What is YAKAP? A Simple Guide for Clinics

If you run a clinic in the Philippines, you've probably heard "YAKAP" thrown around in PhilHealth meetings, doctor group chats, or compliance emails. But what does it actually mean for your practice? And more importantly, how does it affect your bottom line?

Here's the straightforward version.

YAKAP Stands for Yaman ng Kalusugan Program

YAKAP is PhilHealth's national primary care benefit package. It gives all PhilHealth members and their dependents free access to primary care services at accredited clinics.

Think of it as PhilHealth saying: "We'll pay clinics to provide basic healthcare so members don't have to pay out of pocket for primary care."

The program covers four core components:

• KONSULTA (consultations). Free primary care visits with an accredited doctor.
• GAMOT (medicines). Access to 75 essential medicines covered by PhilHealth.
• LABORATORYO (lab tests). 13 outpatient laboratory tests covered.
• SCREEN (cancer screenings). 6 cancer screening tests included.

That's the full package. Consultations, medicines, labs, and screenings. All covered by PhilHealth for qualifying members.

What YAKAP is NOT

Let's clear up a common misconception. YAKAP is not a teleconsultation program. It's a primary care benefit package.

Yes, teleconsultation is allowed for follow-ups. But only after the patient has completed an in-person First Patient Encounter (FPE) at the clinic. The program is built around face-to-face primary care.

How Did YAKAP Start?

If YAKAP sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the old Konsulta program. YAKAP replaced and upgraded Konsulta when PhilHealth rebranded it in July 2025.

The core concept is the same: PhilHealth pays clinics to deliver primary care. But YAKAP expanded the scope by bundling consultations with medicines, lab tests, and cancer screenings into one comprehensive package.

The governing rules are laid out in PhilHealth Circular 2025-0017, which took effect January 1, 2026.

How Clinics Get Paid: The Capitation Model

This is where it gets interesting for clinic owners.

YAKAP uses a capitation model. PhilHealth pays your clinic a fixed amount per empaneled patient per year. Not per visit. Per patient.

That means the more patients empaneled (enrolled) at your clinic, the more your clinic earns from PhilHealth, regardless of how many times each patient actually visits.

Payment comes in two tranches:

1. First tranche (40%) released mid-year, based on patients who completed their First Patient Encounter.
2. Second tranche (60%) released at year-end, based on completed consultations, lab results, and prescriptions.

The actual capitation amount can change, so check the latest PhilHealth advisory for current rates. The key point: complete encoding of consultations, labs, and prescriptions directly affects your second tranche payment.

Who Qualifies for YAKAP?

All PhilHealth members and their qualified dependents. That covers a massive portion of the Philippine population.

For patients, the process looks like this:

1. Choose a YAKAP-accredited clinic.
2. Complete a First Patient Encounter (FPE) with the doctor.
3. Go through PhilHealth's identity verification process.
4. Sign the YAKAP Empanelment Slip (YES), which formalizes their enrollment at that clinic.
5. Receive ongoing primary care covered by PhilHealth.

Once empaneled, the patient is linked to your clinic for the year. That's your patient. That's your capitation.

The eKonsulta Shutdown: Why This Matters Now

Here's the time-sensitive part.

PhilHealth's old IT system for managing Konsulta/YAKAP records, called eKonsulta, is being permanently shut down. Per PhilHealth Advisory 2025-0077, the timeline is:

After July 2026, every YAKAP-accredited clinic needs to use a PhilHealth-certified EMR to submit patient data. No more eKonsulta. No exceptions.

If your clinic is still using eKonsulta, you need to pick a certified EMR before April 1.

What Does This Mean for Your Clinic?

If you're already a YAKAP-accredited clinic, the program itself doesn't change. Your empaneled patients, your services, your PhilHealth payments all stay the same.

What changes is the system you use to encode and submit your data. You need a PhilHealth-certified EMR that connects directly to the YAKAP API.

If you're considering YAKAP accreditation, now is a good time. The program covers a large patient base, provides predictable revenue through capitation, and PhilHealth is actively expanding the number of accredited clinics nationwide. We put together a complete accreditation checklist if you want to see exactly what's required.

Either way, the April 2026 deadline is real. Clinics that wait until the last minute risk disruptions in their encoding workflow and potential delays in PhilHealth payments.

Quick Recap: YAKAP at a Glance

For the full list of YAKAP issuances and guidelines, visit PhilHealth's official YAKAP page.