The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) has seen a positive response to its new digital accreditation initiative, with 300 hospitals applying so far. Introduced with the NABH Digital Health Standards launched in 2023, this accreditation seeks to bolster patient care quality, operational efficiency and patient safety by fostering digital maturity within healthcare systems.
The accreditation process involves a self-evaluation and an external assessment across seven domains such as digital infrastructure, data security, information flow and digital healthcare processes for patient management including teleconsultation, blood bank, surgery, finance and human resource. Hospitals can achieve Silver, Gold and Platinum level certification based on their performance.
NABH will also launch digital health certification for software products like Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems and Health Information Systems (HIS), with applications opening on December 1. This certification aims to ensure that healthcare software solutions meet stringent quality and data security standards.
While large hospital chains are well-equipped to adopt these digital measures, smaller hospitals continue to face economic hurdles. However, this initiative marks a significant step towards a future where technology and standardized processes drive better healthcare outcomes for all.
Speaking at the CII Hospital Tech 2024 summit, NABH Chairperson Rizwan Koita said, “The digital accreditation will streamline healthcare operations by ensuring standardized, high-quality processes.”
In the future, NABH aims to expand digital standards to specialized sectors such as cancer, diabetes, and maternal care, with protocols embedded directly into software systems to address these critical healthcare areas. This dual focus on both hospitals and digital health software is expected to reshape the delivery of healthcare across India, bringing more standardized and tech-enabled services to patients nationwide.
