What Is ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account)?
ABHA is the 14-digit health ID issued to an individual patient under ABDM — a portable, consent-controlled account number, not the government program itself. A hospital creates or fetches a patient's ABHA number at registration, typically via an Aadhaar or mobile OTP, and can then link that visit's prescriptions, lab reports, and discharge summary to it.
How Registration Actually Works Without Slowing Down OPD
The concern most reception staff raise is queue time. The practical pattern is asynchronous registration: register the patient with basic demographics and a sequential MRN in under 15 seconds, then verify ABHA in the background via an SMS prompt sent directly to the patient's phone — no counter wait required.