TMC Clark Philhealth Z Package Cares for the Heart

The Medical City Clark (TMC Clark) is now an accredited facility for the delivery of PhilHealth Z Benefit Package for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). PhilHealth will cover as much as P550,000 for member patients needing a coronary bypass.

In order   to help  achieve  Universal  Health  Care  for  all  Filipinos  and  true  to  its   aspiration of ensuring that “Bawat Pilipino, Miyembro; Bawat Miyembro, Protektado; Kalusugan Natin, Segurado,” PhilHealth issued a call for private health care institutions such as TMC Clark to apply for contracting services for the delivery of any of its existing Z Benefit Packages.

Who are eligible for the Z benefit packages?

Only standard-risk outpatients are eligible for this package as determined by the screening committee from the TMC Clark Department of Cardiology together with the Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgeons (TCVS) who shall then refer the patient to the PhilHealth Officer for completion of requirements.

What are the requirements for eligibility for the Z-benefit packages?

Prior to completing the requirements, the patient must qualify under the inclusion criteria for elective CABG as assessed by the screening committee. An approved pre-admission assessment checklist, pre-authorization form and other PhilHealth forms are necessary for approval of application for Z-benefit package. The pre-authorization from PhilHealth, based on the agreed selection criteria, is required for approval, for the Z-benefit package.

What are required for approval of application for Z-benefit package for CABG Surgery?

The patient must submit the following documents to the PhilHealth Officer.

• MDR Form
• Member Empowerment Form
• Approved Pre-Admission Assessment Checklist (Signed by Attending Cardiologist & Surgeon)
• Pre-Authorization Form (approved by Hospital Director)
• PhilHealth ID
• Signed Patient Educational Brochure
• CF1/CF2
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Services:
  • VI.I Phase I: In- hospital Phase (ICU, Private Room or Ward)Initial health education and psychological evaluation is performed or done.VI.II Phase II: Out-Patient PhaseThis phase starts one-two weeks after hospital discharge. Group exercises are done three times a week for 16 sessions.Exercise Services:
    • Calisthenics
      • Aerobics
        • Flexibility
        • Telemetry –monitored exercise training
        • Prescription or instruction for independent maintenance of exercises (e.g home exercises)
        • Professionally supervised exercise training
        • Resistance/ Strength training
        • Submaximal fitness testing
        • Stress Testing
        • Stress Management

       Education, Counselling and Behavioral Services:

    • Orientation to cardiac rehabilitation
      • Risk factors for heart disease and lifestyle modification
        • Anatomy of the Heart
        • Psychological Referral
        • Understanding your medications
        • Benefits of exercise and the heart
        • Dietary education
        • Diabetes, Hypertension and Smoking Cessation
        • Weight Loss program, Return to work, Spiritual Counselling (optional)

    VI.III Phase III: Out-Patient Maintenance

    • Continuation phase lasting for three months
    • Group exercises at 3 times a week
    • Focus on risk factors and lifestyle modification

Cardiac Rehab A Work of Heart

Getting back to your normal life after a heart attack entails quite a process. It starts with lifestyle modification and physical activities.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get into a cardiac rehabilitation program, a medically supervised program to help you improve your health and well-being and change your lifestyle habits through exercise training, education and counselling.

At The Medical City Clark, Cardiac Rehabilitation is a customized program of exercise and education, the goal of which is to help patients regain strength, prevent their condition from getting worse as well as to reduce the risk of future heart problems. TMC Clark’s Cardiac Rehabilitation & Secondary Prevention Program or CARES ads up to a better quality of life.

TMC Clark’s CARES is managed and supervised by a multi-disciplinary team led by Dr. Jeffrey F. Patawaran and composed of cardiologists, physiatrists, psychiatrists, nurses, physical therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, and other allied health workers. Dr. Patawaran is a Cardiologist and a Cardiac Rehab specialist.

The Medical City Clark’s Cardiovascular Center Offers World Class Services for Open Heart Surgery

The Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass is a faster, safer, and less costly surgical procedure for heart patients

The Medical City Clark’s (TMC-Clark) Cardiovascular Center continues to provide residents of Central Luzon with world-class and advanced services for open heart surgery as it offers all the benefits of the Off-Pump Coronary Bypass (OPCAB).

Here are 5 facts about OPCAB to shed some light on what it is all about, shared by the experts from The Medical City Clark’s Cardiovascular Center.

It is performed by expert doctors from TMC-Clark’s Cardiovascular team.

TMC-Clark houses a team of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgeons who are locally and internationally accredited on their sub-specialties, a cardiovascular anesthesiologist and an in-house cardiac critical care intensivist who perform OPCAB surgeries. These doctors were trained in the Philippine Heart Center and are internationally recognized fellows from the American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Asian Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

It is accessible to North and Central Luzon residents.

Heart diseases has remained one of the top causes of mortality in North and Central Luzon. These trained doctors with the same level of expertise as Metro Manila doctors cater to North and Central Luzon residents due to this rising need in heart surgeons in the area. High quality medical services are not only found in Metro Manila. The Medical City Clark offers the same high quality surgery with less cost for the patient. People in Central Luzon now have easier access to world-class medical services especially when there is increased connectivity through nearby airports as well as expressways such as NLEX and SCTEX.

High-risk patients are eligible for this operation.

The heart-lung machine used in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgeries could be harmful since it increases the risk of a heart attack, more commonly in high-risk patients, as it needs to arrest the heart. OPCAB performs the procedure while the heart is still beating, overruling the need to use a heart-lung machine. High-risk cardiac operation are now managed with expertise. Not using the heart-lung machine in most of the procedure will now remove its bad effects resulting early patient’s recovery and early return to work.

It results to a faster recovery time.

Due to previous fact, it results in a much faster recovery time for patients. Those who undergo the OPCAB surgery usually recover within 5-7 days after the surgery. In addition to that, OPCAB surgeries has the same success rate as CABG surgeries at 99%.

It costs less

OPCAB requires fewer anesthesia and without the added cost of the heart-lung machine, it lessens the expenses of the patient. Since the recovery time is also shorter, there is less hospital room costs. The Medical City Clark also offers the best package for catastrophic illnesses including coronary bypass graft with the PhilHealth Z Benefit, which lowers the cost to ₱650,000 and PhilHealth shouldering ₱550,000. The patient only needs to pay a total of ₱100,000 for the operation.

OPCAB is a proven surgical procedure that has successfully treated many patients with coronary heart diseases. With its well-trained doctors and world-class facilities and equipment, patients of The Medical City Clark are sure to receive the best treatment possible closer to home.

TMC Clark PhilHealth Z Package Cares for the Heart

In July 2017, 64-year-old Violeta Bagtas Hernandez and her family travelled from Bataan province to Quezon City to consult a cardiologist about her heart condition. Hernandez was previously diagnosed with a coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery disease is the narrowing or blockage of the artery or arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle. This narrowing is caused by plaques, which are cholesterol deposits on the vessel wall, resulting in abnormal and gradual thickening of the lining of the heart arteries which is a condition known as atherosclerosis. The narrowing usually develops slowly over many years.

The heart has three main coronary arteries. Patients are said to have single, double, or triple-vessel disease, depending on the number of vessels that are narrowed. In the case of Hernandez, it was a triple-vessel disease. She was already experiencing symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. In medical terms, this is called angina.

Hernandez’ cardiologist, Dr. Roberto Cristobal, suggested to them to go The Medical City (TMC) Clark instead of spending almost three hours on the road going to the Quezon City based hospital.

TMC Clark is located at the Global Gateway Logistics City, a 177-hectare master planned logistics and business center inside the Clark aviation complex. It is one of the provincial hospitals of the country’s largest health network, The Medical City.

“Nag alala kami noong una dahil hindi namin afford sa TMC Clark (We were hesitant at first because we could not afford it in TMC Clark),” said Ms. Che Lucas, Hernandez’ daughter.

Dr. Cristobal however told them that TMC Clark is now an accredited facility for the delivery of PhilHealth Z Benefit Package for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). PhilHealth will cover as much as P550,000 for member patients needing a coronary bypass.

The Z Benefit Packages, designed to address catastrophic illnesses, were initially available in selected government hospitals nationwide. It was designed for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia, ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of fallot, coronary artery bypass graft, selected orthopaedic implants, among others. PhilHealth’s move to invite private hospitals hopes to increase accessibility and provide more options for its members.

In order to help achieve Universal Health Care for all Filipinos and true to its aspiration of ensuring that “Bawat Pilipino, Miyembro; Bawat Miyembro, Protektado; Kalusugan Natin, Segurado,” PhilHealth issued a call for private health care institutions such as TMC Clark to apply for contracting services for the delivery of any of its existing Z Benefit Packages.

With this latest development, TMC Clark makes its world-class cardiovascular services more accessible to patients in Central Luzon and nearby provinces. Patients in need of a coronary bypass need not go to Metro Manila hospitals to undergo this life-saving procedure.

“We went to TMC Clark to inquire about their PhilHealth Z package. We asked about the requirements for eligibility for the Z-benefit package then gathered and prepared all these, “said Ms. Che Lucas.

“There was proper coordination between us and the TMC staff that’s why mom was able to undergo the procedure on July 09, 2017, merely 1 week after we first went to TMC Clark to inquire,” she added.

Hernandez was discharged from the hospital on July 15, 2017. She lauded and thanked the hospital’s Cardiovascular Center team who attended to her led by Dr. Cristobal for her successful operation.

“They are all competent, generous and caring,” said Hernandez.

Ms. Che Lucas also expressed gratitude to her mother’s doctors, nurses, and the rest of the staff who took care of Hernandez.

“We are happy with our experience here at The Medical City Clark. We were treated well. They were really kind and caring to us. Akala namin mag iiba ang treatment nila sa amin dahil under Philhealth Z package kami pero hindi sila ganun (We thought they would treat us differently because we were under the Philhealth Z package but they were not like that),” shared Ms. Che Lucas.

Hernandez said she feels a lot better and stronger now. She and her family are now at ease knowing that they can always count on TMC Clark for their healthcare needs.

TMC Clark has a Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Center (MCC) that offers the following services for:

• Coronary Artery Disease
• Acute Heart Attacks
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
• Temporary Pacemaker Insertion

For inquiries, please call TMC Clark Cardiovascular Center at 045-598-4000 or 0916-448-8046.