Big Relief in CGHS Rules for Hospitals

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).

- Advertisement -

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.

- Advertisement -

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:

- Advertisement -

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.

Latest

More Articles