ABDM Connect
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is India’s national digital health infrastructure. It creates a shared ecosystem where patients, hospitals, labs, insurers, and health apps can exchange health data securely, with patient consent driving every transaction. Eka’s ABDM Connect is a plug-and-play API and SDK suite that handles the ABDM gateway complexity for you, so your team can focus on the product rather than the plumbing.The ABDM Ecosystem
Core Registries
ABDM is built on four registries. Every entity gets a unique, verifiable identity through one of these.ABHA
Ayushman Bharat Health AccountThe patient’s health identity. Can be a 14-digit ABHA Number (KYC-verified via Aadhaar) or an ABHA Address like
nisha@abdm. All health transactions in ABDM are anchored to this.HPR
Healthcare Professionals RegistryA national registry of licensed healthcare professionals. Each doctor, nurse, or practitioner gets a unique HPR ID for verified digital identity.
HFR
Health Facility RegistryA national registry of health facilities, both government and private. Each facility gets a unique HFR ID used for record linking and patient discovery.
Consent Manager
Consent ManagerManages the consent flow between HIPs (who hold data) and HIUs (who want access). The ABDM Gateway itself acts as the Consent Manager.
Roles in the Ecosystem
There are two roles in ABDM. A product can play both.HIP
Health Information ProviderHospitals, labs, clinics, and pharmacies that generate and hold patient health records. After a visit or test, a HIP links the records to the patient’s ABHA address so they’re discoverable and shareable.Examples: hospital HMS, diagnostic lab system, pharmacy software
HIU
Health Information UserAny entity that requests access to a patient’s health records with the patient’s consent. After consent is granted, the HIU receives the records from the relevant HIPs.Examples: insurance company, specialist referral system, wellness platform
ABDM Milestones
ABDM certifies hospital and lab software (HMIS/LMIS) in four milestones. Eka’s ABDM Connect covers all four.1
M1: Patient health identity
Needed by every integration.Before any record can be linked or shared, the patient needs an ABHA. Your product lets patients create an ABHA or log in with an existing one, view and update their profile, download their ABHA card, and check in at your facility by scanning a QR code.
2
M2: Linking and sharing records
Needed by hospitals, labs, clinics, and pharmacies (HIPs).After each visit or test, the records are linked to the patient’s ABHA address. Patients can also find records you hold and link them themselves. When the patient consents to share them, your records are sent to whoever asked. Eka can store the records and handle sharing for you.
3
M3: Consent and access to records
Needed by anyone who wants to view a patient’s records (HIUs).You ask the patient for consent, the patient approves or denies it in their app, and once approved you receive the records from every provider they chose. Patients can revoke consent at any time.
4
M4: Doctor and facility registration
Needed by every hospital and lab software integration.Doctors and nurses get an HPR ID and facilities get an HFR ID, so they can take part in digital health transactions. Eka also links your facilities to Eka’s bridge so records can flow.
PHR App
A PHR (Personal Health Record) app is a separate ABDM track, distinct from the milestones above. It is the patient-facing side of ABDM: patients create their ABHA, see records from every provider they’ve visited, manage consent, and share their profile at health facilities. A PHR app typically acts as both a HIP (storing records the patient uploads) and a HIU (fetching records from other providers on the patient’s behalf). It covers:- ABHA creation and patient login
- A single view of every linked record
- Approving or denying consent requests
- Scan & Share: the patient scans a QR code at a facility to share their profile for registration
- Health locker: storage the patient controls for their own documents
- Notifications when a provider links a new record
What You Can Build
Hospital / Clinic Product (HMS)
If you run a hospital or clinic system, you need to be a HIP. After every visit or test, link the patient’s records to their ABHA address. When a patient later consents to share them with another entity (like an insurer), your system serves those records automatically.
Consumer Health App (PHR)
If you’re building a patient-facing app, you need the PHR track on top of the milestones. Patients can bring together their entire health history from every facility they’ve visited, manage consent, and check in at facilities by scanning a QR code.
Insurance / Analytics Platform (HIU)
If you need to access a patient’s health records from any ABDM-connected provider, you need to be an HIU. You request consent from the patient and, once it is granted, receive their records directly.
Integrated Health Platform
Large hospital networks and health platforms often need to be HIP, HIU, and PHR at once. Your HMS links records (HIP), doctors can pull history from outside (HIU), and patients have a portal to manage everything (PHR).
Ready to Build?
ABDM Connect API Reference
Environments, authentication, the Postman collection, and every API and callback by milestone.
Onboarding & Credentials
Get your credentials and onboard into ABDM through Eka Connect.