India’s digital health ecosystem under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is built on the principle of patient empowerment. After creating an ABHA ID (M1) and enabling digital health record sharing with HIPs (M2), the next crucial step is Milestone M3: Secure Data Access with Health Information Users (HIUs) and patient consent.
This milestone ensures that medical data is only shared with explicit patient approval, giving patients control over who sees their data, for how long, and for what purpose. Let’s break it down.
What is an HIU?
A Health Information User (HIU) is any entity (hospital, doctor, pharmacy, lab, insurer, etc.) that needs access to patient health data for delivering services.
Examples of HIUs:
- A doctor accessing lab test reports before consultation
- An insurance company validating medical history before claim approval
- A hospital retrieving past prescriptions for continuity of care
The Role of Patient Consent
At the heart of M3 is the Consent Manager. Patients must approve any data request initiated by an HIU. Without this consent, no data flows — ensuring data privacy and compliance with ABDM regulations.
A consent request includes:
- HIU identity (who is asking for data)
- Purpose (why data is needed)
- Type of data requested (lab reports, prescriptions, discharge summaries, etc.)
- Duration of access (one-time or recurring for a set time period)
Patients can review, approve, or deny these requests instantly.
How Secure Data Sharing Works in M3
- HIU initiates a data request via ABDM APIs
- Patient receives a consent notification
- Patient approves (or denies) the request
- If approved, the requested health records are:
- Fetched from HIPs (labs, hospitals, pharmacies)
- Packaged into FHIR-compliant bundles
- Encrypted and securely shared with the HIU
This process ensures zero data leakage and end-to-end encryption.
Why Milestone M3 is a Game-Changer
- ✅ Patient-Centric Control → You decide who sees your health records
- ✅ Transparency → Clear purpose, timeline, and scope of data access
- ✅ Trust in Digital Health → Builds confidence among patients to adopt digital health services
- ✅ Regulatory Compliance → Adheres to ABDM’s consent-based framework
How We Help with M3 Implementation
At NXS Techies, we specialize in implementing ABDM’s digital health milestones.
For M3, we help:
- ✅ Integrate HIU functionality with your hospital, clinic, or app
- ✅ Configure Consent Manager APIs to enable patient-controlled access
- ✅ Ensure FHIR compatibility for seamless data exchange
- ✅ Maintain end-to-end security through encryption
We’ve already implemented M1 and M2 for multiple clients, and can guide your digital health transformation journey with real-world expertise.
📩 Ready to Implement Secure Data Access?
Let’s build a trusted and compliant digital health ecosystem together.
👉 Reach us at info@nxstechies.com or visit nxstechies.com