India’s healthcare sector is undergoing a major digital transformation.

Hospitals are adopting electronic health records, diagnostic laboratories are digitizing reports, doctors are increasingly using digital systems, and patients expect healthcare services to be more accessible online.

But digitization alone does not solve one of healthcare’s biggest technology challenges: interoperability.

A hospital may use one Hospital Management Information System (HMIS), a laboratory may use a different Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), and a patient may use another health application. If these systems cannot communicate effectively, healthcare information can remain fragmented.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is designed to create the digital infrastructure needed to connect these different parts of the healthcare ecosystem.

Four terms are particularly important when understanding this ecosystem:

• ABHA — Ayushman Bharat Health Account
• ABDM — Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
• HFR — Health Facility Registry
• HPR — Healthcare Professionals Registry

Although these terms are often used together, they serve different purposes.

ABHA relates primarily to an individual’s digital health identity.

ABDM is the broader digital health ecosystem and infrastructure.

HFR provides a standardized registry of healthcare facilities.

HPR provides a registry of healthcare professionals.

Together with other building blocks such as Personal Health Records (PHR), Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM), and Unified Health Interface (UHI), they form important parts of India’s digital health architecture.

This guide explains ABHA, ABDM, HFR and HPR, how they differ, how they work together, and what they mean for patients, hospitals, doctors, diagnostic laboratories and healthtech companies.

What Is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)?

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a Government of India initiative focused on building a connected and interoperable digital health ecosystem.

Rather than creating one healthcare application that everyone must use, ABDM provides a set of digital building blocks, registries, standards and technology infrastructure that can enable different healthcare systems to interact.

In simple terms:

ABDM is the digital infrastructure and ecosystem; ABHA, HFR and HPR are important components within that ecosystem.

The National Health Authority describes ABDM as an initiative for building India’s digital health ecosystem, with building blocks designed to connect citizens, healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals and digital health applications.

Why was ABDM needed?

India’s healthcare ecosystem is highly fragmented.

A patient can interact with:

• General physicians
• Specialists
• Hospitals
• Diagnostic laboratories
• Pharmacies
• Imaging centres
• Telemedicine platforms
• Health applications

Each organization may use different technology.

ABDM aims to provide common digital infrastructure that can support interoperability across this fragmented ecosystem.

What Is ABHA?

ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account.

It is the digital health identity associated with an individual within the ABDM ecosystem.

The ABHA number is a 14-digit randomly generated unique number. It is designed to help identify an individual and facilitate the linking of health records across participating systems, subject to applicable consent and ecosystem workflows.

You can think of ABHA as the identity layer for an individual’s digital healthcare journey.

Example

Suppose a patient visits:

1. A general physician
2. A diagnostic laboratory
3. A hospital
4. A specialist

If each provider generates digital health records, ABHA can help associate those records with the same individual through the appropriate ABDM workflows.

This can make health information more portable and accessible.

However, an ABHA number does not mean that every healthcare provider automatically gets unrestricted access to all of an individual’s medical records.

Consent and authorized access remain fundamental principles of the digital health ecosystem.

What Is ABDM?

ABDM stands for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

It is important not to use “ABHA” and “ABDM” interchangeably.

ABHA

ABHA = individual digital health identity

ABDM

ABDM = national digital health ecosystem/infrastructure

A simple analogy is:

ABDM = the ecosystem

ABHA = an individual’s identity within that ecosystem

ABDM includes several other building blocks beyond ABHA, including HFR, HPR, PHR and health information exchange and consent infrastructure.

What Is HFR?

HFR stands for Health Facility Registry.

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

According to the National Health Authority, it includes public and private healthcare facilities such as:

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

The registry provides verified information about healthcare facilities and is intended to help facilities connect with India’s digital health ecosystem.

Why is HFR important?

Healthcare interoperability requires more than identifying patients.

Digital systems also need to know:

Which healthcare facility is providing the service?

HFR provides a standardized facility registry that can help answer that question.

For example, a digital healthcare application may need to identify:

• A hospital
• Its location
• Its type
• Available services
• Facility details

A standardized facility registry can make this information more useful across interoperable systems.

What Is HPR?

HPR stands for Healthcare Professionals Registry.

HPR is a comprehensive repository of healthcare professionals involved in delivering healthcare services across different systems of medicine.

The official ABDM material describes HPR as a repository that helps healthcare professionals connect with India’s digital health ecosystem.

Depending on the relevant professional categories and registry processes, healthcare professionals can include doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other eligible practitioners.

Why is HPR important?

A digital health ecosystem needs to identify not only:

Who is the patient?

but also:

Who is the healthcare professional?

HPR helps create a standardized digital layer for healthcare professionals.

This can support applications and services that need to identify participating professionals.

ABHA vs ABDM vs HFR vs HPR

One of the easiest ways to understand the four concepts is to compare their roles.

The relationship can be simplified as:

ABDM

↓

ABHA + HFR + HPR + PHR + HIE-CM + UHI + other digital building blocks

Each component addresses a different part of the digital healthcare ecosystem.

How Do ABHA, ABDM, HFR and HPR Work Together?

Consider a patient visiting a hospital.

Step 1: Patient

The patient has an ABHA.

Step 2: Healthcare facility

The hospital is represented in the HFR.

Step 3: Healthcare professional

The doctor or other eligible healthcare professional can be represented through the HPR.

Step 4: Digital health system

The hospital uses an ABDM-enabled digital system.

Step 5: Health record

The consultation or other healthcare interaction generates a digital health record.

Step 6: Consent

Where health information needs to be shared, appropriate consent mechanisms are used.

Step 7: Exchange

The relevant health information can be exchanged between participating systems through applicable ABDM infrastructure.

Conceptually:

Patient

↓

ABHA

↓

Hospital / Clinic

↓

HFR

↓

Healthcare Professional

↓

HPR

↓

Digital Health Record

↓

Consent + Health Information Exchange

↓

Authorized Healthcare Application / Provider

This is the larger ABDM ecosystem in action.

How Does ABHA Work?

ABHA is designed to provide a digital identity that can help connect an individual’s health records across participating healthcare systems.

For example:

A patient visits a diagnostic laboratory and receives a digital blood test report.

Later, the patient visits a specialist.

If the relevant systems and workflows support the applicable ABDM functionality, the diagnostic report can potentially be linked to the individual’s ABHA and subsequently shared with an authorized healthcare provider through a consent-based process.

The important distinction is:

ABHA identifies the individual; it is not itself the patient’s complete medical record.

The National Health Authority describes the ABHA number as a unique 14-digit number and explains its role in identifying individuals and linking health records.

What Is an ABHA Number?

An ABHA number is a 14-digit randomly generated unique number assigned within the ABHA framework.

It can function as a digital health identifier within the ABDM ecosystem.

A person may use their ABHA in supported healthcare workflows to:

• Identify themselves
• Link health records
• Access supported digital health services
• Manage health information through compatible PHR applications
• Facilitate consent-based sharing of health records

The exact services available depend on the participating application and the ABDM workflows it supports.

What Is a Personal Health Record (PHR)?

A Personal Health Record (PHR) is another important ABDM concept.

The National Health Authority describes a PHR as an electronic record of health-related information that can be drawn from multiple sources while being managed, shared and controlled by the individual.

This is different from an EMR or EHR maintained primarily by a healthcare provider.

PHR vs EMR

EMR/EHR

Generally created and maintained within a healthcare provider’s system.

PHR

Designed around the individual’s ability to access, manage and share health information.

This distinction is important because ABDM aims to make healthcare information more portable and interoperable.

The ABHA App is described by the National Health Authority as a personal health viewer application that helps citizens maintain their health records in one place.

What Is HFR Registration?

HFR registration refers to the process of adding an eligible healthcare facility to the Health Facility Registry.

A facility can include:

• Hospital
• Clinic
• Diagnostic laboratory
• Imaging centre
• Pharmacy
• Other eligible healthcare facility

HFR is intended to provide a verified and comprehensive registry across systems of medicine and includes both public and private facilities.

Why should healthcare facilities consider HFR?

Being represented in a national digital health facility registry can help establish the facility’s digital presence within the ABDM ecosystem.

It can also support participation in relevant digital health workflows and programs.

However, HFR registration by itself does not mean that a facility’s internal software is fully ABDM integrated.

That distinction is important.

What Is HPR Registration?

HPR registration enables eligible healthcare professionals to enroll in the Healthcare Professionals Registry.

The objective is to create a comprehensive digital repository of healthcare professionals participating in healthcare delivery.

The ABDM HPR ecosystem is intended to help professionals connect with India’s digital health ecosystem.

For allied and healthcare professionals covered under the applicable NCAHP processes, the official enrollment workflow includes generation of an enrollment ID, submission of professional and qualification details, and submission of the application.

HFR vs HPR: What Is the Difference?

This is another common source of confusion.

HFR

HFR identifies healthcare facilities.

Examples:

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Labs
• Imaging centres
• Pharmacies

HPR

HPR identifies healthcare professionals.

Examples may include:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Allied health professionals
• Other eligible healthcare professionals

Therefore:

HFR = Where healthcare is delivered

HPR = Who provides healthcare

How Does ABDM Enable Healthcare Interoperability?

Interoperability means that different healthcare systems can communicate and exchange information using standardized digital mechanisms.

Imagine:

Hospital A

uses Software A.

Laboratory B

uses Software B.

Patient

uses a PHR application.

Without interoperability, these systems may operate as isolated islands.

With ABDM-enabled infrastructure, participating systems can connect through relevant standards, APIs and workflows.

Conceptually:

Software A

↕

ABDM Infrastructure

↕

Software B

↕

Patient PHR

This does not necessarily mean that all systems use the same software.

Instead, the objective is to allow different systems to participate in a common digital health ecosystem.

Does ABDM Store All Health Records in One Place?

No.

This is one of the most important concepts to understand about ABDM.

ABDM is not simply a centralized database containing every citizen’s complete medical history.

The ABDM architecture is designed to facilitate interoperability and exchange while health records can remain with the entities that generate and maintain them.

The broader ABDM material describes PHRs as information drawn from multiple sources and managed, shared and controlled by the individual, while the ABDM FAQ explains the role of HIE-CM in consent-based linking and sharing of personal health records.

This approach is particularly significant from a healthcare architecture and privacy perspective.

How Does Consent Work in the ABDM Ecosystem?

Health information is highly sensitive.

Therefore, interoperability must be accompanied by appropriate consent and authorization mechanisms.

ABDM includes Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM) functionality.

The NHA describes HIE-CM as a digital system that enables:

• Consent management
• Linking of personal health records
• Sharing of personal health records

The ABDM FAQ also states that multiple consent managers may be provided by different agencies and that users can choose among available consent-manager options as the ecosystem evolves.

A simplified flow is:

Healthcare Provider

→ Requests health information

↓

Patient

→ Reviews consent request

↓

Patient

→ Provides appropriate consent

↓

Consent mechanism

→ Authorizes exchange

↓

Healthcare system

→ Receives permitted information

The exact implementation depends on the participating systems and ABDM workflows.

How ABDM Works for Hospitals

For hospitals, ABDM represents a move toward interoperable digital healthcare.

A hospital may already have:

• HMIS
• EMR
• EHR
• Laboratory system
• Radiology system
• Pharmacy system
• Billing system
• Patient portal

The challenge is connecting these systems with the ABDM ecosystem.

A simplified architecture could look like:

Hospital HMIS / EMR

↓

ABDM Integration Layer

↓

ABDM APIs & Standards

↓

ABHA / HFR / HPR / Consent Workflows

↓

Health Information Exchange

↓

Authorized Digital Health Application

The hospital does not necessarily need to replace its entire software infrastructure.

Instead, ABDM integration can be approached as an interoperability layer connecting existing systems to the relevant ecosystem components.

How ABDM Works for Diagnostic Laboratories

Diagnostic laboratories are another major participant in digital healthcare.

Labs generate records such as:

• Pathology reports
• Blood test reports
• Biochemistry reports
• Microbiology reports
• Radiology reports
• Imaging-related information

A laboratory can integrate its LIMS/LMIS with relevant ABDM workflows to participate in digital health information exchange.

A simplified model is:

LIMS

↓

ABDM Integration

↓

Patient Identity / ABHA Workflow

↓

Digital Health Record

↓

Consent-Based Exchange

↓

Authorized Healthcare Provider

This can help reduce dependence on physical reports and manual document sharing in supported workflows.

How ABDM Works for Doctors and Healthcare Professionals

For healthcare professionals, HPR provides a digital registry layer.

A professional participating in the ecosystem can have their information represented through the appropriate registry.

This can support digital health services where identification of healthcare professionals is necessary.

The NHA explains that enrollment in HPR helps healthcare professionals connect with India’s digital health ecosystem.

This becomes increasingly relevant as healthcare moves toward:

• Digital consultations
• Online appointment booking
• Telemedicine
• Digital prescriptions
• Health record exchange
• Provider discovery

How ABDM Works for Patients

From a patient’s perspective, the ABDM ecosystem can be understood through four major concepts:

1. Digital Identity

ABHA

Provides a digital health identity.

2. Health Records

PHR

Can bring health information from multiple sources into an individual-controlled digital record experience.

3. Consent

HIE-CM

Supports consent-based health information exchange.

4. Digital Services

UHI and other ecosystem applications

Can support digital healthcare services such as provider discovery, appointment booking and teleconsultation.

The NHA describes UHI as an open network approach intended to connect patients and healthcare service providers through interoperable digital health services.

What Is UHI and How Does It Fit Into ABDM?

The Unified Health Interface (UHI) is another ABDM building block.

It is designed around an open network/protocol approach for digital health services.

Potential use cases include:

• Healthcare service discovery
• Appointment booking
• Teleconsultation
• Other interactions between patients and healthcare providers

The idea is to move from a platform-centric model toward a network-centric model.

The NHA compares the concept to how interoperable digital payment networks allow users to transact across different applications and participating institutions.

Therefore:

ABHA = identity

HFR = facilities

HPR = professionals

PHR = personal health records

HIE-CM = consent and health information exchange

UHI = digital health services

ABDM = ecosystem connecting these building blocks

ABDM Ecosystem Architecture

A simplified ABDM architecture can be represented as follows:

Patient Layer

Patient

↓

ABHA

↓

Provider Layer

Hospitals | Clinics | Laboratories | Pharmacies

↓

HFR

↓

Professional Layer

Doctors | Nurses | Allied Healthcare Professionals

↓

HPR

↓

Digital Health Layer

EMR | EHR | HMIS | LIMS | PHR Applications

↓

Interoperability Layer

ABDM APIs + Standards

↓

Consent & Exchange Layer

HIE-CM + Health Information Exchange

↓

Service Layer

UHI + Digital Health Applications

This layered model illustrates why ABDM should not be viewed as a single software product.

It is an ecosystem architecture.

ABDM vs ABHA: Key Differences

The simplest way to remember it:

ABHA is one component of ABDM, not another name for ABDM.

ABDM vs HFR: Key Differences

HFR is therefore a building block within the broader ABDM ecosystem.

ABDM vs HPR: Key Differences

Why Are ABHA, HFR and HPR Important for Healthcare Interoperability?

Interoperability requires standardized identities.

Consider a healthcare transaction.

The system needs to answer:

Who is the patient?

→ ABHA

Where is the healthcare service being delivered?

→ HFR

Who is delivering the healthcare service?

→ HPR

Where are the health records?

→ Healthcare provider systems / PHR ecosystem

Can the information be shared?

→ Appropriate consent and health information exchange mechanisms

This is why these building blocks work together.

Benefits of the ABDM Ecosystem

For Patients

ABDM can help enable:

• Easier access to digital health records
• Better portability of health information
• Reduced dependence on physical records
• Consent-based health information sharing
• Digital healthcare services
• Better continuity of care

For Hospitals

ABDM can support:

• Interoperability
• Digital health record exchange
• Patient-centric healthcare
• Digital workflows
• Facility discoverability
• Integration with the national digital health ecosystem

For Doctors

ABDM can support:

• Digital professional identity
• Provider discoverability
• Digital health services
• Access to relevant patient information through authorized workflows

For Laboratories

ABDM can support:

• Digital report workflows
• Health record linking
• Interoperability
• Digital report sharing through supported consent workflows

For Healthtech Companies

ABDM creates opportunities for:

• HMIS integration
• EMR/EHR integration
• LIMS integration
• PHR applications
• Consent management
• Telemedicine platforms
• Appointment systems
• Healthcare APIs
• Interoperable digital health products

Why ABDM Integration Matters for Healthtech Companies

For a healthtech company, simply having a digital healthcare application is no longer enough.

Modern healthcare platforms increasingly need to communicate with other systems.

A healthtech company may need to connect:

Application

↓

ABDM APIs

↓

ABHA

↓

Health records

↓

Consent

↓

Authorized exchange

This requires a proper integration strategy.

Key areas include:

• API integration
• Authentication
• ABHA workflows
• HFR integration
• HPR integration
• Consent management
• Health record formats
• Security
• Audit logging
• Error handling
• Data governance
• Interoperability testing

Therefore, ABDM integration should be treated as a technology architecture project, not simply as adding a feature to an application.

ABDM Integration for Existing Hospital Software

A common misconception is that a hospital needs to completely replace its existing HMIS or EMR to adopt ABDM.

That is not necessarily the case.

A hospital can evaluate its current architecture and build an integration layer around existing systems.

For example:

Existing HMIS

↓

Integration Middleware

↓

ABDM APIs

↓

ABDM Ecosystem

This approach allows the organization to preserve existing workflows while gradually introducing interoperability.

However, the actual integration requirements depend on the software architecture, ABDM interfaces being implemented and the organization’s use cases.

ABDM and Healthcare Data Privacy

Digital health interoperability creates an important privacy and security responsibility.

Healthcare organizations should consider:

• Patient consent
• Authentication
• Authorization
• Role-based access
• Encryption
• Audit logs
• Data minimization
• Data retention
• Secure APIs
• Third-party integrations
• Incident response
• Privacy governance

ABDM participation should therefore be considered alongside an organization’s broader information-security and data-protection program.

Importantly, ABDM integration and legal privacy compliance are not automatically the same thing.

A healthcare organization may need to address ABDM technical requirements as well as applicable privacy, cybersecurity and data-protection obligations.

ABDM and the DPDP Act

Healthcare organizations in India also need to understand the distinction between ABDM requirements and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).

They address different dimensions.

ABDM

Focuses on:

• Digital health interoperability
• Health records
• ABHA
• HFR
• HPR
• Health information exchange
• Consent mechanisms
• Digital health infrastructure

DPDP framework

Focuses on:

• Processing of digital personal data
• Data protection obligations
• Data principal rights
• Consent and lawful processing requirements
• Security safeguards
• Data governance

Therefore, an organization implementing ABDM should not automatically assume that ABDM integration alone makes its overall data-processing activities compliant with every applicable privacy requirement.

A mature healthtech architecture should evaluate both.

Common Misconceptions About ABHA, ABDM, HFR and HPR

“ABHA and ABDM are the same thing.”

No.

ABHA is the individual’s digital health identity, while ABDM is the broader digital health ecosystem.

“HFR is the hospital’s ABDM software.”

No.

HFR is a registry of health facilities.

“HPR is a patient registry.”

No.

HPR is a registry of healthcare professionals.

“ABHA stores all of my medical records.”

No.

ABHA is a digital health identity. It should not be confused with a centralized medical-record database.

“HFR registration means the hospital is fully ABDM integrated.”

Not necessarily.

Registration and technical integration are separate concepts.

“ABDM gives every doctor access to all patient records.”

No.

Health information exchange is designed around appropriate authorization and consent mechanisms.

A Simple Example of the ABDM Ecosystem

Let’s take a patient named Amit.

Step 1: Amit has an ABHA

Amit creates his ABHA.

Step 2: Amit visits a hospital

The hospital participates in the ABDM ecosystem and is registered in HFR.

Step 3: Amit meets a doctor

The healthcare professional is represented through the applicable professional registry.

Step 4: The hospital creates a health record

The consultation generates a digital health record.

Step 5: Amit gets a diagnostic test

A diagnostic laboratory generates a digital report.

Step 6: Records are associated

The applicable digital workflows allow the records to be associated with Amit’s digital health identity.

Step 7: Amit visits another doctor

The new doctor needs to review the previous diagnostic report.

Step 8: Consent is requested

Amit reviews the request and provides appropriate consent.

Step 9: The record is shared

The authorized information is exchanged through the participating digital health systems.

Step 10: Amit receives more connected care

The doctor can use the available information as part of the consultation.

This demonstrates how:

ABHA + HFR + HPR + digital records + consent + ABDM infrastructure

can work together.

What Healthcare Organizations Should Do to Prepare for ABDM

Hospitals, clinics, laboratories and healthtech companies should approach ABDM implementation systematically.

1. Assess Existing Technology

Review:

• HMIS
• EMR/EHR
• LIMS
• Patient portal
• Mobile applications
• API infrastructure

2. Verify Facility Information

Ensure that the organization’s HFR information is accurate and current.

3. Evaluate Professional Registry Requirements

Determine which healthcare professionals should participate in HPR based on the relevant registry requirements.

4. Assess ABHA Workflows

Determine how patients will be identified and how ABHA-related workflows will be incorporated into registration and clinical processes.

5. Plan Health Record Integration

Identify which records need to participate in ABDM workflows.

6. Implement Consent Management

Design consent workflows that are understandable to patients and technically auditable.

7. Build API Integration

Connect the organization’s software to the applicable ABDM interfaces and standards.

8. Test Interoperability

Test:

• Authentication
• Patient identity
• Record linking
• Record exchange
• Consent
• Error handling
• Security
• Audit logs

9. Train Staff

ABDM adoption is not only a technical project.

Front-office, clinical, IT and administrative teams need to understand the workflows.

The Future of India’s Digital Health Ecosystem

India’s digital health ecosystem is moving beyond simple digitization.

The next stage is interoperability.

Instead of every healthcare provider operating an isolated digital system, the goal is to create an ecosystem where different stakeholders can participate through common standards and infrastructure.

The growth of:

• ABHA
• HFR
• HPR
• PHR
• HIE-CM
• UHI
• ABDM-enabled healthcare software

can help create the foundation for this transformation.

The National Health Authority continues to publish ABDM resources, implementation material and ecosystem updates for states, healthcare organizations and other stakeholders.

ABHA, ABDM, HFR and HPR: The Complete Picture

The easiest way to understand India’s digital health ecosystem is to think about the roles each component plays.

ABDM

Builds the digital health ecosystem.

ABHA

Identifies the individual.

HFR

Identifies healthcare facilities.

HPR

Identifies healthcare professionals.

PHR

Gives individuals a way to manage and access health information from multiple sources.

HIE-CM

Supports consent-based linking and sharing of health information.

UHI

Supports interoperable digital healthcare services.

Together, these components create a framework for connecting the different participants in India’s healthcare ecosystem.

Conclusion

ABHA, ABDM, HFR and HPR are four different but interconnected concepts within India’s digital health ecosystem.

ABHA provides an individual’s digital health identity.

HFR creates a standardized registry of healthcare facilities.

HPR provides a registry of healthcare professionals.

ABDM brings these and other digital health building blocks together into a broader ecosystem designed to support interoperability.

The ecosystem extends further through Personal Health Records, consent management, health information exchange and digital health service networks such as UHI.

The bigger transformation is therefore not simply about creating digital health IDs.

It is about creating an environment in which:

Patients can be digitally identified → Healthcare facilities can be discovered → Professionals can be identified → Health records can be exchanged → Consent can govern sharing → Digital services can interoperate.

For hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, doctors and healthtech companies, understanding this architecture is becoming increasingly important.

ABDM is the ecosystem. ABHA is the individual’s identity. HFR represents healthcare facilities. HPR represents healthcare professionals. Together, they form important building blocks of India’s interoperable digital health infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ABHA in ABDM?

ABHA, or Ayushman Bharat Health Account, is a digital health identity for individuals within the ABDM ecosystem. The ABHA number is a 14-digit randomly generated unique number.

What is ABDM?

ABDM stands for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. It is India’s digital health ecosystem initiative designed to support interoperability between individuals, healthcare facilities, professionals and digital health applications.

What is HFR in ABDM?

HFR stands for Health Facility Registry. It is a comprehensive registry of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, imaging centres and pharmacies.

What is HPR in ABDM?

HPR stands for Healthcare Professionals Registry. It is a repository of healthcare professionals involved in healthcare delivery across different systems of medicine.

What is the difference between ABHA and ABDM?

ABHA is an individual’s digital health identity, whereas ABDM is the broader digital health ecosystem and infrastructure.

What is the difference between HFR and HPR?

HFR represents healthcare facilities, while HPR represents healthcare professionals.

Does ABHA store medical records?

ABHA is a digital health identity and should not be treated as a centralized medical-record database. Digital health records can be generated and maintained by participating healthcare providers and accessed or exchanged through applicable ABDM workflows.

Is HFR mandatory for all hospitals?

Requirements can depend on the healthcare facility, applicable programs, government/state requirements and current ABDM policies. Healthcare organizations should verify the requirements applicable to their specific category.

Can private hospitals register on HFR?

Yes. HFR includes both public and private healthcare facilities.

Can diagnostic laboratories participate in ABDM?

Yes. Diagnostic laboratories are included among the types of facilities represented through HFR, and eligible facilities can participate in applicable ABDM digital health workflows.

Is ABDM the same as Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY?

No.

ABDM is focused on digital health infrastructure and interoperability, while PM-JAY is a health assurance scheme. They are separate initiatives.

What is ABDM integration?

ABDM integration is the technical process of connecting a healthcare organization’s software or digital health application with relevant ABDM interfaces, standards and workflows.

Why is ABDM important for healthtech companies?

ABDM provides an opportunity for healthtech companies to build interoperable applications that can connect with India’s broader digital health ecosystem instead of operating as isolated systems.