Understanding the Role of HFR & HPR Registries in India’s Digital Health Stack

India's healthcare sector is experiencing a significant digital transformation under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which seeks to establish an integrated, interoperable, and citizen-centric digital health ecosystem.

India's Digital Health Stack, a collection of digital public infrastructure elements intended to facilitate the smooth interchange of health data, boost transparency throughout the healthcare value chain, and improve care delivery, is at the center of this ecosystem. The Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and the Health Facility Registry (HFR) are two of the fundamental components of this stack.

In this article, we shall delve into the detailed role of HPR and HFR in building the ABDM ecosystem.

Understanding HFR & HPR

The Health Facility Registry (HFR)

The Health Facility Registry (HFR) is a validated national database of public and commercial healthcare institutions from all Indian medical systems that serves as a reliable source of facility data, enhancing discoverability, assisting with digital processes, making licensing and empanelment simpler, and promoting paperless, interoperable healthcare delivery. Every facility is given a distinct digital ID that allows for standardised identification and smooth interaction with digital health platforms allowed by ABDM.

Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR)

The HPR is an extensive online directory of certified medical professionals from India's traditional and modern medical systems. Healthcare professionals can access interoperable records by registering for the HPR and receiving a unique ID. Additionally, the register promotes telemedicine and digitally enabled care delivery in accordance with international standards, improves verified professional visibility, and supports communication throughout the healthcare ecosystem.

Role of HFR & HPR

HFR and HPR are essential components of India's digital health infrastructure that enable various levels of digital functioning rather than being stand-alone databases. Their role spans the operational, technical, and governance domains, which include-

1. Verification and Trust in Healthcare Delivery

The Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Health Facility Registry (HFR) provide verified, standardised digital IDs to healthcare professionals and facilities under ABDM. These registries enhance visibility across ABDM-enabled platforms and bolster patient trust, especially in digital and telehealth interactions, by verifying credentials and professional authenticity.

2. Enhanced Access and Discoverability

Patients and digital applications can quickly find accredited healthcare providers and facilities using HFR and HPR. This facilitates teleconsultations, appointment scheduling, referrals, and care coordination while assisting patients in making well-informed decisions based on verifiable facts.

3. Digital Identity Standardization

As the foundation of identity management in the digital health stack, HFR and HPR offer standardized digital IDs for healthcare providers and facilities. These identities guarantee that digital transactions, health records, and therapeutic encounters are correctly associated with the appropriate facility and provider.

4. Interoperability & Integration

One of the main goals of India's Digital Health Stack is interoperability. Government platforms, hospital information systems, digital health startups, and telemedicine applications are just a few of the health IT systems that may easily communicate with each other utilizing shared IDs, which is enabled by HFR and HPR. This facilitates seamless data transfer between platforms and lessens fragmentation.

5. Support for Public Health Planning

Policymakers and health authorities can evaluate service gaps, personnel availability, and the distribution of healthcare infrastructure by using aggregated, anonymised data from HFR and HPR. This promotes resource allocation, emergency preparedness, and evidence-based decision-making at the state and federal levels.

As of Jan 2026, over 4.5 lakh health facilities are registered in the HFR, while more than 7.7 lakh healthcare professionals are registered in the HPR .These statistics highlight the growing significance and role of HFR &HPR in the adoption of the ABDM ecosystem by healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals

Conclusion

The Health Facility Registry (HFR) and Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) are foundational components of India’s Digital Health Stack under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. These registries serve as the digital backbone that links healthcare facilities, providers, and technologies nationwide by facilitating standardized identification, interoperability, discoverability, and trust.

As India continues to scale its digital health infrastructure, the effective adoption and continuous strengthening of HFR and HPR will be critical to realizing a truly integrated, inclusive, and future-ready healthcare ecosystem, one that delivers better outcomes for patients, providers, and policymakers alike.

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