National Medical Commission Pushes Digital Tracking of Patient Visits in Medical College Hospitals

Under the directive, hospitals must link their Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) with the ABDM-HMIS portal maintained by the National Health Authority.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges across India to integrate the digital systems of their attached hospitals with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) within 15 days, in a move aimed at digitizing patient records and improving oversight of hospital activity.

Under the directive, hospitals must link their Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) with the ABDM-HMIS portal maintained by the National Health Authority. The integration will allow hospital registrations and treatment services to be captured digitally and linked to a national platform.

Officials say the initiative is intended to improve the accuracy of patient data reported by teaching hospitals, particularly those claiming treatment volumes under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). By digitizing records, regulators expect to verify the actual number of beneficiaries receiving treatment and eliminate fake or erroneous entries in hospital records.

“One issue we face is that fake patients sometimes get created on paper. Once everything becomes digital, it will help sort this out,” an NMC official said.

Medical college hospitals play a key role in India’s healthcare delivery system and also serve as primary training facilities for medical students. Patient load and hospital service volumes are among the major parameters considered by regulators while assessing medical colleges.

Currently, regulators rely heavily on data reported by institutions. Officials say digital integration will enable the commission to track hospital performance more accurately through verified records rather than relying solely on institutional disclosures.

The move is also expected to support the development of a national digital medical record framework. Through integration with the PM-JAY portal managed by the National Health Authority, treatment details and doctor information can be captured digitally.

“If a patient takes treatment from a doctor, later we will be able to see which doctor treated the patient and access those details,” the official said.

In the long term, officials say nationwide digital connectivity could allow doctors across institutions to access a patient’s treatment history, enabling better continuity of care. However, they noted that full integration will take time since healthcare administration is largely managed by states and hospitals operate under different digital systems.

“Everything will not get connected immediately. Integration will happen step by step,” the official added.

Medical colleges have been asked to complete the required integration within 15 days of receiving the notice.

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