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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Third Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 15, provides: 
The State shall protect and promote the right to health 
of the people and instill health consciousness among them. 
Today, seeking medical care in one's lifetime is almost to be expected. According to the 
latest figures culled by the Department of Health, the five leading causes of mortality in the year 
2000 were: (1) Diseases of the heart; (2) 2. Diseases of the vascular system; (3) Malignant 
Neoplasms; (4) Pneumonia; (5) Accidents. 
Treatment of such diseases or conditions would not be possible with home 
remedies, but would necessitate professional medical care. If there are several medical centers 
that provide such health care, the choice of which one to go to should belong to the patient. 
However, in order for such patients to make rational decisions, access to reliable and adequate 
information is key. Such information should include the financial costs involved in the treatment 
of these conditions. 
Given the rising costs of medical care, a more comprehensive estimate of the financial 
cost of such treatment would liclp prepare patients or family members for the financial burden. 
This information is not readily available at present. Hence, this bill seeks to provide the public 
with a full disclosure of pricm for hospital and ambulatory surgical center procedures and drugs. 
This infomation should includc rates of both private and public hospitals; otherwise it would not 
give the patient a complete list of options available in the country. 


As the government agency mandated to erisure the protection of the public's health, it is 
only appropriate that the Department of Health be tasked with the responsibility of relaying this 
information to the public, The-DOH is the principal health agency in the Philippines. It is 
responsible for ensuring access to basic health services to all Filipinos through the provision of 
quality health care and regulation of providers of health goods and services. It is therefore, 
incumbent upon this agency to make certain that all hospitals and clinics that offer their medical 
services to the public make full disclosure of information vital for health care planning. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Third Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO PROVIDE FOR THE PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF PRICES FOR HOSPITAL AND 
AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER PROCEDURES AND DRUGS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION I. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Hospital Price 
Disclosure Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration ofPolicy - It is the policy of the State to protect and promote 
the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. 
SECTION 3. Definitions. - For purposes of this Act, the term: 
A. HOSPITAL - shall refer to a facility licensed to provide care and treatment for 
sick or injured patients, primarily while they are acutely ill or chronically ill. It 
must 
have facilities for diagnostic treatment and major surgery and maintains 
permanent and full-time facilities for the care of overnight resident bed 
patients under the supervision or one or more licensed physicians. 
B. AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER - shall refer to a public or private 
medical-surgery 
establishment with an on-site organized medical staff of 
physicians and a permanent facility with operating room equipment which does 
not provide services or accommodations for patients lo stay overnight. 
C. DOH - shall refer to the Department of Health. 
I). SBCIWI‘ARY - shall refer to the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary. 
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SECTION 4. Data Reporting by Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers and Public 
Posting- 
A. Quarterly Reporting Requirement - Not later than 45 days after the end of each 
calendar quarter (beginning more than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
subsection), a hospital shall report to the Secretary, for each procedure or drug selected 
under Section 4 par. B, and an ambulatory surgical center shall report to the Secretary, for 
each procedure selected under Section 5, the following data: 
1. The frequency with which the hospital performed the procedure, or 
administered the drug in an inpatient setting, or the center performed the 
procedure daring such quarter. 
2. If the procedure was perfonned or the drug was so administered during 
such quarter, the average and the median of the price charged by the 
hospital or center for such procedure or drug during such quarter. 
B. Selection of Procedures and Drugs - Based on national data, the Secretary shall 
select the following: 
1. The twenty-five (25) most frequently performed hospital inpatient . 
procedures; 
2. The twenty-five (25) most frequently performed hospital outpatient 
procedures; 
3. The fifty (50) most frequently administered drugs in a hospital 
inpatient setting. 
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SECTION 5. Administrative Pvovisions- 
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The Secretary shall periodically update the procedures and drugs selected. 
A. Clnssijkation Of Procedures- For the purposes of Section 4, the Secretary 
shall establish rules for the classification of different medical procedures and for 
the assignment of items and services to those procedures. 
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B. Coinputation Of Average And Median Prices- For purposes of Section 4, the 
coinputation of an average and median price for a procedure or drug shall be in 
accordance with a methodology prescribed by the Secretary. Such methodology 
may provide for reporting by the hospital or ambulatory surgical center of unit 
prices for specific items and services included in a procedure, including 
appropriate per diem prices, and a method of converting such unit prices for a 
procedure to an average and median price for such procedure. 
C. Form Of Report And Notice- The Secretary shall specify the electronic form 
and maimer by which a hospital or ambulatory surgical center shall report’data 
under Section 4 and the form for posting of notices under Section 5 (B). 
SECTION 6. Public Availability Of Data- 
A. Public Posting Of Data - The Secretary shall promptly post, on the official 
public Internet site of the Department of Health the data reported under Section 4. 
Such data shall be set forth in a manner that promotes price comparison among 
hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. 
B. Notice Of Availability- A hospital and ambulatory surgical center shall 
prominently post at each admission site of the hospital or center a notice of the 
availability of the data reported under Section 4 on the official public web site of 
the Department of Health. 
SECTION 7. Penalty- The Secretary may impose a fine of not more than Ten thousand 
Pesos (P10,OOO.OO) for each knowing violation of the provisions of Section 4 by a hospital or 
ambulatory surgical center. 
SECTION 8. Appropriation. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
may be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous operation of this Public Disclosure Program 
shall be included in the annual appropriation of the DOH. 
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SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 11. Eflectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of geiieral circulation. 
Approved, 
lacs 
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