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PhilHealth execs could face technical malversation raps over misuse of IRM funds —solon
Congresswoman Stella Quimbo criticized PhilHealth's Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) funds, calling them "blank checks" given to hospitals.
Quimbo discovered that hospitals are allowed to use IRM funds, which are advanced payments for insurance claims, to cover operational costs like salaries and supplies.
PhilHealth admitted that it provided funds through the IRM to healthcare institutions with pending cases, including dialysis centers, private birthing facilities, and infirmaries.
Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr. noted that PhilHealth circulars and press releases stated IRM funds were intended for "fortuitous" events and to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
Barzaga stated that PhilHealth officials could face technical malversation charges over the alleged misuse of IRM funds.
House committee on public accounts chair Mike Defensor had previously alleged that PhilHealth released around P1.4 billion in IRM funds to 51 healthcare institutions with records of fraudulent cases.
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PhilHealth lost at least P2 billion due to fraud in its Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) program, which distributed over P14 billion to hospitals for COVID-19 operations.
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Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is pushing for the abolition of PhilHealth's interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), calling it a source of issues and more of a cash advance than a reimbursement.
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Senator Panfilo Lacson alleged that PhilHealth exhibited favoritism in its distribution of Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) funds for COVID-19 treatment.
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PhilHealth Senior Vice President Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr. admitted that the release of advance payments to hospitals through the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) from March to early June was illegal.
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Several senators welcomed the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) suspension of its interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM) as a positive step towards transparency and allowing scrutiny of past fund releases.
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