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RP hospital resumes service to the CNMI
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Posted on Jun 28 2004
The government said that St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila has resumed accepting medical referrals patients from the CNMI following the Retirement Fund’s decision to extend a third party administrator’s contract until February next year.
Retirement Fund administrator Karl T. Reyes said that St. Luke’s refused to treat CNMI patients beginning April or shortly after the agency announced its non-renewal of Hawaii Pacific Medical Referral’s contract, which expires July 31 this year.
Reyes said the St. Luke’s issue was actually between the hospital, HPMR, and StayWell, a private health insurance provider.
“We’re not party to that. But we’re told that the situation has been back to normal since yesterday,” said Reyes on Friday.
He said that information reaching the Fund showed that StayWell holds office inside the hospital and facilitates the treatment of CNMI patients.
“They look at the patients’ doctors’ need, they take billing, and charge HPMR,” he said.
There are reportedly only two CNMI patients receiving medical treatment at St. Luke’s.
Meantime, the Fund has decided to keep HPMR services, at least until February 2005, pending the full privatization of the Fund’s Group Health and Life Insurance Program.
The Fund hopes to complete the privatization process by March 2005.
