PHA BLOGSITE GOES INTO HIATUS

Begging the indulence of the viewers, updating materials for this blogsite will stop for now.  As the then designated administrator of the PHA's ON LINE initiative, I will no longer be able to function as such in view of my resignation from the organization last March, 2012.  The emergence of other pressing matters has constrained me to disengage from responsiblities with the PHA (Executive Officer, On Line Initiative Team Leader, PHA COMELEC member, Annual National Committee Committee member on Ways and Means, etc.).

At the opportune time, I shall resume my blogging activities on matters of general interest to a wider audience that will deal with current events, travel, food, photography, technology and lifestyle.  Will use "Of Sabreswords and Bytes" as title of my blogsite.

I will make the announcement at a later date.

My good wishes to PHA!

Thank you everyone.

Truly yours,

Byteknight

AVALANCHE OF INTEREST : MARATHON DIALOGUE, REGION 3 PHA CONFERENCE

If the volume of text reservations and inquiries were to be used as gauge by the Philippine Hospital Association, the upcoming Regional Conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel at Clark,Angeles City for Regional 3 members of the organization will be an SRO.

For those interested in acquiring more information about the event, herewith is a copy of the program:

The PHA 2012 BOARD AND OFFICERS shall be trooping in full force to Angeles City on February 26, 2012 for the PHA Region 3 Conference and Marathon Dialogue.  PHA President Atty. Bu Castro, M.D. leads the group and intends this conference to be a fruitful interaction amongst the stakeholders. As can be gleamed from the program and the array of resource personalities, it is his hope and prayer that appropriate information contributory to the resolution of problems and difficulties encountered by all parties shall be brought up.

For more details, interested parties may text the Executive Officer, Mac Caliwara at mobile number +639178511500 or email him at executive.officer@pha.ph.

President Bu CAstro intends to folow the same format in the succeding Regional Conference for Region 12 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on March 25, 2012.

PMA-PHAP-PHA On Case Rates/Mix: Hospitals and Medical Groups Knocking!

The on-going dialogue of the Philippine Medical Association, Private Hospital Association and the Philippine Hospital Association on one side and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on the other finds the issues to be still on the brewing pot.  After separate meetings by the respective stakeholders of each group, a recommended set of rates have been submitted to PHIC contained in a letter submitted today, January 16, 2012. 

The 4 page letter is posted herewith for the reference of interested parties.

The medical community is watching closely on the outcome of the discussions on the Case Rates/Mix Scheme initiated by PHIC as most feels that a carefull balancing of the concerns of both sides is the key to its success.

HITTING THE GROUND AND READY TO RUN

The new PHA President, Atty. Bu Castro, M.D.,  has hit the ground , so to speak, and is in the process of planting his two feet firmly before running off.   This is opposed to the saying “hitting the ground running”. Atty. Bu is to be perceived as  a cautious man.  He lands, he pauses and thinks , before going into a decisive run.  This is in contrast to some leaders who, prior to landing on the ground have already began running and therefore, never got to plant their feet on the ground to the extent of never finding it, running without reaching the destination.

Last Wednesday, December 14, 2011, he has put on the role of coordinator for several groups in the medical communicty, namely: the Philippine Medical Association and its various sub-specialty groups,  the Private Hospital Association and the Philippine Hospital Association, to get together  and pursue continuous discussions on the issues with regard to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s pronouncements on case rate/case mix.

In attendance were stakeholders from:

Philippine Medical Association	Association of Provincial Health Officers
Phil college of Hospital Administrators	Philippine Academy of Family of Physicians
Philippine Hospital Association	Philippine Society of Anesthesia
Members of the PMA Commission On Legislation	Philippine Society of Pathologists
Private Hospital Assn of the Philippines	Philippine Academy of Ophthalmologists
Philippine College of Surgeons	Philippine College of Hospital Administrators
Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecology Society	Phil Society of Otolaryngology & Head/Neck Surgery
Philippine College of Physicians	Philippine Pediatrics Society

The meeting was well attended.  Concerns and proposals from the various groups in attendance were heard, discussed and noted.

Shortly, a joint letter from the PMA , PHAP and PHA Presidents shall be sent to the PHIC President containing the studied proposals from the group.  It is with much anticipation and hope that the continuous dialogue between the parties shall bring forth happy resolution to the case rate / case mix and NBB issues.

The route being taken by the medical community is in consonance with the pronouncements made by the new President Dodo Banzon of pursuing the case rate/mix and NBB strategy for the benefit of all,  with prior and due consultations with various stakeholders which include those who will be  affected from the medical community.

The recent pronouncement of Dr. Banzon on the increase in the premium of the PHIC members is part of the strategy designed to widen and improve the benefits for all concerned.

Apparently, the designated leaders concerned with the issues have “hit the ground and are pausing to think before running” which should be a healthy sign that all will end well.

Best of the Season to All!

Listening To The President

A few days from today, the Philippine  medical community represented by their appointed organization officers will converge to discuss among themselves an issue concerning the PHilippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) on  CASE RATE. The newly installed PHIC President, Dr. Dodo Banzon, have been making announcements that the case rate payment is something that will be beneficial to all concerned, namely, the PHIC member-patient, the physicians, the hospitals, PHIC, etc. .  The PHIC President also welcomes and urges the various sub-specialties to do their own computations as to what they think are the just and equitable rates for various cases affected by the PHIC Case Payment/Rate scheme.

It is in this regard that the newly elected PHA President, Atty. Bu Castro, MD. has took it upon himself to coordinate the Grand Alliance Meeting of PMA, PHAP and PHA on December 14, 2011, at 230pm , at the PMA Board Room (refer to an earlier blog post).

Atty. Bu Castro releases the following message in his maiden  "Listening to the President" post:

NEW PHA PRESIDENT CALLS FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING ON DEC 14 2011

The issue on case rate/case mix payment scheme has rocked the medical community in the past  months. The new PHIC President is exerting efforts to correct any misimpressions / misinterpretations that may have been created by earlier pronouncements by PHIC on the matter. He has urged all concerned specialty groups to come out with their respective recomputations so that it may be given due course.

In this regard, the PHA President has taken it upon himself to coordinate efforts and activities in this regard.

Below is his NOTICE OF MEETING to all concerned, to be held on December 14, 2011 at 2:30-5:00pm at the PMA Board Room.

L.E.A.P. Reasons and Lessons From The PHILIPPINE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION’s 2011 National Convention.

The Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) stands by its mission of L.E.A.P, an acronoymn for Leading, Enabling, Assisting & Protecting Hospitals towards Quality Service.

ELEVEN HAPPY REASONS. The PHA’s reasons for being in a state of blissful daze and thankfulness come from the results of the 62^nd Annual Convention held on November 23-25, 2011 at Manila Hotel outlined as follows:

1.       It has attained an estimated 1,500 record breaking

            attendance and participants (including sponsors, guests, 

            support staff, etc) in its Nov. 23-25, 2011 Annual National 

            Convention held at the Manila Hotel.

2.       It has broken the record on the number of exhibitors.

3.       It has broken the record on the number of pre-registered 

            participants at 310 heads .

4.       The cover of the Convention’s printed directory and 

            souvenir program have been lauded by many participants

            as one of the best in design and printing through the use

            of spot UV technology.

5.       The tribute write ups on two outstanding women in the

            Philippine hospital industry, Dr. Fe del Mundo of the Dr. 

            Fe del Mundo Medical Center Foundation and Dr. Thelma

           Clemente of the Capitol Medical Center, were very much 

           appreciated by the respective families of the honorees.

6.       It has raffled off the most number of prizes, both major

           and minor.

7.       All its invited guests of honor came and regaled the 

            audience with their own brand of repertoire.

8.       It has elected its new set of Board of Directors, a new

            President and set of Officers and welcomed a new

            member of the Board (saying goodbye to one).

9.       The registration process was comparatively smooth and 

            has done away with the snaking long lines of the previous

            years.

10.   The computer assisted election process was very much

          improved than that of prior years and produced the

          winners immediately after close of the polls. This, in 

          contrast to the tedious manual counting of the past which 

          extended to about midnight.

11.  A PHA Provincial Council, the Capiz Provincial Council, came

       with their officers in full force and were exhilarated to be 

       inducted by the newly installed President of the PHA.

IMPROVEMENTS. Imperfections in this world is a reality that everyone must accept.  The bad must be taken in with the good . One can only learn from experiences so that mistakes of the past can be remedied and repetition in the future can be avoided as well.  Deficiencies have been duly noted by the organizers so that improvements can be instituted in future events.

The PHA attributes much of the improvements in communications with members and the support given by the Board in campaigning for attendance. It is however accepted that there are still a lot of room for improvements on the aspect of communications attributable to the inefficiencies of the snail mail system of the country.  However, with the relentless efforts of the concerned team and full support of the PHA Board of Directors on the Social Media Initiatives (Facebook, Twitter, Website, Email, Tumblr, Webinars, etc.) launched in early 2011, substantial improvements in communications are expected in 2012. The use of incentives and motivations were proven very effective , especially in the early birds registration campaign (cultural tour of museums, hospitality suite  and raffle prizes), maintaining audience attendance and attention during the sessions and ceremonies as well as encouraging members to go to the polling place and visit exhibitors booths. Raffle Prizes worth noting were:

·         For early birds registrants – an Apple IpodTouch and 
             Samsung Galaxy Mini Tab 5” courtesy of the PHA

·         For Attendance at the Fellowship – Toshiba Personal
             Laptop Computer donated by Governor Jericho Petilla 
             and Digital Cameras donated by BPI Leasing.

·         For noontime attendance to the BPI Leasing talk – SONY
             BRAVIA LED 32” TV and Digital Cameras and cellphones

·         For those who cast their votes – an Apple ipodTouch
             courtesy of the PHA

·         For those who stayed on for the closing Ceremonies – 2
             units Apple IPAD2 16GB courtesy of the PHA

In terms of improvements, one major thing that needs to be done for the 2012 Annual event is to plan early, preferably done by the First Quarter of 2012.  The theme should be crafted early so that topics and resource speakers can be lined up and sent out invitations 5 months before the event. Equally important is to designate the people who will be team leaders of the various major activities of the event and in as much details as possible list down their respective duties and responsibilities. Early reservations of the event place are also a must. 

2012 SET OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS. The newly elected PHA Presidents faces a multitude of challenges for his term.  It consist not only of surpassing the records of the 62^nd Annual National Convention for 2012 but to bring forth forms of relief to the “battle-fatigued” hospitals owing to new and upcoming government regulations and legislations.

The following are the new Officers and Board of Directors of the PHA for the year 2012:

Atty. Bu Castro, M.D.

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

President

Dr. Rudolfo Ante

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

Vice-President – Luzon

Dr. Winifreda Cagulada

(from the Government Hospitals Sector)

Vice-President – Vizayas

Dr. Conrado Brana

(from the Government Hospitals Sector)

Vice-President - Mindanao

Dr. Jesus Jardin

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

Treasurer

Dr. Janet del Mundo-Tan

(From the Government Hospitals Sector)

Secretary

Dr. Romeo Maano

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

PRO

Dr.  Concepcion Lim

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

Director

Dr. Edgardo Salud

(from the Government Hospitals Sector)

Director

Dr. AVelino Obispo

(from the Private Hospitals Sector)

Director

Dr. Ruben Flores

(from the Government Hospitals Sector)

Immediate Past President

Dr. Thelma Navarette-Clemente

President Emeritus

OUTGOING PRESIDENT, DR. RUBEN FLORES’ VALEDICTORY ADDRESS. Dr. Ruben Flores opened up with referral to the “Heroes” in the midst of his administration for the last two years as President of the PHA.  He laid down the many and substantial achievements attained during his terms of office which has as its focus and guide his “7 Point Agenda”.  He expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the general membership for their support and cooperation, the Board of Directors for their efforts and works , the Secretariat and others who in one way or another helped make his journey a fruitful one.

He deemed it fit to explain in his valedictory address as to why he has stepped down  despite doing a very good job in leading and bringing the organization to new heights. As was one of his 7 Point Agenda, he pushed for the amendment of the PHA’s by-laws especially on the issue of tenure of Officers.  All Officers are not to hold office for more than two consecutive terms in the same position. They may however run for the position of the Board indefinitely, except for the President, who, upon holding office as President for an aggregate period of 6 years will forever be barred from running as a Director. This provision ensures that other members are given the chance to serve in the National Board as President and that in the case of Officer position, provides dynamism and a system of check and balance.

He further reiterated the honors brought to the country and the organization by  the Asian Hospital Federation’s putting him in as President-elect for the years 2012 & 2013. This is to prepare him when he eventually assumes the position as AHF's President for the years 2014 & 2015.  He reiterated that the Philippines shall bid for the holding in the Philippines of the AHF’s 14-country membership International Conference.  Dr. Ruben Flores solicited the support of the general membership in this regard when the time comes.

2012 INCOMING PRESIDENT ATTY. BU CASTRO’s INAUGURAL ADDRESS.  Dr. Bu Castro was introduced as a native of Bugallon Pangasinan, a physician - lawyer , 54 yrs of age, graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas, lecturer, professor, book author,  former President of the Philippine Medical Association, President of the Association of All Health Organization of the Nation (AAHON) and former PRO of the PHA, among other things. His speech was described by the master of ceremony and PHA EO Mac Caliwara, as "short but powerful" centering on putting forward general words of caution to those would dare tax the patience of the PHA’s hospital membership. In the vernacular, President Bu Castro said , while pointing to the Board of Directors:  “SUBUKAN NILA SILA”.

In closing, he flashed to the audience a slide which summarizes in a nutshell what and how he intends to LEAP as PHA's President:

After “everything has been said and done” and when “things are over but the shouting”, it will be time again to go back to the business of rendering L.E.A.P. servitude to the PHA member hospitals towards Quality Service.

The new President and his set of Officers and Board will need all the prayers and support of everyone for 2012.

Front page of the national broadsheet Manila Bulletin

November 25, 2011 issue showing from left to right:

Dr. Edgardo Salud (PHA Treasurer and Director),

Speaker Sonny Belmonte , Dr. Ruben Flores (PHA President),

Dr. Thelma Clemente (PHA President Emeritus) and

Mayor of Manila Fred Lim.