PhilCare gained top recognition at the 18th Philippine Quill Awards

PhilCare, one of the country’s most preferred health maintenance organizations (HMO), soars to new heights in its quest to deliver smarter healthcare for Filipinos as its groundbreaking initiatives gained top recognition at the 18th Philippine Quill Awards.

 

Leading the list of Quill Awards for the company is the PhilCare Community Quarantine Wellness Index which won the top prize for Communications Research category. The PhilCare CQ Wellness Index looked into the actual state of well-being of Filipinos amid the imposition of the first enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

 

A total of 800 respondents from all walks of life nationwide were interviewed through mobile phones to get a big picture of how they responded to the effects of the lockdowns and the pandemic as a whole. 

 

The study revealed that Filipinos prayed a lot more while greatly cutting down on vices during the first lockdown. Interestingly also, nearly all respondents back then were most concerned with a possible “second wave” of COVID-19.

 

The PhilCare CQ Wellness Index was also nominated to receive the top award for COVID Communications, a special division in this year’s Quills dedicated to business communication efforts in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the study’s publicity effort also won a Quill award of merit under the Communications Management division.

 

Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators – Philippines (IABC Philippines), the Philippine Quill is the country’s most prestigious business communications awards program. Programs and projects are awarded on the basis of excellent communication use to achieve business goals and to make a difference in society.

 

“Being responsive to the needs of our audience is always important to us. Given that COVID-19 and the lockdowns quickly changed the way we live, we wanted to get their pulse in the fastest and most accurate manner possible, especially with regard to their health. This is why we conducted the PhilCare CQ Wellness Index,” said PhilCare President and CEO Jaeger L. Tanco.

 

“Now that we are more informed with more relevant data, we are in a position to help our fellow Filipinos bounce back better by developing new products, services, and programs that are in tune with the times,” said PhilCare Director Eusebio H. Tanco

 

Another responsive effort relative to the first ECQ that won was the Wellness From Home (WFH) video series, which bagged a Quill award of excellence under the Communications Skills division. 

 

The videos, uploaded on PhilCare’s Facebook page following the implementation of the first lockdowns, featured exercises taught by fitness experts to help followers achieve optimal wellness despite being unable to go out to exercise. These have reached over 900,000 people, of which at least 330,000 have viewed them.

 

The 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index and the HMO’s prepaid health cards program also bagged Quill merit awards.

 

“We are thankful to IABC Philippines for acknowledging PhilCare’s efforts to deliver relevant health and wellness information, which audiences greatly need during this pandemic,” Jaeger added.

 

PhilCare posts 21% income increase as company banks on smarter healthcare to drive growth

Philhealthcare, Inc. (PhilCare), one of the Philippines’ most preferred health maintenance organizations (HMOs), posted a net income of P130.6 million for the 12-month period that ended on December 31, 2019.

The amount is 20.9 percent or P22.6 million higher than the P108 million it earned in the same period in 2018.

Based on the company’s annual financial statement, the HMO’s revenues went up to P2.68 billion, 15.8% or P367 million higher than the previous year. Benefits, claims, and expenses also increased to P2.5 billion, 15.3% or P332 million year-on-year.

“We are really happy that our efforts in 2019 bore fruit, from the aggressive sales of our innovative products like our prepaid healthcards to the new partnerships we formed and the new sales channels that we have opened. All these have contributed significantly to the increase of our bottom line,” said PhilCare president and CEO Jaeger L. Tanco.

“I’m particularly proud that PhilCare has pioneered prepaid healthcards in the market. This was the result of our 1st Wellness Index done back in 2014. We learned back then a lot of Filipinos did not have access to healthcare coverage because they didn’t have corporate health benefits. We, then, decided to develop sachet-type products that are more accessible and affordable, and it truly made a difference,” he added.

Apart from prepaid cards, PhilCare is taking on new innovations by banking on technology that improve the way healthcare is delivered.

Among these is the DigiMed service, which is a form of medical teleconsult, which should make a more pronounced impact as the nation embraces the new normal. 

The DigiMed service on the HeyPhil app has so far received around 1,500 digital consultations a month. It has also recently launched DigiMed PLUS, a web-based telemedicine application that allows members access to numerous specialists through video call.

“It is with great confidence that we assure our members, partners, and stakeholders that regardless of the present economic condition, PhilCare has remained resilient and we continue to be steadfast in our commitment to provide the quality of healthcare and service that we have been known to deliver,” Tanco said.

“PhilCare has always been a company that takes pride in being at the helm of innovation. As the nation gradually prepares itself for the new normal, we continue to gain momentum, seeking for opportune possibilities to leverage change to our advantage, as we dedicate ourselves in fulfilling our mission of making quality healthcare services available to every Filipino,” he added.

Philcare's Health Vantage: Pay only what you can afford for a multi purpose health card

Having worked for more than 10 years at the Admitting Section of one of the country’s top hospitals, I’ve had my share of a lot of sad stories (and old excuses) from patients and their companions whenever they have to be admitted.

And as one of the frontliners I admit it can be quite stressful as you’ll be dealing with a lot of people who are stressed and panicking so you need to have lots of patience and empathy. It was kind of tough at first but dealing with them everyday made me more capable of handling even some extreme situations.

It is hard to be admitted and you don’t have cash with you to pay for everything.  The first thing that would often anger them is (If the patient has no healthcard) is when you ask for a certain amount of hospital deposit. It would usually start with some pleading, then they would began citing some news they read, before they would start shouting and will often end with more pleading.


When I left to venture to a different industry my next job was at  BPO. We were given health benefits which included a health card. Thankfully during the 4 years I spent working there, I was never admitted or had a complicated medical consultation.  As far as I can remember,  I only used my card once because of fever and flu. That one time consultation went smooth as I just showed it to the ER Ward clerk. She just swiped and asked for my birthday. No argument, as it is cashless and the doctor attended to me just like everyone else.



So you see, having a health card can really save you a lot of time, trouble and arguments.  You might not see its importance  now that you are healthy, but once you get sick and need to go to the hospital you’ll appreciate it even more. I just wish a lot of Filipinos could see its importance and that too could have a comprehensive health care system similar to the ones abroad.

Did you know that only 4% of Filipinos enjoy comprehensive HMO coverage, and most people who have that coverage only do because they work for large corporations that are given bulk discounts.  This means that most Filipinos simply aren’t prepared even for minor hospitalizations, from still all too common bacterial or viral diseases.  Will such eventualities do occur, the financial cost will very often lead debt that has to be paid over a period of several months.  Ever attentive to the needs of Filipinos.


With the regular Filipino’s financial reality in mind, PhilCare created the Health Vantage prepaid card.  With PhilCare’s Health Vantage, Filipinos pay only what they can afford, for a multi-use prepaid health card that covers ER, hospitalization, and the bulk of other services that go with it up to a limit that is many times the cost of the Health Vantage Card.

Available for individual purchase online, Health Vantage is the most affordable way to approximate the HMO coverage that employees at big companies get under comprehensive, bulk group plans.

Health Vantage gives you coverage for emergency room care and hospitalization expenses, inclusive of Doctors’ fees, Laboratory and diagnostic procedures, Room and board (regular private room) Medicines (except vaccines) as medically necessary during confinement except for cases declared as non-coverable, Special modalities of treatment which are medically necessary during ER and confinement and subject to standard inner limits, Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures as medically necessary during ER and confinement

Emergency cases are the sudden, unexpected onset of illness or injury, which at the time of contract reasonably appeared as having the potential of causing immediate disability or death or requiring the immediate alleviation of severe pain and discomfort. Emergency cases include but are not limited to Massive Bleeding; Acute Appendicitis; Fractures/multiple injuries secondary to accidents; Convulsions; illnesses or conditions resulting in moderate or severe dehydration such as diarrhea or fever; and Syncope. Pre-existing conditions and those conditions under the general exclusions of PhilCare are not covered.  In addition, ER Vantage comes with a death of dismemberment payout.

Prices for Health Vantage for adults range from Php 3,750 to Php 9,950, amount of coverage is between Php 40,000 to Php 80,000 depending on the Health Vantage card/voucher purchased.

For kids the prices range between Php 3,850 to Php 13,950.

For more details in the Health Vantage, go to: 
http://shop.philcare.com.ph/index.php?route=product/search&search=health%20vantage