India’s healthcare system includes millions of patients, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, doctors, pharmacies and digital health applications. Historically, much of the information generated across these healthcare touchpoints has remained within separate systems.

A patient may have a prescription with one doctor, diagnostic reports at another laboratory, hospital records at a different facility and vaccination information somewhere else. When these systems cannot communicate with each other, healthcare providers may have limited access to the patient’s previous medical information.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is designed to address this fragmentation by creating the digital infrastructure required for an interoperable healthcare ecosystem in India.

But how does ABDM actually work?

At a high level, ABDM connects patients, healthcare professionals, health facilities and digital health applications through common digital building blocks, identifiers, registries and consent-based data exchange mechanisms.

This guide explains the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission step by step, including how ABHA works, how hospitals and laboratories participate, how health records are exchanged, how consent is managed, and what ABDM means for healthcare organizations and healthtech companies.

What Is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a Government of India initiative focused on building the technological foundation for India’s digital health ecosystem.

The mission is implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) and is designed around interoperability between different healthcare systems rather than requiring every healthcare provider to use one centralized software platform.

ABDM brings together several important digital building blocks, including:

• ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account)
• Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR)
• Health Facility Registry (HFR)
• Personal Health Record (PHR) applications
• Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM)
• Unified Health Interface (UHI)
• Other registries, APIs and digital health infrastructure

The objective is to allow different healthcare stakeholders to participate in a common digital ecosystem while allowing health information to remain with the organizations that generate and maintain it.

According to the official ABDM FAQ, the mission promotes interoperability and connectivity between different digital health systems using registries for individuals, healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities.

ABDM vs Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY: Are They the Same?

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.

ABDM and Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY are different initiatives.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

ABDM focuses primarily on India’s digital health infrastructure and interoperability.

It helps create the digital ecosystem through which patients, healthcare providers, facilities and digital health applications can connect and exchange information using standardized mechanisms.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY

PM-JAY is a government-funded health assurance/insurance scheme designed to provide eligible beneficiaries with financial coverage for specified healthcare services.

Therefore:

ABDM = Digital health infrastructure

PM-JAY = Health assurance/financial coverage

ABDM does not itself provide health insurance coverage to citizens.

How Does Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Work?

The easiest way to understand ABDM is to look at the journey of a patient’s health information.

A simplified ABDM workflow can be represented as:

Patient → ABHA → Healthcare Facility → Digital Health Record → Consent → Health Information Exchange → Authorized Healthcare Provider

The important point is that ABDM is not simply a centralized database containing everyone’s medical records.

Instead, it is designed to facilitate interoperability and consent-based exchange of health information between participating systems.

The official ABDM FAQ states that ABDM does not store medical records centrally. Medical records continue to be created and stored by healthcare providers according to their applicable retention practices, while ABDM facilitates secure exchange between intended stakeholders after patient consent.

Let’s break the process down step by step.

Step 1: A Person Creates an ABHA

The first important component for an individual is the ABHA — Ayushman Bharat Health Account.

An ABHA provides a standardized digital identity that can be used within the ABDM ecosystem.

The official ABDM documentation states that an ABHA number is a 14-digit randomly generated unique number. It is intended to help identify an individual, authenticate them and link/thread their health records across participating systems, subject to the individual’s informed consent.

What is the purpose of ABHA?

Suppose a patient visits:

1. A clinic
2. A diagnostic laboratory
3. A hospital
4. Another specialist

Without a common digital identifier, connecting records belonging to the same individual can become difficult.

ABHA provides an identity layer that can help establish that different health records belong to the same person.

However, having an ABHA does not automatically mean that every healthcare provider can see all of a person’s medical records.

Consent remains an important part of the ABDM model.

Step 2: The Healthcare Facility Joins the ABDM Ecosystem

For ABDM to work at scale, healthcare providers also need to become part of the digital ecosystem.

This is where the Health Facility Registry (HFR) becomes important.

HFR is a comprehensive registry of health facilities across different systems of medicine.

It can include:

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Diagnostic laboratories
• Imaging centres
• Pharmacies
• Blood banks
• Other healthcare facilities

Both public and private facilities can participate in the ecosystem.

The official ABDM platform describes HFR as a comprehensive registry of public and private health facilities and a key component for connecting facilities to India’s digital health ecosystem.

Why is HFR important?

Imagine a patient wants to find a healthcare facility that offers a particular service.

A standardized facility registry can make it easier for digital applications and ecosystem participants to identify healthcare providers based on standardized information.

For healthcare organizations, HFR also establishes their presence within the ABDM ecosystem.

Step 3: Healthcare Professionals Can Register Through HPR

The Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) is another major ABDM building block.

HPR is designed to maintain a repository of healthcare professionals participating in the digital health ecosystem.

It can include healthcare professionals such as:

• Doctors
• Dentists
• Nurses
• Paramedics
• Other eligible healthcare professionals

The registry helps establish a standardized digital identity for healthcare professionals and supports trust and discoverability within the ecosystem.

The official ABDM FAQ explains that healthcare professionals’ credentials are verified by the respective authorities/councils, while NHA provides the technology platform for HPR.

Step 4: The Hospital, Clinic or Laboratory Uses ABDM-Enabled Software

Creating an ABHA number alone does not digitize a healthcare organization’s records.

The healthcare provider needs a compatible digital health system capable of participating in ABDM workflows.

This may include systems such as:

• Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS)
• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS/LMIS)
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems
• Pharmacy systems
• Digital health applications

The software needs to support the relevant ABDM standards, APIs and workflows.

This is where ABDM integration becomes important for healthcare technology companies.

A hospital’s existing software does not necessarily need to be replaced. Instead, the organization can work toward integrating its existing technology with the relevant ABDM interfaces and standards.

Step 5: A Digital Health Record Is Generated

Now consider a real healthcare interaction.

A patient visits a hospital and receives treatment.

The hospital’s software may generate digital records such as:

• OP consultation notes
• Prescriptions
• Diagnostic reports
• Discharge summaries
• Vaccination records
• Imaging-related documents
• Invoices
• Other health documents

These records are generated and maintained by the healthcare provider.

This is an important part of understanding ABDM architecture.

ABDM does not function as a central repository where every patient’s complete medical history is stored.

Instead, ABDM provides the infrastructure required for appropriately authorized systems to discover, link and exchange health information.

The official ABDM FAQ specifically states that medical records remain with healthcare providers, while ABDM facilitates secure exchange after consent.

Step 6: The Patient’s ABHA Is Linked With the Health Record

When a patient’s health record is generated at an ABDM-enabled facility, the record can be associated with the patient’s ABHA, subject to the applicable workflow.

This creates a connection between:

Patient identity → Healthcare provider → Digital health record

For example:

A patient named Rahul visits a hospital for a consultation.

The hospital generates an electronic prescription.

If the relevant ABDM workflow is followed and the record is linked to Rahul’s ABHA, that record can subsequently participate in the ABDM ecosystem for permitted use cases.

This does not mean that the record becomes publicly accessible.

Step 7: The Patient Controls Consent

This is one of the most important parts of the ABDM model.

Health information is sensitive.

Therefore, simply having a digital identity should not give every healthcare provider unrestricted access to a person’s medical history.

ABDM uses a consent-based approach to health information exchange.

A patient can be asked to authorize the sharing of particular health information for a particular purpose.

For example:

Patient → Gives consent → Hospital requests a specific record → Authorized system retrieves record → Record is shared

The official ABDM documentation describes the Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM) as a system that enables consent management, linking and sharing of personal health records.

Step 8: Health Information Is Exchanged Between Systems

This is where ABDM’s interoperability model becomes especially important.

Imagine that a patient has:

• A blood test at Laboratory A
• A consultation at Hospital B
• A prescription from Doctor C

These organizations may use completely different software systems.

Without interoperability, sharing information between them can require:

• Printed documents
• PDFs
• Emails
• WhatsApp messages
• Manual uploads
• Patient-provided reports

With an ABDM-enabled ecosystem, participating systems can exchange health information through standardized digital mechanisms and consent workflows.

The objective is to enable the appropriate information to move between authorized participants without requiring all healthcare organizations to run the same software.

Step 9: The Receiving Healthcare Provider Gets Authorized Information

Suppose a patient visits a new doctor.

The doctor needs access to an earlier diagnostic report.

Instead of asking the patient to carry a physical report, the digital workflow can allow the patient to authorize sharing of the relevant record.

The provider can then access the permitted information through the appropriate ABDM-enabled application or system.

This can improve:

• Continuity of care
• Clinical decision-making
• Patient convenience
• Record accessibility
• Digital documentation
• Information availability across healthcare providers

The key principle is:

Access should be based on the appropriate authorization and consent workflow, rather than simply because the patient has an ABHA.

Step 10: The Patient Can Access Digital Health Information

ABDM-enabled applications can provide individuals with access to their digital health information.

Depending on the application and ecosystem capabilities, health records can include items such as:

• Diagnostic reports
• Prescriptions
• Discharge summaries
• OP consultation notes
• Immunization records
• Health documents
• Invoices
• Other supported health records

The official ABDM FAQ lists these categories among the health records that can be viewed through supported applications.

This creates the foundation for a more portable digital health experience.

Step 11: Other Digital Health Services Can Connect Through ABDM

ABDM is not limited to health records.

The broader ecosystem also includes the Unified Health Interface (UHI).

UHI is envisioned as an open network for digital health services.

Its potential use cases include:

• Healthcare service discovery
• Appointment booking
• Teleconsultation
• Other digital healthcare interactions

The official ABDM documentation describes UHI as an open protocol/network connecting end-user applications and participating health service providers.

This means the long-term ABDM ecosystem is broader than simply creating a digital health ID.

ABDM Architecture: How the Different Components Connect

The ABDM ecosystem can be understood as several interconnected layers.

1. Identity Layer

ABHA

Provides a digital identity for individuals within the health ecosystem.

2. Registry Layer

HFR + HPR

HFR identifies health facilities.

HPR identifies participating healthcare professionals.

3. Health Record Layer

Healthcare providers create and maintain digital health records through their own systems.

4. Consent Layer

Consent mechanisms help patients authorize appropriate access and sharing of health information.

5. Exchange Layer

Health information can be exchanged between participating systems using ABDM’s digital infrastructure and standards.

6. Service Layer

Applications can support services such as appointments, teleconsultation and healthcare discovery.

A simplified architecture looks like this:

Patient

↓

ABHA

↓

ABDM Ecosystem

↙ ↓ ↘

Hospital | Laboratory | Clinic

↓ ↓ ↓

Digital Health Records

↓

Consent & Health Information Exchange

↓

Authorized Healthcare Provider / Patient

This federated approach is important because the data does not have to be moved into one giant centralized medical-record database.

What Happens to Health Records in ABDM?

One of the biggest misconceptions about ABDM is that the government stores everyone’s complete medical records in one centralized database.

That is not how the ABDM model is described by the National Health Authority.

The official FAQ states that ABDM does not store medical records centrally. Healthcare providers continue to create and store health records according to their own applicable retention policies, while ABDM facilitates secure exchange between intended stakeholders after patient consent.

This is commonly described as a federated architecture.

In simple terms:

The data can remain where it was generated, while the ABDM ecosystem provides the infrastructure for authorized exchange.

This distinction is critical for healthcare organizations implementing ABDM.

How Does ABDM Consent Management Work?

Consent is central to digital health interoperability.

Consider this example.

A patient visits Hospital B.

The hospital wants to access a diagnostic report generated by Laboratory A.

The workflow can conceptually look like:

Hospital B → Requests specific health information

↓

Patient receives consent request

↓

Patient reviews the request

↓

Patient approves

↓

Consent mechanism authorizes exchange

↓

Laboratory A provides the permitted information

↓

Hospital B receives the record

The exact technical workflow depends on the ABDM interfaces and applications involved, but the fundamental principle is consent-based access to health information.

This is particularly important for healthtech companies building:

• Consent management systems
• Patient health record applications
• Hospital software
• Laboratory software
• Health information exchange solutions
• Digital health platforms

What Are the Benefits of ABDM for Patients?

ABDM can create several benefits for patients.

1. Easier Access to Health Records

Patients can access digital health records through compatible applications instead of depending entirely on physical paperwork.

2. Better Continuity of Care

When relevant records can be shared with a new provider with appropriate consent, clinicians may have better visibility into previous treatment.

3. Reduced Dependence on Physical Reports

Digital records can reduce the need to carry physical copies of prescriptions and diagnostic reports.

4. Greater Patient Control

Consent-based exchange gives patients an important role in deciding when health information can be shared.

5. Easier Digital Healthcare Access

The wider ABDM ecosystem can support digital services such as teleconsultation, appointment booking and healthcare discovery.

What Are the Benefits of ABDM for Hospitals?

For hospitals, ABDM can support:

• Digital health record workflows
• Interoperability
• Patient record accessibility
• Digital patient engagement
• Standardized healthcare data exchange
• Integration with India’s digital health ecosystem
• Potentially improved continuity of care

Hospitals can also become discoverable through the Health Facility Registry.

For organizations that already operate an HMIS, EMR or EHR, ABDM integration can become an important part of their digital transformation strategy.

What Are the Benefits of ABDM for Diagnostic Laboratories?

Diagnostic laboratories generate significant amounts of health information.

Examples include:

• Blood test reports
• Pathology reports
• Radiology reports
• Imaging records
• Diagnostic summaries

ABDM integration can enable eligible digital records to participate in the broader health information exchange ecosystem.

For a laboratory, the technology stack may therefore need to support:

LIMS/LMIS → ABDM APIs → ABHA-linked workflow → Health Information Exchange

This can make diagnostic information more accessible to patients and authorized healthcare providers.

The ABDM ecosystem also includes diagnostic laboratories within the Health Facility Registry.

What Does ABDM Mean for Healthtech Companies?

For healthtech companies, ABDM is more than a compliance checkbox.

It represents an opportunity to build interoperable digital health products.

Healthtech companies can develop or integrate:

• ABDM-enabled HMIS
• EMR/EHR systems
• LIMS platforms
• Personal Health Record applications
• Consent management systems
• Telemedicine platforms
• Appointment platforms
• Digital health applications
• Health information exchange solutions

However, integration requires more than simply connecting an API.

A robust implementation needs to consider:

• Identity management
• ABHA workflows
• Facility registration
• Healthcare professional registration
• Consent management
• Health record formats
• API integration
• Security
• Authentication
• Auditability
• Data governance
• Error handling
• Patient experience

ABDM Integration: A Practical Example

Consider a multi-specialty hospital.

The hospital already has:

• HMIS
• Patient registration system
• Laboratory system
• Radiology system
• Pharmacy system
• EMR

The hospital wants to become ABDM-enabled.

A simplified implementation could look like:

Hospital HMIS

↓

ABDM Integration Layer

↓

ABHA / Identity Workflows

↓

ABDM APIs & Standards

↓

Consent & Health Information Exchange

↓

Authorized Digital Health Applications

The integration layer acts as a bridge between the hospital’s internal systems and the ABDM ecosystem.

This approach is particularly useful for organizations that already have established healthcare IT infrastructure.

Is ABDM Mandatory for Every Healthcare Organization?

ABDM participation and specific registration or implementation requirements can vary depending on the type of organization, applicable government requirements, state/UT implementation and the particular ABDM program or incentive involved.

Therefore, healthcare organizations should not assume that one blanket requirement applies identically to every hospital, clinic, laboratory or healthcare professional.

For example, the official ABDM FAQ notes specific requirements and distinctions for Health Facility Registry and Healthcare Professionals Registry participation.

Organizations should evaluate their specific category and current ABDM guidance before making compliance or implementation decisions.

ABDM and Data Privacy

Digital health interoperability creates significant privacy responsibilities.

Healthcare organizations need to think about:

• Patient consent
• Purpose limitation
• Access controls
• Authentication
• Data security
• Audit trails
• Data retention
• Data sharing
• Third-party integrations
• Data breach management
• Applicable privacy and cybersecurity requirements

ABDM provides digital infrastructure and standards, but healthcare organizations remain responsible for implementing appropriate security, privacy and governance controls within their own systems.

This becomes particularly important as organizations also assess their obligations under India’s broader data protection framework, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, where applicable.

ABDM compliance and privacy-law compliance should therefore be treated as related but not identical areas of responsibility.

ABDM and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act

This distinction is especially important for healthcare technology companies.

ABDM integration primarily concerns participation in India’s digital health ecosystem and interoperability requirements.

DPDP compliance concerns obligations relating to the processing of digital personal data under India’s data protection framework.

A hospital or healthtech platform may therefore need to address both.

For example:

ABDM layer

• ABHA integration
• HFR/HPR
• Health record exchange
• ABDM APIs
• Consent workflows

Privacy layer

• Privacy notices
• Personal data governance
• Consent requirements where applicable
• Data principal rights
• Security safeguards
• Breach-related processes
• Data retention and deletion governance

A mature healthcare technology architecture should account for both dimensions rather than treating ABDM integration as a substitute for privacy compliance.

What Is the Role of Consent Managers in ABDM?

Consent management is fundamental to the exchange of personal health information.

The Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM) is designed to support consent management, linking and sharing of personal health records.

According to the ABDM FAQ, HIE-CM is a digital system developed for these functions, and the ecosystem allows for consent-manager participation by different agencies.

For healthtech organizations, this highlights an important architectural principle:

The system should not treat patient consent as a simple checkbox.

A robust consent architecture should be capable of handling:

• Who requested the data
• Whose data is being requested
• What data is requested
• Why the data is requested
• For what purpose
• For how long
• Whether the patient approved or denied
• Whether consent was revoked
• What data was actually shared
• Auditability of the transaction

A Simple Real-World ABDM Example

Let’s take a patient named Priya.

Stage 1: Priya creates an ABHA

Priya creates her ABHA and receives her unique ABHA number.

Stage 2: Priya visits a diagnostic laboratory

The laboratory is registered with HFR and uses ABDM-enabled software.

Stage 3: The laboratory generates a report

Priya undergoes a blood test.

The laboratory generates her digital diagnostic report.

Stage 4: The record is linked

The relevant record is associated with Priya’s ABHA through the applicable ABDM workflow.

Stage 5: Priya visits another doctor

A few days later, Priya visits another doctor.

The doctor needs to review her recent diagnostic report.

Stage 6: Consent is requested

Priya is presented with the relevant request to share the record.

Stage 7: Priya approves

Priya provides the required consent.

Stage 8: Information is exchanged

The permitted health information is made available to the authorized healthcare provider through the ABDM ecosystem.

Stage 9: Better-informed consultation

The doctor can review the available report and make a more informed clinical decision.

This illustrates the core ABDM concept:

Digital identity + interoperable systems + consent + health information exchange.

What Makes ABDM Different From a Centralized Health Database?

A centralized model would look like:

Every hospital → Central database → Every medical record

ABDM’s architecture is different.

A simplified representation is:

Hospital A → Its own health records

Laboratory B → Its own health records

Clinic C → Its own health records

↓

ABDM interoperability + consent infrastructure

↓

Authorized exchange

This federated approach is designed to allow interoperability without requiring all medical records to be physically consolidated into one central repository.

The NHA explicitly states that ABDM does not centrally store medical records.

Key ABDM Building Blocks You Should Know

These components work together rather than functioning as isolated products.

How Can a Hospital Become ABDM Enabled?

A hospital typically needs to approach ABDM adoption as a combination of registration, software enablement and integration.

A simplified roadmap is:

Step 1: Register the facility

Register the healthcare facility through the appropriate ABDM/HFR process.

Step 2: Evaluate existing software

Assess whether the hospital’s HMIS, EMR/EHR or other software supports ABDM requirements.

Step 3: Select an ABDM-enabled software solution

If the existing software is not compatible, the organization may need to work with an ABDM-enabled digital solution provider.

Step 4: Configure ABDM integration

Implement the relevant APIs, authentication and health information workflows.

Step 5: Configure patient identity workflows

Implement appropriate ABHA-related workflows.

Step 6: Implement consent workflows

Ensure that health information is exchanged through appropriate consent mechanisms.

Step 7: Test the integration

Test interoperability, authentication, record exchange, consent, error handling and audit requirements.

Step 8: Go live

After successful testing and required onboarding processes, the facility can operationalize its ABDM-enabled workflows.

The official ABDM Digital Health Incentive Scheme documentation also describes the relationship between HFR registration, ABDM-enabled software and participation in the incentive workflow.

Common Misconceptions About ABDM

Myth 1: ABDM is a health insurance scheme

False.

ABDM is digital health infrastructure. PM-JAY is a health assurance scheme.

Myth 2: ABDM stores everyone’s medical records

False.

NHA states that ABDM does not centrally store medical records.

Myth 3: Creating an ABHA gives every doctor access to your records

False.

Health information exchange is designed around consent and authorized access.

Myth 4: ABDM means replacing hospital software

Not necessarily.

Existing healthcare software can potentially be integrated with ABDM-enabled infrastructure, depending on its architecture and compatibility.

Myth 5: ABDM is only for government hospitals

False.

The ABDM ecosystem includes public and private healthcare facilities. HFR includes hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, imaging centres, pharmacies and other facilities.

Why Is ABDM Important for India’s Healthcare Future?

India’s healthcare ecosystem is too large and diverse to depend entirely on disconnected digital systems.

ABDM provides a framework for moving from:

Fragmented healthcare data

to

Interoperable digital healthcare

The long-term value lies not simply in giving people a digital health number.

The larger objective is to establish a healthcare ecosystem where:

• Patients can access their health information
• Healthcare providers can access relevant records with appropriate authorization
• Hospitals and laboratories can exchange information digitally
• Healthtech companies can build interoperable applications
• Healthcare facilities can become discoverable through standardized registries
• Digital health services can work across different technology providers

This interoperability can become an important foundation for India’s next phase of healthcare digitization.

The Future of ABDM and Healthcare Technology

As more hospitals, laboratories, clinics, doctors and digital health applications participate in the ecosystem, the value of interoperability increases.

For healthcare organizations, this means ABDM should not be viewed only as a government technology initiative.

It can become part of a broader digital health transformation strategy.

Organizations should consider how ABDM fits into:

• EMR/EHR modernization
• Patient experience
• Digital health records
• Consent management
• Data governance
• Healthcare interoperability
• Telemedicine
• Digital diagnostics
• Healthcare APIs
• Privacy and security
• Healthtech product development

For technology providers, this creates opportunities to build products that can communicate across healthcare ecosystems rather than remaining isolated within individual hospitals or applications.

Conclusion

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is fundamentally an interoperability initiative for India’s healthcare ecosystem.

Its architecture connects multiple stakeholders through standardized digital infrastructure rather than requiring all healthcare data to be stored in one central database.

The journey can be summarized as:

ABHA → Healthcare Facility → Digital Health Record → Consent → Health Information Exchange → Authorized Access

For patients, this can mean easier access to digital health information and improved continuity of care.

For hospitals, clinics and laboratories, it creates a path toward interoperable digital healthcare.

For healthtech companies, it creates an opportunity to build applications and platforms that can participate in a national digital health ecosystem.

Most importantly, ABDM should be understood not as a single application or database, but as a digital health ecosystem made up of identities, registries, standards, APIs, consent mechanisms and interoperable services.

As healthcare in India becomes increasingly digital, understanding how ABDM works will be essential for hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, doctors, healthcare technology companies and organizations building the next generation of digital health solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

What is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a Government of India initiative designed to create an interoperable digital health ecosystem by connecting individuals, healthcare professionals, healthcare facilities and digital health applications.

How does ABDM work?

ABDM uses digital building blocks such as ABHA, HFR, HPR, consent mechanisms and health information exchange infrastructure to enable interoperability between participating healthcare systems.

What is ABHA?

ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account. It provides a unique digital health identity that can help identify individuals and link their health records across participating systems with appropriate consent.

Does ABDM store medical records?

No. According to the National Health Authority, ABDM does not centrally store medical records. Healthcare providers continue to create and store health records, while ABDM facilitates their secure exchange between intended stakeholders after consent.

Is ABHA the same as Aadhaar?

No. ABHA and Aadhaar serve different purposes. ABHA is designed specifically for digital healthcare identity and health record linking within the ABDM ecosystem. The official ABDM FAQ describes ABHA as an alternative digital health identity rather than simply using Aadhaar as the health identifier.

What is HFR in ABDM?

HFR stands for Health Facility Registry. It is a registry of healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories, diagnostic centres and pharmacies participating in the ecosystem.

What is HPR in ABDM?

HPR stands for Healthcare Professionals Registry. It provides a digital registry of healthcare professionals and supports their connection with India’s digital health ecosystem.

What is ABDM integration?

ABDM integration is the technical process through which a healthcare organization’s software or digital health application connects with relevant ABDM infrastructure, APIs, standards and workflows.

Is ABDM mandatory?

The exact requirements depend on the healthcare organization, its category, applicable government/state requirements and the particular ABDM program involved. Organizations should check the latest official requirements applicable to them rather than assuming a universal rule.

Can private hospitals participate in ABDM?

Yes. ABDM includes public and private healthcare facilities. Private hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other eligible facilities can participate in the ecosystem through applicable registration and integration processes.