LIPA CITY – In Batangas, a heart attack can be a race against time and distance. With only one hospital in the province equipped to treat such emergencies, precious minutes are often lost before patients get the care they need. This gap in access has deadly consequences: coronary artery disease accounts for 30 percent of all deaths in Batangas, a rate higher than that of Manila. Nationwide, heart disease claimed 85,868 lives in 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Determined to change this, adult interventional cardiologist Dr. Ariel A. Miranda of Mary Mediatrix Medical Center (Mediatrix) together with Dr. Joselito Ramos, Dr. Charlies Esteban, Dr. Romulo Rosita and Dr. Charles Tabora launched the Code HB (Heart of Batangas STEMI Network), a first-of-its-kind program in the Philippines designed to connect hospitals across Southern Luzon and ensure life-saving treatment reaches patients faster.
The Code HB Program enhances the timely and efficient delivery of care to heart attack patients by creating strong partnerships with hospitals across Southern Luzon. It involves training partner hospitals in immediate heart attack care, ensuring patients receive critical, life-saving interventions before being transferred to Mediatrix’s specialized facility.
Mediatrix is a private tertiary hospital and is home to the only state-of-the-art Heart Institute facility in Batangas, equipped with two cardiac catheterization laboratories. In 2024 alone, the hospital performed 1,200 angiograms and 600 angioplasties, underscoring its role as the province’s primary cardiac care hub.
Dr. Miranda explained that many countries adopt a hub-and-spoke approach to treat heart attacks. Thailand operates 13 such networks, while Malaysia has five. The Philippines had none until Code HB. Batangas was chosen as the pilot site because of its high heart disease mortality rate and the geographical challenges in accessing specialized cardiac care.
“Code HB actually started 10 years ago and the results were good. After the first five years of Code HB, we had a 50 to 60 percent perfusion rate compared to the national registry rate of 30 percent. After the implementation of the new PhiHealth case rates, the re-perfusion rate went up to 90 percent,” Dr. Miranda said at the launch.
But the journey was not without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was the lack of adequate PhilHealth coverage. At the start, heart attack patients were covered for only ₱30,000, a fraction of the actual cost. After years of lobbying and meetings, PhilHealth in December 2024 released Circular No. 2024-0032, dramatically increasing benefits. The case rate for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, for example, is now at ₱524,000, up from P30,300 or an increase of 1,629 percent.
“With this in place, Mediatrix started to look for institutions that would be part of the hub-and-spoke model,” Dr. Miranda said, noting that Mediatrix would also assist partner hospitals in processing EMS claims.
On August 11, 2025, Mediatrix formalized partnerships with six Batangas hospitals: Bauan Doctors General Hospital, Jesus of Nazareth Hospital, St. Patrick’s Hospital Medical Center, Christ the Savior Medical Center, Sto. Rosario Hospital, and Ospital ng Lipa.
“In addition to making sure that heart attack patients get immediate care, Code HB will also ensure Mediatrix will be a big brother to our partner hospitals. We will help them diagnose and facilitate treatment,” Dr. Miranda said. “The ultimate aim is to give every citizen of Batangas experiencing a heart attack the best possible care in the fastest possible time, so they can return to society productive and more knowledgeable about prevention.”
For Allan Almazar, Senior Vice President for Operations of Mediatrix, Code HB’s roots trace back to the vision of Mediatrix founder Dr. Vicente Magsino and his close friend Dr. Homobono Calleja, both renowned cardiologists. “These two doctors were very progressive in their thinking, and since they were both cardiologists, they decided to put up a hospital that could serve the needs of patients with heart disease,” Almazar said.
Raising awareness is another challenge. Almazar shared that one man only learned recently that Mediatrix had a Cathlab, after his uncle died the year before from a heart attack, unaware of where to go for urgent treatment. “Some patients request to be brought to the nearest hospital with an intensive care unit, not one with a Cathlab. They end up in the ER for hours and miss the critical 180-minute re-perfusion window,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mediatrix plans to expand Code HB to neighboring provinces in Southern Luzon and launch a public information campaign on recognizing heart attack symptoms and knowing the nearest Cathlab facility.
“Our vision is simple,” Dr. Miranda said. “No one in Batangas—or anywhere in Southern Luzon—should die from a heart attack simply because they couldn’t get the right care in time.”
