ABDM Arrives

 

 

 

Context :

‘Under ABDM, patient controls sharing of medical data’

·         BusinessLine (Chennai)

·         2 May 2023

·         PT Jyothi Datta Mumbai

·          

As more medical records get online with the Centre’s nudge on the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the need for digital hygiene becomes more important than ever.

 

Just as you lock the doors and secure your home before leaving or take precautions in an unsafe location, consumers need to adopt similar protective behaviours in their digital lives too, says cofounder of DRiefcase Sohit Kapoor, speaking on digital hygiene, health lockers, and the Unified Health Interface (UHI).

 

DRiefcase is the first health locker integrated into the ABDM, the government infrastructure on which private companies innovate and provide services, explains Kapoor.

 

And with a regulatory framework (including the Data Protection Bill) and standard operating protocols being put in place to protect access and use of healthcare data, consumers will be empowered to control who uses their medical data, for what period of time, and so on, he explains.

 

“The most important part of ABDM is that no healthcare information moves without your consent. So privacy is guaranteed. Control is with the patient,” Kapoor told businessline, pointing to the links between the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts), medical records, and the personal health record (PHR) app that DRiefcase has since developed.

 

Other service providers are also on board or entering the fray. “Digitising healthcare is trickier than other sectors,” says Kapoor, as it has multifocal data (where parameters could be different for people and even the same parameter could have different conotations), unlike the UPI (Unified Payments Interface), where data is relatively simpler and unique. The National Health Authority implements the ABDM.

 

Kapoor said that at a time of increased cyberattacks on healthcare institutions, an increased digital footprint will witness an increase in crime. But people would soon realise they have rights over their data, thanks to the Bill, he adds.

In the past, data lay across silos without consent and others benefited from it, he said.

 

“Now people know if data is shared without consent there will be implications for the sharing party,” he points out.

 

Besides, anyone empanelled with ABDM has to have a security test every year, he said, adding that hospitals, pharma companies, hospital management systems etc also need to invest in security systems and tools to protect and backup data.

 

The aim is for ABDM to not be an “elitist” solution, said Kapoor. Being a fledgling player, it has the experiences of Aadhaar and UPI to learn from, so simple solutions are created that do not leave the elderly, semiliterate, or anyone else behind, he added.

 

ABDM’s next layer is the UHI, he said, similar to the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) that brings buyers and sellers together.

 

More services will be added to the UHI, said Kapoor, indicating that DRiefcase would offer them too.

 

In fact, outlining user benefits, the Health Ministry recently showcased ABDM’’s “scan and share” service for faster OPD (outpatient department) registrations, and how it cut the waiting time for about five lakh patients at hospitals. In five months since launch (October 2022), about 365 hospitals have adopted it.

 

 

My  TAKE :

 

Ø  Modicare : A Game Changer  …….. 01 Feb 2018

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.hemenparekh.ai    /  06  May  2023

 

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