From this amount, only Rp3.64 trillion has been reviewed by the Government's Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) and is ready to be paid.
"There is a wide gap that we need to pursue, which is around Rp21.36 trillion. This payment must be completed immediately to help hospitals in handling COVID-19 cases. President Joko Widodo is highly concerned regarding this matter," Moeldoko stated at the coordination meeting for the acceleration of COVID-19 claim payments with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, state-owned healthcare agency (BPJS), and several other ministries and institutions in Jakarta on Friday.
At the coordination meeting, Moeldoko emphasized that the health ministry will cut the claim process business through policy updates to expedite COVID-19-related payments.
The government will also integrate e-claims at the Ministry of Health with v-claims at BPJS to minimize the expired claims and claim disputes or disagreements between BPJS and hospitals or health facilities on service claims.
"This aims to determine whether the claim is troubled due to expiry or other problems," he noted.
On this occasion, Director of Referral Health Services at the Ministry of Health Dr. Siti Khalimah highlighted the importance of hospitals having a special team dedicated to handling COVID-19 claims.
The special team is needed to expedite the process of COVID-19 services claim between the hospital and the Health Ministry.
Related news: COVID-19: Gov't strives to detect patients with comorbidities early
"The Health Ministry is ready to improve communication with hospitals and ensure our policies do not burden hospitals," Khalimah stated.
As was earlier known, the government had made payments for COVID-19 claims of Rp35.11 trillion in 2020. However, several claims worth Rp5.50 trillion were declared unfit or inappropriate and expired, so they could not be paid.
Meanwhile, in 2021, the paid COVID-19 claims amounted to Rp62.68 trillion. This year, the government is targeting to pay COVID-19 claims worth Rp25 trillion.
Related news: BPJS Kesehatan verifies 2.3 million COVID treatment claims in 2021
Translator: Rangga Pandu A J, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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