Over 100,000 members and pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in Western Visayas can now avail of as much as 40 percent in discount in their hospital bills after the GSIS named the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC) in Iloilo City as its latest partner-hospital under the GSIS Hospitalization Support Program (GHSP).
WVSUMC is a five-storey, 300-bed hospital for service and pay patients. It is about a five to 10-minute walk from the main campus of West Visayas State University, which is located at Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City. WVSUMC became the 7th accredited hospital under the GHSP.
The other partner-hospitals of the GSIS under this program include Davao Medical School Foundation Hospital in Bajada, Davao City; University of Santo Tomas Hospital in Manila; Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City; Lorma Medical Center in San Fernando, La Union; Perpetual Succour Hospital in Cebu; and the Angeles University Foundation Medical Center in Pampanga.
Launched in 2004, the GHSP works like an exchange deal between the GSIS and the partner-hospitals wherein the pension fund buys medical equipment and lends these to the select hospitals. In exchange, the partner-hospitals provide discounts to GSIS members and pensioners. The medical equipment remain the property of the GSIS.
Those covered by the discounts are members, their dependents and old-age pensioners.
Among the benefits offered to them under the GHSP include discounts in medical services including outpatient services and emergency cases, medicines as well as discounts in professional fees of select physicians.
Patients can avail of a 40-percent discount if they undergo special diagnostic procedures, 35 percent for common procedures, 30 percent on room rates, and 10 percent on professional fees including consultation fees.
If the patient has an eCard, he may just present this card to the GSIS coordinator in the partner-hospital upon admission to avail of the discounts. If the patient does not have an eCard, he should present his office ID and verify with the coordinator if his name is included in the list of eligible recipients of the GHSP benefits contained in a CD.
If the patient has no eCard and is also not included in the CD list, he should go to the Medical Services Group of the GSIS and get a certificate of eligibility. The patient can use this certificate to avail of the GHSP discounts in any partner-hospital.The GHSP can also be used in combination with the Philhealth card and health maintenance organization (HMO) card of the patient. In availing of the hospitalization discount, Philhealth will be applied first, followed by the HMO and finally the GHSP.
