Smart, PhilCare forge partnership

Smart e-Money Inc. (SMI), the mobile financial services subsidiary of Philippine mobile leader Smart Communications, has formed a strategic partnership a with PhilhealthCare Inc. (PhilCare), a health management organization (HMO) of the STI Group, to provide easy and immediate access to prepaid health cards to Filipinos using their Smart Money accounts.

Through the tie-up, users can now conveniently purchase hospital and clinic health packages from Philcare, pay through their mobile phones using Smart Money, and have their prepaid health cards delivered straight to their doorstep.

SMI chief operating officer Benjie Fernandez explained that most Filipinos own a mobile phone, but not many have easy access to healthcare.

Fernandez said that the strategic partnership ensures that users will be able to safeguard their health and wellness through PhilCare’s innovative prepaid health products.

PhilCare president and chief executive officer Noemi G. Azura said that one of goals is to bring health care closer to Filipinos.

“Our ER Vantage products are making this possible by providing Filipinos access to quality and efficient emergency health care at very affordable prices. Now, taking care of one’s health is made easier by Smart eMoney, ” Azura added.

Users can choose from the following prepaid health cards being offered by PhilCare that they can avail using their Smart Money accounts:

• ER Vantage (Emergency Care and Hospitalization) for coverage of hospital emergency care leading to hospitalization, including the ERV40 (P900 for onetime coverage per year up to P40,000 health benefits), ERV60 (P1,100 for one-time coverage per year up to P60,000 health benefits), and ERV80 (P1,300 for one-time coverage per year up to P80,000 health benefits) variants.

• ER Shield (ERS) for outpatient hospital emergency room coverage for one-time coverage per year, available for P800 with up to P50,000 in health benefits.

• Smart Check-Up (SCB) for annual physical examination or pre-employment package available for P499 that includes tests such as Medical History Taking, Physical Examination, Chest X-Ray, Complete Blood Count, Urinalysis, and Fecalysis.

Both the ER Vantage and ER Shield cards are inclusive of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, nationwide access to more than 400 designated PhilCare affiliated hospitals, Go!Mobile app access, as well as PhilCare 360 participation.

The SCB card may be used at any PhilCare Clinics and Hi-Precision branches in Metro Manila.

To avail, users only have to go to the Bills Payment option in the Smart Money menu on their phones, input the Biller Code for Philcare, enter the keyword of their desired package (ERV40, ERV60, ERV80, ERS, or SCB), and cell number.

The card will be delivered to their homes, and the card benefits may already be availed seven days after SMS registration.

And with SMI’s expansive network of more than 30,000 Smart Padala centers nationwide that include sari-sari stores, convenience stores, and other partner outlets, users may easily load up their Smart Money accounts to purchase any PhilCare prepaid health cards as the need arises.