India Introduces Standardised Medical Terminology and National Drug Registry

Summary:
India’s National Health Authority (NHA) and NRCeS are launching several digital health initiatives, including the Bharat Health Terminology Service (BHTS) and a national Drug Registry to standardise medical terminology and medicine data across healthcare platforms. The rollout also includes Aarogya Setu 2.0, an upgraded Ayushman App, the National Health Claims Exchange, the Unified Health Interface (UHI), and e-Sushrut Clinic. Together, these platforms aim to improve interoperability, streamline healthcare services, enhance digital health record management, and strengthen the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission ecosystem. 

India’s National Health Authority (NHA), in collaboration with the National Resource Centre for Electronic Health Records Standards (NRCeS), is set to introduce the Bharat Health Terminology Service (BHTS) in New Delhi as part of the country’s ongoing digital health transformation. The platform will offer standardised medical terminologies, coding systems, and value sets to enable consistent interpretation and seamless exchange of health information across digital healthcare platforms.

The government will also unveil a Drug Registry, designed to standardise medicine-related information and establish uniform coding for pharmaceutical products across digital health ecosystems.

Among the additional initiatives is Aarogya Setu 2.0, a Personal Health Record application that will combine services such as ABHA creation and management, secure health record sharing, consent-based data exchange, AI-enabled health insights, wearable device integration, OPD “Scan & Register,” hospital “Scan & Pay,” medicine reminders, healthcare provider discovery, and access to PM-JAY services.

An enhanced Ayushman App will function as a comprehensive platform for beneficiaries, providing features including eligibility verification, card management, treatment records, hospital search, and grievance resolution.

The National Health Claims Exchange will facilitate standardised health insurance claims processing between healthcare providers and insurers across both public and private sectors. Supporting this initiative, the NHA will launch a utility that converts insurance plans into standardised FHIR bundles.

Other launches include the Unified Health Interface (UHI), an open and interoperable platform connecting citizens with healthcare service providers, and e-Sushrut Clinic, a plug-and-play clinic management solution designed to digitise clinical operations while integrating with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission ecosystem.