Assessing the Post-Adoption Value of NABH Digital Health Standards

Background

India's hospital sector is undergoing a structured shift toward digital health, anchored by the NABH Digital Health Standards (DHS) framework. DHS is accreditation-linked and externally verified, operating across three tiers (Silver, Gold and Platinum) and explicitly designed to align hospital-level digitization with India's broader national digital health agenda. While uptake of DHS certification has grown rapidly among Indian hospitals, evidence on the implementation experience and post-adoption outcomes of digital health standards in the Indian private hospital sector remains limited. The study seeks to address this gap by generating hospital-grounded evidence on the implementation experience and post-certification outcomes of NABH DHS across hospitals of varying sizes, locations, and accreditation levels.

About the Study

The study aims to assess the post-adoption value of NABH’s Digital Health Standards (DHS) and to examine the challenges faced by the hospitals during adoption. It analyses the drivers of adoption, such as regulatory compliance, signalling effects, and expectations of operational values, and compares hospitals’ pre-adoption expectations with their on-ground experiences following certification.

Methodology

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative insights with quantitative analysis to understand organizational effort required, the changes needed for compliance, and the resulting operational, financial and patient safety outcomes, along with digital maturity.

This pan-India study includes 20 hospitals selected across varying sizes (small, medium, and large)1, accreditation levels (silver, gold, platinum), and geographic contexts (metro and non-metro), with an emphasis on non-metro locations and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Relevant stakeholders at each facility interviewed included the CEO, CIO, Quality Head, Operations Head, Clinical Head, and any other personnel who played a significant role in the DHS implementation.

Intended Outcome

The primary output will be an independent evaluation report capturing hospitals' real-world experiences, outcomes, and implementation challenges across varying hospital sizes and geographies. Findings will be of direct relevance to NABH and to hospitals considering or pursuing DHS certification and are expected to inform potential refinements to the DHS standards and guidelines, while also contributing to the broader national conversation on digital health governance.