Why Pinoy nurses are now working for BPOs

Posted at 08/28/2013 9:39 AM | Updated as of 08/29/2013 8:58 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Nurses and other healthcare practitioners are now finding jobs with business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

Thousands of jobs are being offered by healthcare information management (HIM) companies in the BPO industry.

Richard Salimbao, a registered nurse, works for one of these healthcare information management companies. He may be sitting in front of a computer but he still uses his knowledge of medicine.

"Noong una, napakahirap ipaliwanag sa magulang na nurse pa rin kami. Pero nang nagsisimulang sumibol ang HIM industry in the Philippines, nakita ko na it was a very promising industry," Salimbao said.

A healthcare information management company may operate like a call center, but instead of answering phone queries about products, it's the patients who are the clients.

"Ngayon ang kailangan ng industiya ay mahigit 20,000. If we can provide that right away," said Jeanette Carillo of the Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines.

Healthcare information management is part of the BPO industry. Now, there are more than 200 HIM outsourcing companies in the Philippines.They offer thousands of jobs such as medical coders and billers, tele-radiologists, patient monitoring staff and pharmacy benefits managers. Entry-level salary ranges from P18,000 to P24,000.

However, applicants should have adequate medical background, such as familiarity with medical terms, as well as knowledge about information technology.

Aside from the US, the HIM industry also aims to target markets in Australia, UK and other Asian countries.