In accordance with Section 50 of the Revised IRR of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) mandating the Corporation ...."to implement a Quality Assurance Program applicable to all health care* services rendered to the members ... are of the quality necessary to achieve the desired health outcomes....", PhilHealth hereby adopts the Benchbook on Performance Improvement of Health Services (Benchbook) as its main reference for assessing and evaluating the performance of accredited health care providers as it shifts paradigm from a purely accountability framework to that of continuous quality improvement.

The standards for improvement which are embodied in the Benchbook are designed to ensure the provision of quality care. These standards shall serve as basis for accreditation of institutional health care providers (primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals according to PhilHealth classification; and infirmary, primary, secondary, and tertiary care hospitals according to Department of Health classification) in the initial phase of implementation. Use of the Benchbook standards for accreditation of other health care providers (ambulatory surgical clinics, rural health units, DOTS facilities, maternity care clinics and free-standing dialysis clinics) shall commence at a later phase.

In order to ease transition from current accreditation standards to the Benchbook standards, all institutional health care providers are enjoined to participate in trainings, workshops and orientations provided and/or organized by the Corporation.

This Order takes effect 15 days after publication.

Adopted: 24 May 2005

(SGD.) FRANCISCO T. DUQUE III
Secretary
President and CEO