ABDM milestones M1, M2, and M3 are the three certification levels defined by the National Health Authority for health software in India. M1 covers ABHA creation and verification, M2 covers linking digital health records to a patient's ABHA as a Health Information Provider, and M3 covers fetching and displaying records from other facilities as a Health Information User. A hospital is only fully ABDM compliant when its software has cleared all three milestones through the official ABDM sandbox process.
Why the NHA Created Milestone Certification
ABDM handles sensitive health data, so the Government of India does not allow arbitrary software to connect to its APIs. Every HMS, LIMS, or clinic software vendor must integrate in the official ABDM sandbox, pass functional testing for each milestone, and only then receive production access. This protects patients and gives hospitals a simple test: if a vendor cannot show milestone certification, their "ABDM-ready" claim is just marketing.
Milestone 1 (M1): ABHA Creation and Verification
M1 is the entry point. Software certified for M1 can:
- Create new ABHA numbers and ABHA addresses using Aadhaar OTP, mobile OTP, or other permitted KYC modes.
- Verify an existing patient's ABHA at registration, including via QR-based flows.
- Capture the ABHA against the patient's record in the HMS, eliminating duplicate patient files.
What it means for your hospital
With M1 alone, your front desk can issue and verify ABHA IDs and speed up registration. But records created in the HMS are not yet linked to the national ecosystem; that requires M2.
Milestone 2 (M2): Linking Health Records as an HIP
M2 certifies the software as a Health Information Provider (HIP). This means:
- OPD prescriptions, discharge summaries, diagnostic reports, and other documents are packaged in FHIR-based formats defined by ABDM.
- These records are linked to the patient's ABHA through care contexts, so the patient can see them in their PHR app.
- When another facility requests records with patient consent, your system can share them securely.
What it means for your hospital
M2 is where digital health record creation becomes real. It has also been the basis for government incentive programmes rewarding facilities for ABHA-linked records, and it is central to state mandates around digital records.
Milestone 3 (M3): Consuming Records as an HIU
M3 certifies the software as a Health Information User (HIU). With M3:
- Your doctors can raise consent requests to view a patient's records from other ABDM-connected facilities.
- Once the patient approves, the software fetches and displays their longitudinal health history.
- Clinical decisions improve because history, allergies, and past reports are visible at the point of care.
How to Verify a Vendor's Milestone Status
- Ask the vendor for their integrator status and certification across M1, M2, and M3.
- Check the official ABDM website's list of certified integrators published by the NHA.
- Ask for a live demonstration: ABHA creation, record linking visible in a PHR app, and a consent-based record fetch.
- Confirm the certification applies to the actual product you are buying, not a different product from the same company.
Our ABDM integration page details how Healthixio implements each milestone in real hospital workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my hospital need all three milestones, or is M1 enough?
M1 alone only enables ABHA creation. Full ABDM compliance, incentive eligibility, and genuine paperless workflows require M2, and the clinical benefits of shared patient history come with M3. Choose software certified for all three.
Can a hospital get milestone certification itself?
Certification applies to the software, not the hospital. Hospitals become compliant by adopting an HMS whose vendor has cleared the milestones with the NHA; building and certifying in-house software is rarely practical.
What are HIP and HIU in simple terms?
A Health Information Provider (HIP) is a facility that creates and shares records, covered by M2. A Health Information User (HIU) is one that requests and views records with patient consent, covered by M3. A full-service hospital is both.
Choose a Fully Milestone-Certified HMS
Healthixio is an officially ABDM-integrated Hospital Management Software supporting ABHA creation, record linking, and consent-based record exchange, with ABHA workflows built into the front desk. Explore our ABDM integration or contact us at 07513135857 to see all three milestones working live.