The short answer
- Members: get or update your PhilHealth PIN, choose a YAKAP Clinic (eGov app, PhilHealth Member Portal or LHIO), complete your First Patient Encounter, and sign the YAKAP Empanelment Slip.
- Clinics: every empanelment needs a PCU liveness check, a recorded First Patient Encounter, and a digital YES signed with a second liveness check (PhilHealth Advisory 2026-0029).
- A registration only counts, and only gets paid, when all of those pieces are complete and accurate.
What YAKAP gives members
YAKAP (Yaman ng Kalusugan Program) is PhilHealth's primary care benefit, formerly called Konsulta. A registered member gets a regular doctor at a YAKAP Clinic, consultations, a set of laboratory tests and essential medicines, with more medicines available at accredited GAMOT pharmacies. Clinics are paid by PhilHealth for the members empanelled with them.
Under the Universal Health Care Act, LGUs are expected to bring their residents into this primary care system, which is why registration is usually the first and biggest job in any LGU YAKAP program.
For members: four steps
Get or update your PhilHealth PIN
You need a PhilHealth Identification Number and current member records. Register or update at a PhilHealth office, LHIO or online through the Member Portal.
Choose a YAKAP Clinic
Select a clinic through the eGov app, the PhilHealth Member Portal or a Local Health Insurance Office. This is usually your RHU, a health center or an accredited private clinic.
Complete your First Patient Encounter
At the clinic, staff confirm your identity with a PCU liveness check, then the doctor or nurse records your health history, vital signs and risk screening.
Sign the YAKAP Empanelment Slip
The clinic explains your rights and the terms, and you sign the digital YES with a second liveness check. You are now empanelled and can use YAKAP benefits.
Senior citizens are covered by PhilHealth by law but still need a PhilHealth number and a chosen YAKAP Clinic to use the benefit.
For clinics and LGUs: what PhilHealth checks
Behind the four member steps, the clinic has to capture data in a specific order. Miss one and the registration doesn't complete, or the claim comes back.
| Step | What the clinic does | What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Verify | Check membership and eligibility; run the first PCU liveness check | PCU transaction number |
| 2. First Patient Encounter | Record history, vitals and risk assessment in a certified EMR | FPE data, uploaded to PhilHealth |
| 3. Empanel | Explain the YES; patient agrees; second PCU liveness check as digital signature | Digital YES via the HCI Portal |
| 4. Care and claims | Record consultations, labs and medicines; submit claims | Claims validated by PhilHealth |
PhilHealth notes that manual or printed YES submissions take longer to process, and that only complete and accurate claims are validated. That's why clean data at registration matters more than speed.
Registering a whole town or province
Waiting for residents to walk in rarely reaches universal coverage. LGUs that move fast take registration to people.
On-site at the clinic
Registration staff stationed at the YAKAP Clinic. Members register and complete the First Patient Encounter in one visit.
House to house or by barangay
The clinic's teams, with Exakt Medical support staff, set up in covered courts and go door to door with mobile registration and portable vitals equipment.
What each registration team carries
- Laptop or tablet with the web and mobile registration app
- BP monitor, pulse oximeter and digital thermometer
- Weighing scale and height scale
- Real-time PhilHealth membership verification, so every record is checked on the spot
This is how the Province of Pangasinan's GUICONSULTA program grew from about 30,000 to more than 1.4 million enrollees in under a year, with Exakt Medical's EMR recording every registration. Read the case study.
YAKAP registration FAQ
How do I register for PhilHealth YAKAP?
Make sure you have a PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) and updated member records, choose a YAKAP Clinic through the eGov app, the PhilHealth Member Portal or a Local Health Insurance Office, then complete your First Patient Encounter at that clinic and sign the YAKAP Empanelment Slip (YES).
What is the First Patient Encounter?
The First Patient Encounter (FPE) is your first visit with your YAKAP doctor. The clinic reviews your health history, takes vital signs and screens for risk of common chronic diseases. It is required before you can be empanelled to the clinic.
What is the YAKAP Empanelment Slip (YES)?
The YES, also called the Mutual Care Agreement, confirms that you are empanelled with a YAKAP Clinic. PhilHealth Advisory 2025-0071 requires it from January 1, 2026, and Advisory 2026-0029 made the digital YES through the HCI Portal the required platform, with a second PCU liveness check serving as your digital signature.
What is the PCU liveness check?
The PhilHealth Check Utility (PCU) liveness check confirms your identity and eligibility. It is done during the First Patient Encounter and at clinic visits, and a second check is used to sign the digital YAKAP Empanelment Slip.
Are senior citizens automatically registered for YAKAP?
Senior citizens are covered by PhilHealth by law, but they still need a PhilHealth number and need to choose a YAKAP Clinic and complete the First Patient Encounter to use YAKAP benefits.
Can an LGU register its residents house to house?
Yes. YAKAP Clinics can run registration in barangays, covered courts and homes. Exakt Medical augments the LGU's own teams, adding registration staff, web and mobile tools, real-time membership verification and first patient encounter recording in its certified EMR, while the YAKAP Clinic remains the provider of care.
Sources: PhilHealth Advisory 2025-0071 (December 22, 2025); PhilHealth Advisory 2026-0029 (May 5, 2026); PhilHealth Circular 2025-0017. This page summarizes public PhilHealth guidance; PhilHealth and your LHIO are the authorities on current requirements.