Initiated in 2012 as an electronic medical record (EMR) system, the eHealth TABLET developed by Dr. Dennis Batangan of the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) – Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC), with support from the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), has evolved to assist local government units (LGUs) in building health information systems in support of universal health care (UHC).

Recognizing the emerging eHealth needs of Filipino communities, the eHealth TABLET team created several enhancements to the technology including a feature enabling the generation and transmission of reports on the Primary Care Benefit (PCB) Package 1 of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), an eClaims system for the processing of claim reimbursements with PhilHealth, a data analytics system, and an interoperability layer enabling local health information management. Now known as the eHealth TABLET for Informed Decision Making of LGUs or eHATID LGU, the system fostered collaborations with local government units in the country, with over 450 sites across the country adopting the technology. 

eHATID in support to UHC 

In 2019, Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act was signed into law to ensure equitable access to inclusive, quality healthcare through refinements in the country’s health systems. One of the reforms the law calls for is strengthened eHealth Systems at the LGU level. In response to this, AdMU IPC, with support from DOST-PCHRD, expanded its efforts in assisting LGUs to build their eHealth capacities in support of the implementation of UHC. 

The Local Government Unit-mandated eHealth Networked Services for Universal Health Care (UHC LeHNS) was launched by the AdMU IPC, in close partnership with the Province of Pangasinan, to develop UHC-compliant local health information systems. UHC LeHNS initiated major reforms such as the establishment of provincial-level and city-level health information systems that facilitate information exchange  between the province’s health institutions. 

A similar project utilizing the eHATID LGU to strengthen local health information systems is the Smarter and Integrated Local Health Information System for Cagayan de Oro City (SmILHIS CDOC). It specifically aims to assist the city of Cagayan De Oro in creating an interoperable health information system that facilitates easy access to and exchange of local health information among various health institutions. 

With streamlined management of local health information, LGUs are guided in decision making to ensure that programs and policies improve efficiency of healthcare service delivery to Filipino communities.

Due to eHATID’s significant contributions in refining local healthcare systems, the project was recently recognized by the Provincial Health Office of Pangasinan during the  11th Provincial Health Summit: 2020 LGU Health Scorecard Recognition and Outstanding COVID-19 Response Awarding Ceremony for the project’s contribution to Pangasinan’s ehealth system. It also received the People’s Choice Award  from the DOST-TAPI’s Gawad TECHNiCOM for their Facebook video entry entitled, “Tugon sa Hamon,” which narrated the team’s journey in developing the eHATID. 

On 17 June 2022 from 10AM-12PM during the DOST-PCHRD’s Talakayang HeaRT Beat press conference, the eHATID team, represented by Dr. Dennis Batangan as the project lead and Mr Jaztine, will share their experiences in the eHATID journey. They will be joined by DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Jaime Montoya, Cagayan De Oro City Mayor Hon. Oscar Moreno, and Cagayan De Oro City Health Insurance Office Head Dr. William Bernardo to answer questions from the audience. To join, register via: https://bit.ly/THBJune17_Reg.