The Social Health Authority has directed all accredited healthcare facilities to fully integrate with the Health Management Information System within 90 days or risk losing their accreditation.
Healthcare facilities contracted by the Social Health Authority (SHA) have been given a three-month deadline to fully integrate into Kenya’s digital health system, with non-compliant hospitals facing possible removal from the national health insurance programme.
The directive was issued following a joint stakeholder meeting bringing together the Ministry of Health, the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Digital Health Agency (DHA) as the government accelerates implementation of the Taifa Care programme.
Officials said the transition marks a major step towards creating a fully digital healthcare ecosystem aimed at improving service delivery, enhancing accountability and speeding up claims processing.
Hospitals face possible de-accreditation
SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi warned that all healthcare providers must complete integration with the Health Management Information System (HMIS) within the next 90 days.
She said facilities that fail to comply with the new digital requirements risk being decontracted from the authority, effectively preventing them from offering services under the SHA programme.
According to Dr Mwangangi, full digital integration is necessary to improve transparency, minimise fraud and streamline reimbursement of claims submitted by healthcare providers.
Government pushes digital healthcare reforms
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale described the transition as a critical milestone in Kenya’s healthcare reforms, saying digital systems are essential to achieving efficient and sustainable universal health coverage.
He noted that connecting hospitals, patients, regulators and healthcare financiers through one integrated platform will improve coordination across the health sector while supporting the government’s Taifa Care agenda.
The ministry also confirmed that the existing SHA Provider Portal will gradually be phased out as hospitals migrate to the more comprehensive Health Management Information System.
Currently, more than 11,000 healthcare facilities have been accredited under the Social Health Authority programme.
What the HMIS will do
The Health Management Information System (HMIS) is designed to replace manual hospital processes with a fully integrated digital platform that manages patient care and hospital operations.
The system will support electronic medical records, patient registration, laboratory and radiology services, pharmacy management and clinical documentation.
It will also handle financial functions such as billing, insurance claims, invoicing and mobile payment integration while improving inventory management and administrative operations, including appointments, staff scheduling and queue management.
In addition, HMIS will automatically generate reports required by the Ministry of Health and ensure healthcare providers comply with SHA reporting requirements.
Expected benefits for patients and hospitals
Health officials say the transition will reduce patient waiting times by improving coordination between departments and eliminating delays associated with paper-based records.
The digital platform is also expected to minimise lost medical files, reduce prescription errors and provide clinicians with quicker access to patients’ medical histories.
For hospitals, the integrated system is projected to improve revenue management by linking every service provided directly to billing and insurance claims, helping reduce financial leakages while enhancing operational efficiency.
The government maintains that the nationwide rollout of HMIS is a key pillar in modernising Kenya’s healthcare system and strengthening delivery of quality services under the Taifa Care programme.
