Metro Pacific, Medicard ink strategic partnership in health care

The health-care arm of tycoon Manuel Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp. has partnered with health maintenance organization Medicard to establish a “preferred status” program to elevate health services.

Metro Pacific Health (MPH) said it had entered into a “strategic partnership” with the AIA company, combining the former’s extensive network of premier hospitals with the latter’s expertise in managed care.

READ: AIA to take over Medicard

MPH said the partnership would lead to a more accessible, affordable and efficient health care across the Philippines.

“By partnering with Metro Pacific Health’s leading hospitals known for their state-of-the-art facilities and compassionate care, this partnership aims to enhance service quality while reducing healthcare access barriers for a broader segment of the Filipino population,” MPH said in a statement.

In a follow-up with the Inquirer, an MPH representative said that a huge part of their goal is to introduce MPH to Medicard members who have not yet visited their hospitals and to establish a preferred status program.

“The purpose is to foster collaboration between MPH and Medicard, resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties.
Preferred status means that MPH will receive priority in terms of member traffic, thanks to factors such as predictable pricing, ease of doing business and exceptional patient experience,” said the company representative.

MPH is the largest group of private hospitals in the Philippines, with 27 hospitals under its wing.

These hospitals include Makati Medical Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, Inc., and Davao Doctors Hospital.

It also has 33 outpatient care centers, two allied health colleges and a centralized laboratory, Medi Linx Laboratory.
MPIC began its foray into health care in 2007 through MPH, which made a significant investment in Makati Medical Center that year.

This year, MPH accounted for P110 million of the parent firm’s earnings in the first six months.