GIC Common Empanelment: How Hospitals Can Empanel with 32 Insurers Through One Agreement

Imagine this: instead of filling out 32 separate applications, negotiating 32 different contracts, and managing 32 sets of terms and conditions—your hospital signs just one agreement and gets access to all 32 general insurance companies in India.

That’s exactly what the General Insurance Council’s (GIC) Common Empanelment Platform delivers. And with over 10,000 hospitals already applying to join, this is the single biggest opportunity for hospitals to expand their insurance network without the administrative nightmare.

If you’re a hospital administrator wondering how this works and why it matters, this guide covers everything you need to know.

What is GIC Common Empanelment?

The GIC Common Empanelment is a centralised digital initiative that allows hospitals to get empanelled with all 32 IRDAI-registered general insurance companies and standalone health insurers through a single digital process and one common agreement.

Think of it as a “one-stop shop” for hospital-insurer partnerships. Instead of managing separate empanelment procedures with each insurance company individually, hospitals can now complete the entire process once and gain access to the entire network.

This initiative is being implemented on the advice of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and follows the model of the government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat PMJAY programme.

The platform has been designed as a technology-driven and transparent system that enables hospitals to directly engage with the empanelment process without relying on intermediaries or external facilitators.

How It Works: One Agreement, 32 Insurers

Currently, every hospital has to sign separate contracts with each insurance company. This means different tariffs for different insurers, different terms and conditions, separate negotiations every time, and lengthy repetitive paperwork.

Under the new Common Empanelment model, hospitals sign just one tripartite agreement with the GIC and all participating insurers together.

Here’s how the process works in practice. Each insurance company has been assigned one or two states to focus on exclusively. That empanelment is then adopted by all participating companies. This means one application process, one set of documents, one agreement, and access to all 32 insurers.

Once a hospital is empanelled, it becomes part of a common network that every policyholder can access, regardless of which insurer they are covered by.

Step-by-Step Empanelment Process

Getting empanelled under the Common Empanelment Platform involves these key steps:

Step 1: Submit an Application – Provide hospital details including services offered, infrastructure specifications, and doctor credentials.

Step 2: Provide Required Documents – Submit hospital registration certificate, valid licenses, compliance certificates, biomedical waste management certification, NABH/NABL accreditation (if available), and any existing empanelment letters with CGHS/State/Central Government.

Step 3: Verification – Insurance partners or TPAs verify the hospital information provided.

Step 4: Infrastructure Assessment – If required, a physical assessment of infrastructure and operational standards is conducted.

Step 5: Onboarding – Once verified, the hospital signs the common agreement and joins the insurance network.

The platform is specifically designed for small and mid-sized hospitals to simplify and streamline the empanelment process. The Council is also working on training and handholding smaller hospitals to improve operational processes and digital readiness.

Key Benefits for Hospitals

1. One Agreement, 32 Insurers – No more separate contracts with each insurance company. One agreement gives you access to all 32 insurers, saving time, money, and administrative resources.

2. Cashless Treatment Capability – Empanelled hospitals can offer cashless treatment to patients—insurers settle bills directly, eliminating the need for patients to pay upfront.

3. Wider Patient Reach – With access to all major insurers, your hospital becomes visible to millions of insured patients searching for approved healthcare providers.

4. Streamlined Billing and Claims – The common empanelment framework includes scheduled revisions of package rates to avoid uncertainty and safeguards against arbitrary removal from the network.

5. Enhanced Negotiating Power – Standardisation through common empanelment gives hospitals enhanced negotiating power and greater stability in their insurer relationships.

6. Deepening Reach in Underserved Areas – The initiative specifically aims to deepen the availability of insurance-linked hospitals beyond metro cities—in tier-3, tier-4, and rural regions.

7. More Efficient Patient Load Distribution – Basic and secondary-care treatments can be managed at nearby hospitals while tertiary-care facilities are reserved for specialised treatment requirements.

8. Reduced Administrative Burden – A single digital process replaces the need for separate empanelment procedures with individual insurers.

How This Benefits Patients (and Why It Matters for Your Hospital)

A wider network means patients have cashless access at more hospitals. With a unified network, switching insurers won’t affect access to cashless facilities.

For hospitals, this translates to more patients choosing your hospital, faster claim settlements, less administrative hassle, and stronger patient trust.

The initiative is expected to improve the cashless treatment experience by reducing turnaround time for pre-authorisation approvals and discharge procedures.

Progress So Far

The numbers speak for themselves. Over 10,000+ hospitals have applied to join the Common Empanelment Platform. Out of these, 2,000+ hospitals have already been successfully onboarded. The Council is targeting 5,000 empanelled hospitals by FY27.

The initiative started with 600 eye hospitals and over 100 general hospitals, with plans to scale up significantly. Eye hospitals were targeted first because eye care involves fewer complex procedures where pricing is relatively standardised.

Addressing Concerns and Challenges

While the initiative is widely welcomed, some large multispecialty hospital chains have expressed concerns about standardised pricing, fearing it could hurt profitability as their cost structures are high.

However, the GIC is addressing these concerns through dialogue. The Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) has held strategic discussions with the GIC on establishing a common empanelment framework and adherence to uniform billing standards.

The Council has also strengthened the initiative by setting up an independent redressal committee to help address concerns raised by hospitals.

The consensus is clear: once a hospital is empanelled with one insurer, it should automatically be accepted by all participating insurers at the same tariff.

The Future of GIC Common Empanelment

The GIC is not stopping at just onboarding hospitals. The Council is also working on training and handholding smaller hospitals to improve operational processes and digital readiness, deepening insurance penetration beyond metro cities, and building a more connected and customer-friendly healthcare insurance ecosystem.

As Subrata Mondal, MD and CEO of IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance, put it: “This is going to be beneficial for all stakeholders, including policyholders, removing friction points between insurers and hospitals”.

Is Your Hospital Ready?

The GIC Common Empanelment Platform is not just another regulatory requirement—it’s a strategic opportunity to expand your hospital’s reach, attract more insured patients, and streamline your insurance operations.

With the platform already live, over 2,000 hospitals onboarded, and thousands more applying, the time to act is now.

Need Help with GIC Common Empanelment?

The empanelment process involves documentation, verification, and compliance—steps that can be time-consuming for busy hospital administrators.

I&D Hospital Solution Pvt Ltd specializes in helping hospitals navigate the GIC Common Empanelment process from start to finish. From document preparation to application submission and follow-up, we handle it all so you can focus on what matters most—patient care.

📞 Contact us today to get started:
👉 https://indhospitalsolution.com/contact-us