NMC directs medical colleges to integrate digital health records of patients to verify clinical workload

New Delhi: In a move to make the annual renewal and assessment process of medical colleges more objective and transparent, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all medical colleges to integrate digital health records of patients and ensure the generation and linking of ABHA IDs for those visiting hospitals attached to medical colleges.

Issuing a letter to the Dean /Principal of all Medical Colleges/Institutions under NMC, the IT Division of NMC asked the medical colleges to follow the instructions as part of the Minimum Standard Requirements issued by the Commission.

The apex regulatory body stated that generating and linking the ABHA ID of patients visiting OPD, IPD, and Emergency services in hospitals attached to Medical Colleges is an important prerequisite for objective verification of the clinical workload.

This means that the NMC wants the yearly approval and inspection of medical colleges to be fair, clear, and based on real data instead of just paperwork or claims. So, by linking patient records through ABHA IDs, the NMC can accurately verify how many patients are actually being treated, which helps prevent false reporting and ensures fair evaluation of medical colleges.

NMC further stated that the National Health Authority, which is the Nodal Agency of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has further simplified the process to make the ABHA id registration process hassle free for patients. 

Hence, all medical colleges/institutions under NMC have been instructed to adopt the updated process.

"Kind attention is invited towards Minimum Standard Requirements issued by National Medical Commission (NMC), whereby generation and linkaging of ABHA id of patients visiting OPD/IPD/Emergency services in hospitals attached to Medical Colleges is an important pre-requisite for objective verification of the clinical work load...  National Health Authority which is the Nodal Agency of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has further simplified the process to make ABHA id registration process hassle free for patients... In light of above and to make the annual renewal/assessment of medical colleges more objective and transparent, all Medical Colleges under NMC are required to follow above directions," mentioned the notice. 

Process for ABHA Registration by Patients

1. Create ABHA for the Patient

ABHA can be created using the patient’s Aadhaar in an ADBM-enabled HMIS of the hospital. Authentication can be completed via Aadhaar-linked mobile OTP, or Biometric authentication.

Links for help videos are given in the notice.

2. Search ABHA Using Mobile Number

If the patient has already generated an ABHA linked with a mobile number:

- The hospital can search ABHA using the registered mobile number.

- OTP-based authentication is performed for verification.

The details of the patient are fetched in the ABDM-enabled HMIS.

3. Scan & Share (QR-based Registration)

The patient who has an ABHA can share the details through any of the ABDM-enabled PHR apps. The list of ABDM enabled phr is available at the website mentioned.

The hospital generates a facility QR code through HMIS. The patient scans the QR code and shares profile details digitally. This method requires the patient to possess a smartphone

To view the letter, click on the link below: 

Also read- Medical college assessment, renewal: NMC sets deadline for HFR, HMIS details submission