The central government has made an important change to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).
Now, hospitals no longer need to upload geo-tagged photos of patients every day for those admitted under the In-Patient Department (IPD).
This rule has been relaxed, and a one-time exemption has been granted.
Exemption on Earlier Rule
Earlier, it was mandatory for hospitals to upload daily geo-tagged photos of IPD patients.
However, the government has now stated that no action will be taken for not uploading these photos between the date of the old order and the date of the new order.
In such cases, if hospitals upload the documents of patients whose photos were missed earlier, they must attach a copy of the new order on the TMS portal.
New Photo Upload Guidelines
The government has also issued clear instructions on when photos are required:
For IPD (In-Patient Department) Cases:
Referral cases (where referral is valid): No photo required
Non-referral cases:
One photo at the time of admission
One photo at the time of discharge
If admitted for more than 7 days, one extra photo is needed every 7th day
For OPD (Out-Patient Department) Cases:
Referral cases: No photo required
Non-referral cases:
Patients above 70 years
Follow-up on an old referral (without a new referral)
In case of bedridden patients, a screenshot of a video call is acceptable
In all above cases, geo-tagged photos are mandatory
Technical Rules for Photos
Must be taken using a mobile or tablet that supports automatic geo-tagging
Photo size must not exceed 1 MB
Must be uploaded in real-time or within 24 hours
Hospitals must keep local copies of all photos for at least 90 days for audit purposes
Non-Compliance May Lead to Payment Issues
If a hospital fails to follow these new rules, the government may stop their CGHS payment or reject their claim.
These updated rules are effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice. While this update brings relief, hospitals must strictly follow the new documentation guidelines.
