Hyderabad: Hospitals adopting NABH’s DHS reported significant improvements in operational efficiency, clinical decision-making and overall digital maturity, according to a study by the Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the ISB here.
The study was published as a white paper titled ‘Post-Adoption Value of NABH Digital Health Standards: A Multi-Hospital Assessment in India’.
It was unveiled on Wednesday at the Indian School of Business here by Ajay Seth, Chairperson of the IRDAI, in the presence of Chakravarthy Kannan, Secretary General of the Quality Council of India and CEO (I/C) of NABH; Rizwan Koita, Chairperson, NABH; Professor Sarang Deo, Executive Director of ISB’s Max Institute of Healthcare Management; and other dignitaries.
The study assesses the impact of digital accreditation across 20 DHS-certified hospitals representing Silver, Gold and Platinum certification levels, the ISB said in a release.
According to the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers website, healthcare providers are assessed across four maturity levels-Core, Commitment, Achievement and Excellence.
Based on their performance, they are awarded Silver, Gold or Platinum certification. These levels enable hospitals to benchmark their digital capabilities and provide a roadmap for progressive improvement.
The ISB release said the study sample was intentionally weighted towards small and medium-sized hospitals and non-metro locations to highlight the barriers and enablers faced by resource-constrained facilities.
The research drew on qualitative interviews with 80 senior stakeholders across hospital leadership, quality, IT, operations and clinical teams, along with a quantitative survey, it said.
Interview and survey responses indicated that hospitals primarily adopt DHS to improve patient care and operational efficiency, with top hospital leadership driving 76.9 per cent of adoption decisions, it said.
After certification, hospitals reported significant gains in digital maturity, with the average score rising from 3.42 to 4.35 on a five-point scale. System integration improved from 3.31 to 4.35, while the use of digital records in clinical decision-making increased from 3.00 to 4.37.
Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Seth, Chairperson, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, emphasised that digital health standards should serve as a foundation for improving the availability, accessibility and affordability of healthcare rather than remain a compliance exercise.
He said interoperable, open digital systems and standardised, high-quality data could enable better clinical and financial decision-making, improve efficiency and productivity, and create a stronger evidence base for healthcare delivery.
He highlighted the need for collaborative partnerships among regulators, healthcare providers, academia and quality institutions to support hospitals of all sizes, foster transparency and trust, and ensure that digital transformation delivers meaningful improvements across India’s healthcare ecosystem, according to the release.
Rizwan Koita, Chairperson, NABH, said the joint study by NABH and ISB provided valuable insights into how digital health standards could help hospitals improve processes, efficiency, quality and patient care.
“India’s healthcare system is digitising fast, and standards like DHS keep that transition systematic rather than fragmented. The gains are already measurable: better documentation, shorter discharge and waiting times, and less revenue leakage,” said Sandeep Rath, lead author and Assistant Professor of Operations Management at ISB.
