ABHAFront deskABDM
How to create an ABHA ID at the hospital front desk
Aadhaar OTP, driving licence and mobile routes for creating an ABHA at registration, how to link it to the patient record, and the errors your desk will meet.
- Author
- Kentron Technologies
- Published
- Reading time
- 5 min read
An ABHA ID is created at a hospital front desk in a few minutes using the patient's Aadhaar number and an OTP sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile. A driving licence or a mobile number can be used when Aadhaar is not available, with some limits. Once created, the ABHA is saved on the patient record so that prescriptions, lab reports and discharge summaries can be linked to it later.
This article is written for the registration desk and the person who trains it. It assumes your HMIS has cleared at least the M1 milestone, which is the one that covers ABHA creation. If you are not sure, read how to check whether an HMIS is really ABDM certified first.
Which routes are available for creating an ABHA?
| Route | What the patient needs | What you get | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar OTP | Aadhaar number and the phone linked to it | A verified ABHA number and ABHA address | The default for anyone who has the linked phone with them |
| Aadhaar biometric | Aadhaar number and a fingerprint on a registered device at the facility | A verified ABHA | The linked mobile is old or missing and your facility has a biometric device |
| Driving licence | Licence number, date of birth and a mobile for OTP | An ABHA that the facility verifies against the licence in person | The patient does not have Aadhaar handy or does not want to use it |
| Mobile OTP | A mobile number | Finding and verifying an ABHA that already exists | Returning patients, and anyone who created an ABHA elsewhere |
The ABHA portal offers the same routes to citizens directly, and the ABDM site explains the account itself. The advantage of doing it inside your HMIS is that the number lands on the patient record without retyping, and the ABHA card can be printed from the same screen.
How do you create an ABHA with Aadhaar OTP, step by step?
- Open the patient's registration screen and choose create ABHA.
- Enter the Aadhaar number. Read the consent text to the patient. It says that Aadhaar will be used to verify identity and create the account. Tick consent only after the patient agrees; do not tick it on their behalf.
- The OTP goes to the mobile linked to Aadhaar. Ask which phone that is. Many families have one number linked to everyone's Aadhaar, so the phone may be with a relative.
- Enter the OTP. Name, date of birth, gender, address and photo come from Aadhaar and cannot be edited here.
- Enter the patient's own mobile number if it differs from the Aadhaar mobile. This is the number the ABHA app and consent requests will use.
- Choose or accept an ABHA address. Most software suggests one from the name and year of birth.
- Save. The ABHA number is now on the patient record. Print the card or send it on WhatsApp.
How does the driving licence route differ?
The driving licence route exists for people who cannot or will not use Aadhaar at the desk. The patient gives the licence number, date of birth and a mobile number for the OTP. The account is created, but it is not Aadhaar-verified. Your facility checks the licence against the person standing at the desk, and that verification is recorded against the account. Use it as the exception, not the norm, because the Aadhaar route gives a cleaner record and fewer duplicates.
How do you link an ABHA to an existing patient record?
Most of your patients will already be in the HMIS before they ever have an ABHA, and a growing number will arrive with an ABHA created at another hospital or in the app. Linking is a search and a verify, not a create.
- Search by ABHA number, ABHA address or mobile. The patient confirms the OTP sent to the ABHA mobile.
- If two hospital records exist for the same person, merge them before linking. One ABHA, one patient record.
- Capture the ABHA on every visit, not just the first. The link is what lets the M2 workflow attach today's prescription to the account.
- Never create a new ABHA for a patient who says they already have one. Use verify.
What are the common errors and how do you fix them?
| What the desk sees | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| OTP not received | The Aadhaar-linked mobile is an old number, or the network is slow | Ask for the linked number, wait for the resend timer, or switch to biometric or driving licence |
| ABHA already exists | The patient created one earlier through the app or another hospital | Use verify instead of create, then link the existing ABHA to the record |
| Name mismatch with hospital record | The desk had typed a nickname or a different spelling | Keep the Aadhaar name on the ABHA; add the preferred name as an alias in the HMIS |
| Consent box cannot be ticked | The software requires the consent text to be shown first | Scroll through it, read it out, then tick |
| Gateway timeout | ABDM services are under load or the hospital internet dropped | Retry after a minute; register the patient without ABHA and add it at the next step |
| Date of birth shows only a year | Aadhaar holds year-only birth dates for some people | Accept it on the ABHA; record the full date in the clinical record |
In Healthixio the whole workflow, including HFR and HPR registration for the facility, sits on the registration screen, and the WhatsApp agent can send the ABHA card to the patient the moment it is created.
Frequently asked questions
Can a patient create an ABHA without Aadhaar?
Yes. The driving licence route creates an ABHA without Aadhaar, with the facility verifying the licence in person. The account is not Aadhaar-verified, so treat it as the exception. The Aadhaar OTP route is faster, avoids duplicates and gives a verified account, so use it whenever the patient has the linked phone.
Does the hospital store the patient's Aadhaar number?
It should not. The software passes the Aadhaar number to the ABDM service for verification and keeps only the ABHA number and address on the patient record. Ask your vendor to confirm this in writing, and check that the audit log shows who created each ABHA and when. That is what the DPDP Act expects of a data fiduciary.
What if the patient has two ABHA numbers?
Link the one the patient actually uses in the ABHA app, and ask them to deactivate the other from the app. Do not create a third at the desk. Duplicate accounts happen when an ABHA was created with Aadhaar at one place and with a mobile number at another, which is why the Aadhaar route should be the default.