THE NATIONAL Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has made payments of over GH¢91 million to credentialed service providers who submitted their claim vouchers on time.
In the order of payments, a total of 4,292 service providers comprising 2,993 public health facilities, 1,038 private health facilities, 228 mission health facilities and 33 quasi-government health facilities received the payment early 2020.
The public health facilities received a total of GH¢49, 845,207.91, representing 69.7% of the payments while the private service providers got GH¢26,033,139.75 making 28.3%.
Mission health facilities (CHAG) received GH¢15,173,008.28, representing 16.5% as quasi-government service providers were paid GH¢846,565.84 being 0.9% of the total payments made.
Similarly, GH¢857 million was paid as claims to service providers in the year 2019.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of the NHIA said service providers now receive their reimbursements in an average of six months in arrears instead of over 12 months.
It indicated that the four NHIA Claims Processing Centres around the country have put in place more efficient measures to speed up the vetting and payment process.
“All these are done to ensure that NHIS members receive quality healthcare. NHIA Service Providers who have any enquiries regarding their claims submitted should email their concerns to claimspayment@nhia.gov.gh for swift redress,” it stated.
Since its introduction, the NHIS has over the years grown to become a major instrument for financing healthcare delivery in Ghana, becoming the financial mainstay of over 4,600 credentialed healthcare service providers in the country accounting for more than 85% of funds that flow into healthcare facilities to treat NHIS members.
The scheme is credited with improvements in the healthcare-seeking behaviour of many people in Ghana who now tend to seek medical attention earlier than before, thereby avoiding unnecessary deterioration in their health conditions.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri