CHENNAI: The State Health and Family Welfare Department on Friday introduced an Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)-enabled Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) for outpatient registration at government hospitals, allowing patients to complete the process online before visiting the hospital and reducing time spent at registration counters.
The facility was launched at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and few other medical colleges and hospitals across the State. It will be expanded to all government hospitals across the State in phases.
Under the new system, patients can register from home or any location using a mobile phone, laptop or other internet-enabled device by scanning a QR code or visiting the portal. Once the registration is completed, they will receive a token number, which can be produced at the registration counter to obtain the outpatient card before meeting the doctor.
“If a patient is visiting the hospital for the first time, he or she has to register through the QR code. A token number will be generated after registration. The patient can produce the token at the counter, collect the OP card and consult the doctor. Doctors will record prescriptions, diagnosis and laboratory investigations online, making the entire process paperless,” said Sundaravadhanam, technical expert, RGGGH.
He said the digital records created through the ABDM platform would be available at other government and private hospitals using the same system. “If a patient visits another hospital that is integrated with ABDM, doctors can access previous prescriptions, laboratory reports, diagnosis and treatment details through the patient's digital health ID,” he said.
Hospital authorities clarified that the existing manual registration system will continue alongside the online facility so that patients who are unable to register digitally can continue to receive services without interruption.
Doctors said hospital staff currently enter Aadhaar and other patient details manually before issuing outpatient cards. The new system is expected to simplify registration, reduce crowding at counters and provide patients with access to their treatment records through a single digital platform across participating healthcare institutions.