THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
6 JAN 16 !i; 
5 8  
OF THE PHILIPPR\TES 
1 
Second 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 thle 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) Diseases of the vascular system; (3) Malignant 
Neoplasms; (4) Pneumonia; and (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 bblong to the patient. However, in 
order for patients to make rational decisions, access to reliable and adequate information is key. 
Such information should include the financial costs involved ia the treatment of these conditions 
Given the rising costs of medical care, a more comprehensive estimate of the financial 
cost of such treatment would help prepare patients or family members for this financial burden. 
This information is not readily available at present. Hence, this bill seeks to provide the public 
with a full disclosure of prices for hospital and ambulatov surgical center procedures and drugs 
This information should include rates of both private and public hospitals, otherwise it would not 
give the patient a complete list of options available in the coudtry. 
As the government agency mandated to ensure 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 gQods 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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THTRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
6 JAN 16 K i  :58 
OF THE PHILIPPTNES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
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S E N A T E  
RECEIVED BY: 
S.B. No.- 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO PROVIDE FOR THE PUBLIC DISCLOSW 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 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Hospital Price Disclosure 
Act of 2005.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and promote 
the right to health of the people and instill health consciousdess among them. 
SECTION 3. DeJinition of Terns. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms: 
(1) “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 
of one or more licensed physicians. 
(2) “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 equipmmt which does not provide 
accommodations for patients to stay overnight. 
(3) “DOH” -shall refer to the Department of Health. 
(4) “Seoretary” -shall refer to the Depatment of Health (DOH) Secretaty. 
services or 


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 ye& 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, 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 during such quarter 
2) If the procedure was performed 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 
SECTION 5. Public Availability of Data. - 
(A) PUBLIC POSTING OF DATA - The Secretary shall promptly post, on the 
official public Internet site of the Department bf Health, the data reported under 
Section 4 
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 
Such data shall be set forth in a manner that promotes price 
the availability of the data reported under Sectibn 4 on the official public Internet 
site of the Department of Health. 
SECTION 6. Selection of Procedures And Drugs. - 
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(A) INITIAL SELECTION - Based on national'data, the Secretary shall select the 
following: 
(i) The 25 most frequently performed hospital inpatient procedures. 
(ii) The 25 most frequently performed hdspital outpatient procedures. 


(iii) The 50 most frequently adminiskred drugs in a hospital inpatient 
setting. 
(B) UPDATING SELECTION - The Secretary shall periodically update the 
procedures and drugs selected under Section 5 (B). 
SECTION 7. Penalty. - The Secretary may impose a fine of not more than Ten thousand 
Pesos (Pl0,OOO.OO) for each knowing violation of the providions of'section 4 by a hospital-or 
ambulatory surgical center. 
SECTION 8. Administrative Provisions. - 
(A) CLASSIFICATION OF PROCEDURES - For purposes of this subsection, the 
Secretary shall establish rules for the classification df different procedures and for the 
assignment of items and services to those procedures 
(B) COMPUTATION OF AVERAGE AND MEDIAN PRICES - For purposes of 
Section 4, the computation 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 tor a procedure to an average and 
median price for such procedure 
(C) FORM OF REPORT AND NOTICE - The Secret& shall specify the electronic form 
and manner by which a hospital or ambulatory surgical center shall report data under 
Section 4 and the form for posting of notices under Sec It ion 5 (B) 
SECTION 9. Appropriation. - To cany out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
may be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated &om 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 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presiddntial decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or reGIation contrary to or inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act, is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 13. Eflectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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