NMC pushes digital tracking of patient visits in medical college hospitals | India News
NEW DELHI: With the National Medical Commission (NMC) moving towards digitization of health records of patients in medical college hospitals, regulators will soon be able to verify the actual number of Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries visiting these beneficiaries for treatment, weed out duplicate and erroneous entries. Besides improving the patient record system, the NMC’s efforts will eventually enable doctors at such institutions to access the patient’s medical history, allowing for seamless treatment.In a directive aimed at tightening supervision of medical education and improving patient record systems, the NMC has asked all medical colleges to link the digital systems of their affiliated hospitals with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) within 15 days.The mandate requires hospitals to integrate their Health Management Information System (HMIS) with the ABDM-HMIS portal maintained by the National Health Authority, so that hospital records and services can be digitally captured and linked to a national platform.Officials say the move could address a long-standing challenge in regulating medical colleges — verifying the actual patient load at teaching hospitals. “One problem we face is that fake patients are sometimes created on paper. Once everything goes digital, it will help solve it,” said an NMC official.Institutions often claim that certain government schemes, for example PMJAY, bring a certain number of patients to their hospitals, but regulators do not always have reliable data to verify those numbers.“Many things are mentioned in revelations, but there is no clear record. When the system goes digital, we will at least have real data,” the official said.Medical college hospitals are among the busiest public healthcare facilities in the country and serve as the primary training ground for future doctors. Patient load and hospital services are key parameters used by regulators while evaluating medical colleges.Digitization, officials say, will allow the commission to more accurately track hospital performance rather than relying solely on reported patient numbers.The move could support NHA’s efforts to create a national medical record framework by digitally capturing treatment details and doctor information through integration with PM-JAY (Ayushman Portal). “If a patient takes treatment from a doctor, then later we can see which doctor treated the patient and access those details,” the official said.In the long run, if hospitals across the country become digitally connected, doctors may also be able to view a patient’s previous medical records, making it easier to understand medical history and provide better care.However, officials caution that nationwide integration will take time. Health is largely a state affair and hospitals operate under different administrative systems, meaning digital connectivity will expand slowly.“Everything will not be connected immediately. The integration will happen step by step,” the official said.Medical colleges across the country have been asked to complete the integration within 15 days of the notice.
