PhilHealth Assures Public of Temporary System Downtime Restoration
In an update released on Saturday, Sept. 23, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Management assured the public that the temporary downtime in its system will be restored as soon as possible. The organization has been working diligently to resolve the issue and plans to have the systems back up and running by Monday, Sept. 25.
PhilHealth revealed that it is configuring and reinforcing its information security measures following the detection of a security incident on Sept. 22. As a result of the incident, access to all systems, including the website, HCI and Member Portal, and e-Claims, were disabled as part of security containment measures.
Despite the incident, PhilHealth assures the public that no personal or medical information has been compromised or leaked. The organization stated that the security incident is under control. PhilHealth is currently working closely with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), the Cybercrime Units of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to investigate the incident.
Until the system restoration is complete, PhilHealth has outlined procedures for members and their dependents to still receive benefits from the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). They can submit a photocopy of their PhilHealth Identification Card (PIC), Member Data Record (MDR), or other acceptable supporting documents.
Self-earning individuals and professionals are also advised that they can still pay their premiums over the counter to PhilHealth’s Accredited Collecting Agents. Accredited healthcare facilities should continue deducting PhilHealth benefits and make temporary arrangements with patients who are for discharge, allowing them to avail of their benefits.
In terms of filing claims, PhilHealth has extended the filing period for claims covering June 1 to Sept. 30, 2023, as outlined in a previous advisory called PhilHealth System Optimization. Employers are advised to submit their reports once the Electronic Remittance System (EPRS) has been restored.
Despite the temporary system downtime, PhilHealth reassures the public that it will continue its operations and process transactions manually while configurations are ongoing. The organization asks for the public’s understanding regarding the incident.
The public can expect further updates from PhilHealth as they work to restore the system and ensure the security of their information.
