Hospitals body backs NMC move on remote authentication of medical records
Nathealth said the decision is a significant step towards strengthening digital health and making quality healthcare more accessible across the country, especially in smaller towns and remote areas where specialists are fewer.
Private hospitals association Nathealth has welcomed the National Medical Commission's (NMC) decision to allow Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) to remotely review and digitally sign electronic medical records. The move, announced on October 13, is seen as a significant step towards improving digital health and making quality healthcare more accessible, particularly in smaller towns and remote areas with fewer specialists, according to Dr. Sangita Reddy, Nathealth's President and Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals.
Reddy stated that this decision fulfills Nathealth's long-standing advocacy for remote authentication of medical records, which they had previously recommended to the government. By eliminating the need for doctors to wait for physical presence, patient care becomes faster and more accessible, strengthening digital health while maintaining clinical judgment, accountability, and patient safety.
Shankha Banerjee, Treasurer of Nathealth and CEO of Dr Lal PathLabs, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that the NMC's clarification settles uncertainties surrounding remote signing of reports, preserving the doctor's responsibility for each report. This development will enable diagnostics providers to extend their service hours and reach more patients, including those in areas where specialist consultations are limited.
The advisory also covers laboratory, pathology, and radiology reports, diagnostic interpretations, discharge summaries, and other electronic clinical documents, with doctors required to review relevant clinical information and exercise independent professional judgment before authenticating a record, while remaining fully accountable for it.
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