The newly appointed President and CEO of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) admitted that leading the agency comes with significant challenges.
Dr. Edwin Mercado, the newly appointed PhilHealth chief, stated that his medical background has equipped him to empathize with and address patients' concerns.
During a press briefing at Malacañang on Wednesday, Mercado stated that he views PhilHealth as a patient in need of treatment and will determine the appropriate remedy.
He further stated that his initial focus will be reviewing PhilHealth’s processes to enhance service efficiency.
Mercado highlighted digitization as a key priority to expedite claim approvals, pointing out that some claims are rejected due to simple mistakes, such as misspelt names or incomplete attachments.
Furthermore, the agency will ensure the expansion of its services in accordance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive.
“Ang marching order po ng Pangulo natin ay palawigin ang benefit. ‘Pag may datos na po tayo kung magkano po talaga ‘yung gagastusin para i-maintain ‘yung level of care ay mas madali po nating, palagay ko, made-depensa ‘yung susunod na budget at definitely makakahingi po tayo ng pandagdag kung sakali man base doon sa datos," Mercado explained.
The newly appointed PhilHealth chief was sworn in by President Marcos during a ceremony on Tuesday at Malacañang Palace.
Mercado is a US-trained orthopaedic surgeon with 35 years of experience in hospital management.
Additionally, he has been involved in advocacy work with the Zuellig Family Foundation and various Department of Health (DOH) Centers for Health Development.
