Department of Health. Thematic analysis of the RTD and the literature review were utilized in crafting the position statement with the general aim of producing consensus policy recommendations, as inputs in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Act. Results: Policy analysis using results of literature review and policy discussion was crafted, with thematically arranged recommendations in the domains of leadership and governance, financing and sustainability, standards development, program development, and continuing quality improvement that could help the national health system in determining third party accreditation mechanisms set forth by the UHC Act. Significant issues raised was the composition and requirements of the third party accreditor and the risks in transition. Conclusion and Recommendation With the PhilHealth Benchbook setting the standards and with the expressed commitment of stakeholders for third party accreditation, it is an opportune time for the UHC Act to institutionalize the accreditation mechanisms that will address existing challenges of PhilHealth accreditation. The literature review and discussion bring forth the proposed tool for the criteria in selecting third party accreditors.
Universal Health Care ; National Health Programs ; Accreditation

In March 2020, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) designed and rapidly implemented a national surveillance system for the utilization of hospital beds by patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to produce complete and timely data for use by various levels of governance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DOH launched the DOH DataCollect (DDC) Bed Tracker system, a web-based application that collects information from all 1906 public and private hospitals and infirmaries across the country using a modular data collection tool. Data on the maximum number of occupied COVID-19-designated beds (n = 28 261), hospital bed utilization rate (71.7%), and mechanical ventilator number (n = 1846) and utilization rate (58.5%) were recorded in September 2021 during the Delta surge of cases in the Philippines. Data on human resources, personal protective equipment and supplies, and other operational indicators were added to the system during various modifications. Information from the DDC was used to inform the COVID-19 response and operations at national and local levels and facilitated research at academic and nongovernmental agencies. The development of the DDC system demonstrates that an effective surveillance system for use by all health-care facilities is achievable through strong national leadership, the use of available technology and adaptive information systems, and the establishment of networks across different health facilities and stakeholders.

: Background. Inequities in health care exist in the Philippines due to various modifiable and non-modifiable determinants. Through the years, different interventions were undertaken by the government and various stakeholders to address these inequities in primary care. However, inequities still continue to persist. The enactment of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act aims to ensure that every Filipino will have equitable access to comprehensive and quality health care services by strengthening primary care. As a step towards UHC, the government endeavors to guarantee equity by prioritizing assistance and support to underserved areas in the country. This paper aims to review different interventions to promote equity in the underserved areas that could aid in needs assessment. Methods: A search through PUBMED and Google Scholar was conducted using the keywords, “inequity,” “primary care” and “Philippines.” The search yielded more than 10,000 articles which were further filtered to publication date, relevance to the topic, and credibility of source. A total of 58 full-text records were included in the review. Results and Discussion: In the Philippines, inequities in primary care exist in the context of health programs, facilities, human health resources, finances, and training. These were recognized by various stakeholders, from government and private sector, and nongovernment organizations, taking actions to address inequities, applying different strategies and approaches but with a shared goal of improving primary care. On another end, social accountability must also be instilled among Filipinos to address identified social and behavioral barriers in seeking primary care. With political commitment, improvement in primary care towards health equity can be achieved. Conclusion and Recommendation To address inequities in primary care, there is a need to ensure adequate human resources for health, facilities, supplies such as medications, vaccination, clean water, and sources of funds. Moreover, regular conduct of training on healthcare services and delivery are needed. These will capacitate health workers and government leaders with continuous advancement in knowledge and skills, to be effective providers of primary care. Institutionalizing advocacy in equity through policies in healthcare provision would help realize the aims of the Universal Health Care Act.
Philippines ; Universal Health Care ; Primary Health Care