How to Use Your ABHA Card in a Hospital (2025 Guide)

A step-by-step guide to paperless OPD registration and linking your health records.

From Creation to Application: Using Your ABHA Card

You've successfully created your ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) Card. You have your unique 14-digit number and understand that it's your digital health ID. But the most common question that follows is: "What do I do with it now? How does it actually work in a real hospital?"

The ABHA card is not an insurance card for paying bills, but it is a powerful tool designed to make your hospital visits faster, more efficient, and paperless. Its primary function at a hospital is through the **"Scan and Share"** service for instant OPD registration. This guide will provide a detailed, step-by-step process on how to use your ABHA card at any ABDM-compliant hospital in India. If you are still unclear about what an ABHA card is, we recommend reading our detailed guide: What is an ABHA Card?

The Core Function: "Scan and Share" for Instant OPD Registration

The days of waiting in long queues to get an OPD registration slip ("parchi") by manually providing your name, age, and address are numbered. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has introduced a simple QR code-based solution.

Hospitals integrated with the ABDM network now display a unique QR code at their OPD registration counters. The "Scan and Share" service allows you to scan this QR code with your phone, instantly share your ABHA profile details with the hospital's system, and get a registration token, often in a matter of seconds.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using ABHA at a Hospital

  1. Step 1: Find the ABDM Counter with the QR Code
    When you visit a large hospital, look for the dedicated OPD counter with the blue and green **Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)** or **ABHA** branding. You will see a prominent QR code displayed there. Hundreds of major government and private hospitals across the country have already implemented this service.
  2. Step 2: Scan the QR Code with Your Phone
    Use an ABDM-compliant app on your smartphone to scan the QR code. You can use:
    • The official **ABHA App**.
    • Other government apps like **Aarogya Setu**.
    • Many third-party health apps that are ABDM-approved.
    • In many cases, your phone's default camera app can also scan the code and will direct you to the necessary webpage.
  3. Step 3: Share Your Profile and Give Consent
    After scanning, the app will ask you to select which ABHA profile you want to share (if you have multiple family members' profiles linked). It will show you the information that will be shared (e.g., Name, Age, Gender, ABHA Number). You must then give your consent to share this information with the hospital.
  4. Step 4: Instant Registration and Token Generation
    As soon as you give consent, your demographic information is instantly and securely transferred to the hospital's Health Management Information System (HMIS). The system automatically registers you as a patient and generates an OPD token number, which is displayed on your phone and at the counter. You have now successfully bypassed the long registration queue.

After the Consultation: Linking Your Medical Records

The second major use of your ABHA number is to build your digital health history. After your doctor's consultation, diagnostic tests, or discharge from the hospital, you can request the hospital staff to link your new health records to your ABHA number.

This ensures that your medical history is automatically updated and accessible to you anytime, anywhere, through your ABHA-linked mobile apps.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What if a hospital does not have a QR code for ABHA?

The ABDM network is still expanding. If a hospital has not yet implemented the 'Scan and Share' feature, you will have to follow the traditional manual registration process. However, you can still request them to link your final medical records to your ABHA number at the time of discharge.

Q. Do I need an internet connection on my phone to use this service?

Yes, you will need an active internet connection on your smartphone to scan the QR code, access your ABHA profile, and give consent for sharing your data with the hospital's system.