ABDM Setup

Overview

Setting up ABDM (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) integration enables your facility to create and link ABHA Health IDs, share health records, and access patient data from other providers.

Important: NICE HMS has already completed the ABDM sandbox integration and is approved by NHA for production use. You do not need to go through sandbox testing — that is the software company's responsibility, not the hospital's. You simply need your HFR ID and a software linkage step.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need:

An HPR ID (Health Professional Registry ID) for at least one doctor at your facility — created on the ABDM government portal.
An HFR ID (Health Facility Registry ID) for your facility — created on the same portal, using the HPR ID as reference.

If you need help with HPR or HFR registration, contact NICE HMS support — we assist with this as part of implementation.

Step 1: Enter HFR ID in NICE HMS

Log in as Admin.
From the sidebar, go to Admin → click Organization → click Edit.
Enter your HFR ID in the ABDM Facility ID field.
Click Submit.

Step 2: Complete Software Linkage

After entering your HFR ID in NICE HMS:

Contact NICE HMS support — we will provide your Bridge ID.
Go to the ABDM government portal and log in.
Navigate to Software Linkage and enter the Bridge ID provided by NICE HMS.
NICE HMS coordinates this step with you to ensure it is completed correctly.

The Bridge ID is sensitive. Misuse will be reported to NHA and PMJAY.

Once the software linkage is approved by NHA, ABDM features are activated for your facility.

What Happens After Setup

After HFR ID is entered and software linkage is complete:

ABHA Health ID creation and linking is available from the patient record.
HIP-initiated linking runs automatically when clinical documents are finalized.
HIU data pull (fetching records from other facilities) is available.

No further configuration is needed. NICE HMS manages callback URLs, API credentials, and gateway communication automatically.

Updating or Changing an Existing HFR ID

The HFR ID is stored on the organization, so you can change it at any time from the same page you used to set it up.

Log in as Admin — this page is admin-only.
Sidebar → Admin → Organization → Edit (/admin/admin/org/edit/{organizationId}).
In the Advanced Details section, edit the ABDM Facility ID field.
Click Submit.

What NICE HMS does automatically on save: when an HFR ID is present, NICE HMS re-registers the facility's HIU service against the ABDM gateway for that ID and refreshes the healthcare URL. You do not repeat this manually.

What you may still need to do:

The facility's software linkage on the ABDM portal is keyed to the HFR ID. If you change the HFR ID, correct the linkage there to match the new ID.
If your facility is on a reseller bridge, the bridge Service ID must match the organization's HFR ID — otherwise the facility is flagged in the bridge audit.
If you already generated an NHCX Participant ID, contact NICE HMS after changing the HFR ID; the participant registration is tied to it.

Format and validation

Format: IN followed by 10 digits — 12 characters, e.g. IN2710033215. This is the facility HFR created on the ABDM portal.
The field itself accepts any text (no on-screen format check), so enter it exactly as shown on the portal.
Each HFR ID can belong to only one organization in NICE HMS. If you enter an ID already used by another organization, the save is rejected.
A wrong-format or non-existent HFR ID still saves; ABDM features then fail at runtime instead. If ABHA creation or linkage stops working, re-check the value on the ABDM portal.

To verify it saved: reopen Admin → Organization → Edit — the value persists in the ABDM Facility ID field. There is no separate change-history log for the HFR ID; the organization record is the source of truth.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to test in the ABDM sandbox before going live? A: No. This is the biggest misconception about ABDM in India. The software company (NICE HMS) goes through the sandbox, gets the HIMS approved by NHA, and then moves to production. As a hospital or clinic, you use the already-approved software — you do not need sandbox access. You only need your HFR ID and the software linkage step.

Q: How does NICE HMS get ABDM approval? A: NICE HMS underwent sandbox integration with NHA, passed all milestone certifications (M1, M2, M3), and is approved for production. When NHA updates ABDM APIs or requirements, NICE HMS handles the recertification — hospitals don't need to do anything.

Q: What is the difference between HPR ID and HFR ID? A: HPR ID (Health Professional Registry ID) is for individual healthcare professionals — doctors, nurses, technicians. HFR ID (Health Facility Registry ID) is for the facility itself — the hospital, clinic, or lab. You need an HPR ID first (for a doctor) to create an HFR ID for the facility. Both are created on the ABDM government portal.

Q: Do I need separate registration for each ABDM milestone (M1, M2, M3)? A: No. Registration is per facility. Once your HFR ID is linked and software linkage is approved, you get access to all milestones.

Q: Does each branch need its own HFR ID? A: Yes. Each physical facility location needs its own HFR ID, configured per organization in NICE HMS.

Q: How do I change or update our facility's HFR ID? A: Log in as Admin, go to Admin → Organization → Edit, and update the ABDM Facility ID field under Advanced Details. NICE HMS re-registers your facility's HIU service and refreshes the healthcare URL automatically when you save. See Updating or Changing an Existing HFR ID.

Q: Can two organizations share one HFR ID? A: No. Each HFR ID can belong to only one organization in NICE HMS. If you save an ID already used by another organization, the save is rejected.

Q: What happens if the HFR ID is typed wrong? A: A wrong-format or non-existent HFR ID still saves — there is no on-screen format check — and ABDM features then fail at runtime. If ABHA creation or record linking stops working, re-check the value against the ABDM portal. The correct format is IN followed by 10 digits, e.g. IN2710033215.

Q: Who can change the HFR ID? A: Only an Admin — the Organization Edit page is admin-only.

Q: Can I use NICE HMS without ABDM? A: Yes. NICE HMS works fully without ABDM — OPD, IPD, Pharmacy, Lab, Billing, and all other modules function independently. ABDM adds interoperability and is required only if you process insurance claims through NHCX or want to share records electronically with other ABDM-connected providers.