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Writer's pictureRajesh Kalyan

Why Are Data Standards Important in Indian Healthcare?

In an era of rapidly digitizing healthcare, the significance of data standards cannot be overstated. For India's diverse, vast, and often fragmented healthcare ecosystem, data standards provide a unified framework that ensures the secure, efficient, and effective exchange of information. As the sector transitions towards a more integrated, tech-driven approach, understanding the role of data standards is key to fostering innovation, improving patient outcomes, and reducing operational complexities across the industry.



What Are Data Standards?

Data standards refer to the agreed-upon rules and structures for collecting, storing, processing, and sharing information. These rules ensure that data from various sources can be interpreted consistently and seamlessly across different platforms and systems. In healthcare, data standards range from how medical terminology is defined to how electronic health records (EHRs) are formatted. Globally recognized standards, such as Health Level 7 (HL7) and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), are widely adopted to support the secure sharing of patient data.


The Indian Healthcare Landscape and the Need for Data Standards

India’s healthcare system serves over a billion people through government, private, and nonprofit organizations. This complexity introduces challenges related to data management and sharing, especially in patient care, insurance claims, research, and public health initiatives. Without standardized systems, healthcare providers face significant barriers in maintaining data consistency, accuracy, and interoperability, leading to delays, errors, and inefficiencies.

Data standards address these challenges by offering a common language for healthcare professionals and systems to communicate, regardless of their tools, platforms, or medical terminologies. This helps create an interconnected healthcare environment where information can flow freely and securely.

Protecting Sensitive Information

One of the primary functions of data standards is ensuring that patient information remains confidential and protected from misuse. Healthcare organizations collect and store vast amounts of personally identifiable information (PII), including medical histories, diagnostic results, and treatment plans. Given the sensitive nature of this data, healthcare systems are attractive targets for cybercriminals.


Data standards play a critical role in safeguarding patient information by establishing rules for data encryption, storage, and access control. When healthcare providers adhere to these standards, they help minimize the risks associated with data breaches and unauthorized access. For instance, the adoption of standards like ISO/IEC 27001 in healthcare ensures that organizations have the necessary security management systems in place to protect their data.

Ensuring patient privacy is not only a matter of trust between patients and providers but also a legal requirement in India. The upcoming Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill outlines stringent regulations for how healthcare providers must protect patient data. Aligning with global data standards will help Indian healthcare organizations comply with these regulations and avoid hefty penalties.


Supporting Interoperability

One of the major challenges in Indian healthcare is the lack of interoperability among healthcare providers, labs, pharmacies, and insurance companies. Interoperability refers to the ability of different healthcare systems to exchange and use patient data, regardless of the software or platform they utilize. Without standardized data, hospitals often struggle to access a patient’s complete medical history, resulting in fragmented care.

Data standards such as FHIR and HL7 provide the foundation for building interoperable systems. For example, FHIR offers a common framework for structuring and sharing health information, making it easier for systems to integrate. This ensures that when a patient’s data moves from one provider to another, it is both readable and actionable.


Interoperability is especially important in emergencies, where healthcare providers need immediate access to a patient’s medical record to make informed decisions. Standardized data allows professionals to share critical information quickly, improving the quality of care.

Technical Standards

Some of the key technical standards being followed or recommended to integrators while building applications on top of ABDM are as follows:

  1. Federated health data architecture [https://sandbox.abdm.gov.in/docs/architecture]

  2. FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards for the exchange of health information, customized to the Indian context by NRCeS [https://nrces.in/ndhm/fhir/r4/index.html]

  3. SNOMED-CT, DICOM, and LOINC are standards recommended for integration in health systems to enable storing structured data at source by software for hospitals and lab information systems.

  4. MVP guidelines for building health information systems as published by ABDM [https://abdm.gov.in:8081/uploads/Approved_MVP_Document_Version_2_0_4a85e329f9.pdf]

The Role of Interoperability in Indian Healthcare

In India, interoperability can address a range of issues, including the lack of continuity of care in rural areas, where access to specialized healthcare services is limited. With interoperable systems, a local healthcare worker in a remote village can easily share patient data with specialists in urban centers, allowing for more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.

Moreover, interoperable systems facilitate healthcare research and public health initiatives. Standardized data allows researchers to aggregate and analyze large datasets to identify trends, evaluate treatments, and make data-driven decisions that improve patient outcomes. This is especially important in large-scale healthcare initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).


Simplifying Information Sharing

Information sharing is a core function of healthcare, but without data standards, it becomes inefficient and prone to errors. Standardizing the formats, structures, and protocols for sharing healthcare data ensures a smooth flow of information between hospitals, labs, insurance companies, and other healthcare entities.

Standards like FHIR simplify this process by establishing consistent formats for medical records, ensuring that data entered by one provider can be easily accessed and understood by others. This reduces the time healthcare providers spend interpreting data and ensures patients receive timely, accurate care.

In India, where patients often visit multiple providers, ensuring medical records are easily shareable is vital to delivering quality care. Consistent data formats eliminate the need for redundant testing and improve coordination between healthcare providers, leading to better outcomes.

The Importance of Information Sharing in Healthcare

Efficient information sharing is essential for care coordination, especially for patients with chronic conditions that require long-term management. For example, a diabetic patient might undergo lab tests, receive prescriptions, and consult specialists at multiple providers. Standardized data allows these providers to work together, ensuring the patient receives holistic, coordinated care.

Simplified information sharing is also crucial for organizations involved in research and clinical trials. Consistent data structures allow researchers to collect and analyze information from multiple sources, accelerating medical innovation.



The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and Data Standards

India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a flagship initiative aimed at providing universal healthcare services through digital means. The mission revolves around the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), a unique digital ID that links a patient’s health records across various providers.


To ensure seamless integration, the ABDM emphasizes the adoption of data standards that allow healthcare organizations to share data easily. The use of ABHA IDs allows patients to ensure their health records are accessible to healthcare providers, improving care coordination and reducing redundant procedures.

At Achala Healthcare Services Pvt Ltd, we offer a SaaS-based healthcare platform designed to integrate with the ABDM ecosystem. Our platform ensures that providers can easily share patient data while adhering to global data standards like FHIR, streamlining registration and enhancing patient experience by providing easy access to comprehensive health records.


Conclusion

Data standards are essential for ensuring that the Indian healthcare system remains secure, efficient, and interoperable. By protecting sensitive information, supporting seamless data exchange, and simplifying information sharing, data standards help healthcare providers deliver better care and improve patient outcomes. As India continues its journey toward a more digitized healthcare system, the adoption and implementation of data standards will play a critical role in shaping the future of healthcare delivery.

 

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Ashok G
Ashok G
Sep 18
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Adopting data standards for interoperability is essential for improving healthcare efficiency and patient care. This blog provides valuable insights that can help healthcare providers navigate the digital transformation and ensure seamless integration of systems.

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