For the information and guidance of institutional health care providers planning to participate in the National Health Insurance Program, the PhilHealth Board approved Resolution No. 218, s. 1998, emphasizing the date of reckoning of the "three-years-in-operation" requirement for initial accreditation.

Following are the details for your reference:

1. For the purpose of establishing the eligibility for accreditation of institutional health care providers, the date of reckoning of the three-years-operation requirement, as provided for in Section 32 of the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, shall be the effectivity date of the initial business permit issued by the office of the local chief executive in the case of private hospitals, or such date as certified by the local chief executive or the Department of National Defense, in the case of government and military hospitals, respectively, whether or not the operation as hospital, emergency facility or lying-in, puericulture or out-patient clinic was continuous.
   
   Hospitals that temporarily stopped operation due to upgrading, expansion, bankruptcy, closure, abandonment, change of ownership or any other causes shall have their length of operation computed on a cumulative basis from the date of the initial operation of the former hospital or clinic.
   
   
2. Transfer of location for the purpose of upgrading, extension, or for any other reason, whether within or outside the same municipality, city or province, shall continue its accreditation. It shall, however, comply with the DOH guidelines on licensing.
   
   
3. Industrial hospitals that cater exclusively to employees and their dependents within the Special Economic Zones shall be eligible for accreditation provided that they are allowed to operate such hospital or clinic by the special law or charter governing or creating them. If they are required to obtain permit for the operation of such hospital from the Department of Health or local government unit, then the "three-years-in-operation"rule will likewise be reckoned from the date of issuance of such DOH license or business permit as the case may be.

The provisions of PhilHealth Board Resolution Nos. 135 and 138, s. 1997, as contained in PhilHealth Circular No. 25, s. 1998, and all other issuances inconsistent with this Circular are hereby amended, modified and/or repealed accordingly.

Hospitals whose applications for initial accreditation were earlier denied and/or returned for not meeting the three-years-in operation rule are also advised to submit new applications with the required documents and corresponding fees to the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Department, 7/F Jocfer Building, Commonwealth Ave., QC.

Adopted: 01 Feb. 1999

(SGD.) ENRIQUE M. ZALAMEA
President and CEO