I would like to share about PhilHealth Check Utility (PCU) Liveness Check, a health system improvement introduced last October 2025 by PhilHealth, the government corporation tasked to administer the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippines. PCU is an online tool accessible via the PhilHealth Member Portal that allows individuals to verify their PhilSys (Philippine identification system) registration and validate their PhilHealth membership status. Using personal details and facial recognition, it confirms identity, performs liveness checks, and automatically tags verified users in the PhilHealth database to support secure and streamlined access to all benefits.
Here are the barriers that we have encountered/will possibly encounter while using the PCU:
1. Accessibility
Using PCU Liveness check requires a stable internet connection and a smartphone with camera, which some patients do not have access to. Some patients were also not very computer/digitally literate, making the process of using the tool difficult for them.
2. Increased consultation and waiting time
A PCU liveness check must be done by the patient during the selection of his/her preferred primary care clinic, First Patient Encounter (FPE) assessment, and every consultation. Using the PCU tool every consultations increased consultation time because many patients need assistance using the tool, especially those who are using it for the first time and those who received errors during the liveness check.
3. Additional burden to patients and healthcare workers
As stated in the PhilHealth circular patients must use the PCU liveness check every time they avail a service with their accredited public or private healthcare providers. For example, a patient who availed medical consultation for three consecutive days must also do the PCU liveness check for those three days. Repetitive liveness check adds a burden to both the healthcare workers and the patients.
4. Data privacy concerns
The PCU tool asks for the patient’s personal details and facial recognition, and some patients may be hesitant to share their personal information in fears of their data being hacked/compromised.