The General Insurance Council (GI Council) has added around 1,000 hospitals to its common empanelment network across India since the beginning of FY27, taking the total number of hospitals added under the initiative to approximately 3,000.
The industry body had onboarded around 2,000 hospitals by the end of FY26 and is targeting 5,000 hospitals by the end of FY27.
The common empanelment initiative aims to expand access to cashless health insurance by allowing hospitals to join the networks of multiple participating insurers through a single digital platform. The process is designed to reduce the administrative burden on hospitals, which would otherwise need to complete separate empanelment procedures with individual insurers.
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The platform covers participating general insurance companies and standalone health insurers. The council has previously said the initiative is particularly focused on bringing small and mid-sized hospitals into the insurance ecosystem.
Focus on Smaller Hospitals
A key objective of the initiative is to expand the availability of insurance-linked healthcare facilities beyond major cities, including in tier-2, tier-3, and more remote areas.
Limited access to network hospitals can make it difficult for policyholders to use cashless health insurance facilities close to where they live. A wider hospital network could help patients access treatment closer to home and reduce the need to travel to larger cities for certain medical procedures.
The council is also working towards improving smaller hospitals' participation in insurance transactions through a more standardised empanelment process.
How the Common Empanelment System Works
Under the platform, hospitals can apply to join the networks of multiple participating insurers through one process and a common agreement, instead of pursuing separate empanelment arrangements with each insurer.
Once empanelled with the relevant insurers, hospitals can provide cashless treatment to eligible policyholders, subject to the applicable policy terms and pre-authorisation approval.
Cashless treatment allows the insurer to pay the hospital directly for eligible expenses approved under the policy, reducing the amount a patient may need to pay upfront. It does not necessarily mean that every treatment expense will be covered—that will depend on the policy.
Significance for the Health Insrance Industry
The expansion comes amid efforts to improve access to health insurance and strengthen the healthcare delivery ecosystem.
A broader network of hospitals could make health insurance more useful to policyholders, particularly in areas where insurance-linked healthcare infrastructure remains limited. It could also help smaller healthcare providers participate more actively in the insured patient market.
The common empanelment initiative is part of the wider industry effort to simplify hospital onboarding and improve access to cashless healthcare services.
With approximately 3,000 hospitals added against a target of 5,000 by the end of FY27, the council is seeking to expand the network further over the coming months.
The pace of further onboarding, the geographical distribution of hospitals, and the extent to which the expanded network improves access to cashless treatment will be key metrics to track.
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