Private hospitals told to provide services through ABHA IDs: AP Health Secretary
Digital Health
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Health Secretary G. Veerapandian has said private hospitals must provide healthcare services to patients using their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs as per the norms prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Speaking at a workshop held at Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) in Vijayawada on Wednesday, Veerapandian said government hospitals, government teaching hospitals and a few private hospitals were already offering services through ABHA IDs as per NMC norms, while private medical colleges were yet to adopt the system.
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He said 5.04 crore ABHA accounts had been generated in the State so far.
According to the Hindu, “When services are offered using the ABHA IDs, electronic health records (EHRs) are created, which contain patients’ details,” Mr. Veerapandian said. Regardless of how many times a patient visits a hospital, the relevant health information could be recorded in the patient’s EHR, he added.
Health and Family Welfare Commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu said private medical colleges could make patients’ health information immediately accessible to doctors by using a Health Management Information System (HMIS) integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
This would help doctors quickly understand a patient’s medical history and make treatment easier, he said.
Mr Chakradhar Babu urged private medical colleges to actively participate in creating EHRs through ABHA IDs and assured them that the government would provide the necessary technical support.
To encourage digital adoption, the Union Government offers a financial incentive of Rs 10 per generated EHR record. Out of Rs 150 crore disbursed nationally under this initiative, Andhra Pradesh has received nearly Rs 15 crore, though private hospitals in the state have accounted for only Rs 75 lakh of that total, reports TNIE.
NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor P. Chandrasekhar, Registrar T. Sai Sudheer, and ABDM State Nodal Officer B.V. Rao were among those who attended the workshop.
