InLife Benefits and The Medical City recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop an insurer-led Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP) for corporate accounts and their employees. The partnership is the first of its kind in the industry, bringing together InLife Benefits’ corporate network and employee benefits expertise with The Medical City’s clinical capabilities in chronic and preventive care.
Under the partnership, InLife Benefits will serve as the insurer partner, identifying suitable corporate accounts and facilitating their engagement with The Medical City, whereas The Medical City will serve as the clinical partner, providing the medical expertise, physicians, care teams, facilities, and patient pathways needed to screen, manage, and monitor members with chronic conditions or risk factors.
The program comes as chronic lifestyle diseases continue to place pressure on Filipino families, employers, and the broader healthcare system. Maria Noemi G. Azura, President and CEO of InLife Benefits, pointed to hypertension and obesity as examples of conditions that affect a large share of Filipino adults and can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other complications when risks are not addressed early.
“About 1 in 3 Filipino adults has hypertension, or roughly 16.8 million people, yet only around 1 in 5 has it under control. Almost 4 in 10 Filipino adults are overweight or obese, increasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions,” said Azura. “The role of the insurer should not begin when somebody gets sick and end when we pay the claim. We need to help our members stay healthy, identify risks earlier, and help those who already have chronic diseases manage them better.”
The CDMP is designed to move employee healthcare beyond a largely curative model, where care may begin only after a condition has progressed. Members can undergo a health risk assessment and risk stratification, after which they can be guided toward the appropriate care pathway based on their needs. The approach seeks to encourage earlier screening, regular disease management, and continuity of care before complications require emergency or inpatient treatment.
“Through CDMP, we want to champion screening and prevention of Chronic Diseases by providing benefits to our employees and to our members even before catastrophic claims are necessary,” said Dr. Isabel Umali, Deputy Medical Director of InLife Benefits.
For employers, the partnership is intended to provide a more coordinated way to support employees living with, or at risk of developing, chronic conditions. Better navigation across healthcare touchpoints may help employees receive appropriate care earlier, potentially reducing avoidable complications and supporting more sustainable healthcare utilization over time.
The Medical City will provide the clinical infrastructure behind that patient journey, from screening for non-communicable diseases to regular monitoring and treatment for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
For Dr. Ruben G. Kasala, Executive Vice President and CEO of The Medical City Ortigas, the partnership reflects a broader shift toward preventing chronic conditions and their complications rather than waiting until patients require more intensive treatment. “We are going to continue to focus on preventive healthcare and lifestyle management,” said Dr. Kasala. “Even if patients are not feeling anything at the moment, it is important to monitor the disease, take the medication, and focus on lifestyle management. Once complications set in, it impacts the quality of life and the lifespan of the patient.”
The Medical City’s physicians and care teams will carry that approach throughout the patient journey, beginning with screening and extending to regular monitoring and treatment when needed.
“We want to make sure that we screen them early and manage them so that we delay complications related to these diseases,” said Dr. Mariann Almajar, Cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer of The Medical City. “As a network, we’ll be able to take care of the patients from the clinic to the hospital.”
Racquel R. Cagurangan, Group Chief of Strategic Accounts and Patient Experience at The Medical City, added that the partnership can provide valuable patient outcome data that could strengthen the delivery of preventive care and, over time, support a more predictive approach to healthcare.
