How to Build a Healthcare App? A Comprehensive Guide

Updated 29 Mar 2023
Published 03 Feb 2023
Satyam Chaturvedi 2609 Views

Healthcare is a rapidly evolving industry, with new technologies and innovations emerging every day. With the increasing demand for accessible and convenient healthcare services, there is a growing need for healthcare apps that can bring medical services to the fingertips of patients.

The healthcare app market is booming, offering a wealth of opportunities for entrepreneurs, developers, and healthcare professionals to bring their ideas to life.

From 2022 to 2030, analysts predict the market will expand at a CAGR of 11.8%. But how do you build a healthcare app that stands out from the crowd and meets the needs of patients?

This guide will take you through the journey of healthcare app development from start to finish, with step-by-step guidance and practical tips for success.

Healthcare Apps: Overview and Types

Healthcare apps are the future of medicine, empowering individuals to take control of their health and wellness like never before.

These innovative digital tools offer a new way of managing health and wellness, one that is personalized, convenient, and accessible. With a healthcare app, individuals can say goodbye to the traditional healthcare experience and hello to a world of limitless health possibilities.

Imagine having a virtual health assistant at your fingertips, ready to help you manage your health and wellness in a way that suits you best. With a healthcare app, you can access a wealth of information and resources, connect with healthcare providers, track important metrics, and receive reminders and insights, all in one convenient place.

Healthcare Apps

Gone are the days of stacks of paper records and complicated appointment scheduling. With a healthcare app, your health information is stored securely and accessible from anywhere, at any time.

You can track your progress, see your health history at a glance, and even share your information with your healthcare provider with ease.

Professional Healthcare Apps

Professional healthcare apps are digital tools designed for healthcare providers, medical professionals, and other healthcare organizations.

These apps are specifically created to help healthcare professionals manage their day-to-day tasks, improve patient care, and streamline workflows.

Some examples of professional healthcare apps include:

1. EPIC:

This is a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) system used by healthcare organizations to manage patient records and information. It provides healthcare professionals with real-time access to patient data, lab results, and treatment plans.

2. UpToDate:

This app provides healthcare professionals with access to the latest medical knowledge and clinical decision support, including drug information, treatment recommendations, and diagnostic tools.

3. Doximity:

This is a professional networking app for healthcare professionals. It allows users to connect with other doctors, send secure messages, and share clinical insights and information.

4. mHealthCoach:

This app provides a platform for healthcare professionals to engage with patients outside of the clinic, allowing them to monitor patient progress and provide support and encouragement.

5. Clinical Calculator:

Offers healthcare professionals a range of medical calculators, including tools for calculating drug dosages, body mass index (BMI), and vital signs.

Healthcare Apps For Patients

Healthcare apps for patients are mobile applications that allow individuals to manage their health and wellness.

These apps are designed to be user-friendly and provide a range of features, such as tracking health data, connecting with healthcare providers, and offering wellness and lifestyle advice. Here are some examples of popular healthcare apps for patients:

1. MyFitnessPal

Helps users track their daily food intake and exercise habits. It has a database of over 6 million foods and allows users to set goals for calorie and nutrient intake.

MyFitnessPal App

Available on: Android & IOS

2. Doctor on Demand

Provides virtual doctor consultations for a range of non-emergency medical conditions. Patients can connect with licensed healthcare providers through live video appointments from the comfort of their own homes.

Doctor on Demand App

Available on: Android & IOS

3. Headspace

Offers guided meditation and mindfulness exercises to help users manage stress and improve their mental well-being.

Headspace App

Available on: Android & IOS

4. GoodRx

Assists users compare prescription drug prices and find the lowest cost options in their area. It also provides information on drug interactions and side effects.

GoodRx App

Available on: Android & IOS

5. Omada Health

Provides a digital behavior change program for individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and prediabetes. The program includes personalized coaching, support from a care team, and interactive lessons and challenges.

Omada Health App

Available on: Android & IOS

Startup Ideas in Healthcare Industry

Startup ideas in Healthcare Domain

Healthcare Appointment Apps:

This category includes apps that let you check a doctor’s availability, set reminders, and even look back at your appointment history from your mobile device.

Healthcare Reminder Apps:

The purpose of these apps is to assist users in keeping track of their health-related commitments, such as doctor’s visits, medicine, and therapy. Such apps can provide reminders via push notifications, SMS, or email.

Fitness Apps:

These apps let you keep tabs on your workouts, establish and monitor your progress toward your fitness goals, and even sync with your wearable fitness gear. Personal training regimens, progress tracking, and social sharing are among the features that may be included.

Mental Health Apps:

Mood trackers, guided meditations, and journaling prompts are just a few of the features that these applications provide in an effort to boost users’ emotional health. Some may also facilitate communication between clients and certified counselors for online therapy sessions.

Self-Care Apps:

These applications are intended to assist users with their daily self-care practices, such as journaling, mindfulness exercises, and habit tracking. The goal is to promote overall wellness and stress management.

RCM & Medical Billing Apps:

Healthcare providers can use these tools to better manage the revenue cycle, which includes patient billing, insurance claims, and more. Their ultimate goal is a more streamlined and precise medical billing procedure.

Telehealth & Telemedicine Apps:

The use of these apps paves the way for consumers to have video, audio, or text-based virtual medical consultations with licensed medical professionals. They’re more practical than regular doctor’s visits and can be used for a wide variety of health concerns.

healthcare app development services

Benefits of Healthcare App for Doctors and Patients

Benefits For Doctors

Benefits Of Healthcare App For Doctors

Improved communication and collaboration between doctors:

A major advantage of healthcare apps for doctors is that they facilitate better coordination of care by increasing the flow of information between different practitioners.

Healthcare applications make it simple for doctors to collaborate with other medical professionals by sharing patient data like medical records, lab findings, and treatment plans.

This can assist make sure that everyone on the medical team has access to the data they need to give patients the best care possible.

Increased efficiency and productivity:

Apps for the healthcare industry can also save doctors time and effort by automating routine administrative duties. Appointments, lab work, and pharmaceutical prescriptions are just some of the healthcare tasks that may be accomplished with the use of mobile apps. By spending less time on administrative tasks, doctors will have more time to spend with patients.

Better patient engagement:

The ability of healthcare applications to increase patient participation is another perk for doctors. Medical data, appointment scheduling, and two-way communication between patients and healthcare providers are all within the reach of mobile app technology. Doctors can encourage patients to be more involved in their own care by making the data readily available to them. 

Improved patient outcomes:

When patients have a deeper comprehension of their medical issues and play a more active role in their care, everyone benefits.

Healthcare applications can help doctors keep better tabs on their patients’ well-being, which can lead to earlier detection and treatment of health disorders.

Better tracking and monitoring of patient health:

Medical professionals may benefit from the increased accuracy in tracking and monitoring patient health that is made possible by healthcare applications.

By centralizing patients’ health records in one place, healthcare apps empower physicians to prevent more serious health complications by responding quickly to warning signs.

Easy access to valuable medical information and tools:

Finally, healthcare applications can facilitate quick access to helpful medical resources, such as clinical guidelines, decision support tools, and other reference materials, for medical professionals.

This can make it easier for doctors to keep up with the newest medical research and best practices, thereby benefiting their patients.

Benefits For Patients

Benefits Of Healthcare App For Patients

Easy access to personal health information:

The patient’s medical information, lab results, and prescription history are all within easy reach with the help of healthcare applications. This empowers individuals to take an active role in maintaining their health by learning more about their medical conditions, treatment options, and preventative measures.

Seamless communication with healthcare providers:

Appointments, prescription refills, and instant messaging are just a few of the ways in which patients can streamline the healthcare process by using healthcare apps to connect with their clinicians.

Increased convenience:

With the help of healthcare apps, anyone can easily keep track of their health wherever they are. Smartphones and tablets have made it possible for patients to access their medical records, interact with their doctors, and learn more about preventative care.

A personal health coach:

Healthcare applications can serve as a patient’s personal health coach, equipping them with useful resources for better disease management. Patients can have better health outcomes if they are provided with medication reminders, symptom trackers, and instructional resources.

Remote Monitoring:

Remote monitoring capabilities are available in some healthcare apps, enabling patients to record and report on metrics like blood pressure, weight, and glucose levels. This can aid in the early diagnosis of health concerns, which can assist avoid more serious complications down the road.

Cost-effective Care:

Patients can save money with Doctor’s healthcare applications by reducing their frequency of appointments. Patients can save both time and money by using healthcare apps to stay in touch with their doctors through a variety of means other than making in-person appointments.

Tailored health recommendations:

With the right health information, people can make better decisions about their health and have better outcomes; some healthcare apps provide this information in the form of personalized health advice and suggestions based on the patient’s specific health conditions, symptoms, and other personal data.

Steps to Build a Healthcare App

Steps To Build A Healthcare App

Market Analysis:

The first step in building a healthcare app is to understand the problem you are trying to solve and the target audience for the app.

This will help you determine the features and functionality that need to be included in the app. For example, if you are building an app to help people manage their chronic conditions, you will need to include features such as medication reminders, appointment scheduling, and symptom tracking.

Understanding your target audience is also important. Knowing the demographics, behaviors, and needs of your target users will help you create an app that is tailored to their specific needs.

Research about Audience:

Before starting the healthcare app development process, it is important to conduct market research to identify the existing solutions and competition in the healthcare industry. This research will help you understand the current trends and user needs and will inform the design and development of your healthcare app.

By researching the market, you can identify the gaps in existing solutions, and find ways to differentiate your app from others. Additionally, this research can help you identify potential partners or collaborators who can help you bring your app to market.

Define the App Type:

This step involves determining the type of healthcare app you want to create. There are different types of healthcare apps such as medical reference apps, wellness apps, telemedicine apps, and more. It’s important to choose the type of app that best suits the needs of your target audience and the problem you are trying to solve.

Create Design:

After defining the problem and conducting market research, the next step is to design the user interface and user experience of the app. This includes creating wireframes and mockups of the app’s layout, navigation, and functionality.

The user interface is the visual part of the app that users interact with, while the user experience is how the user feels while interacting with the app. The UI should be simple, intuitive, and easy to use, while the user experience should be pleasant and satisfying. It’s important to test the design with potential users to ensure it meets their needs and preferences.

Choose your App Features & Advanced Technologies:

Choosing the features and technologies for your healthcare app is an important step in the healthcare app development process. It involves determining which features will provide value to your target users and using advanced technologies to make the app more sophisticated.

Advanced technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to enhance the functionality of your app. 

Machine learning can be used to improve the accuracy of symptom checkers, predict patient outcomes, and provide personalized recommendations. Artificial intelligence can be used to improve the user experience by providing chatbot assistance and virtual consultations.

It’s also important to include security features to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with regulations. These features may include encryption, two-factor authentication, and data backup.

Make it HIPAA-Compliant:

Making a healthcare app HIPAA compliant involves ensuring that the app meets the standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

HIPAA sets standards for protecting the privacy and security of medical information. When developing a healthcare app, it’s important to ensure that the app meets the following HIPAA requirements: 

  • Data Encryption
  • Access Control
  • Audit Logs
  • Data Backup
  • Risk Assessment
  • Business Associate Agreement

It’s also important to note that healthcare apps must comply with other regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) if the app is intended to be used by people in the European Union or California.

Build MVP:

Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the process of creating a basic version of your healthcare app that includes only the most essential features.

The goal is to quickly test the app’s viability with a small group of users before committing to full-scale development. Building an MVP is a continuous process, as it will be continuously updated and refined based on the feedback and requirements.

It is important to remember that the MVP is a learning tool, and it should be used to gather feedback and improve upon the product.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Healthcare App?

The cost of developing a healthcare app can range from $30,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on several factors such as the app’s complexity, features, design, and platform. Some of the key factors that affect the cost of developing a healthcare app are:

How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Healthcare App?

Platform:

The cost of developing an app for iOS, Android, or cross-platform can vary greatly. iOS development tends to be more expensive due to the need for specialized skills and the cost of Mac hardware.

Android development is often less expensive due to a larger pool of developers and the lower cost of hardware. Cross-platform development can be more expensive as it requires specialized skills in both iOS and Android development.

Design:

The design of the app plays a big role in the overall cost of development. A custom-designed app with unique graphics and a user interface will cost more than a template-based app as it requires more time and effort from the design team. A custom design can also result in a better user experience, which can lead to increased user engagement and higher app downloads.

Features:

The number of features in an app can greatly impact the cost of development. Adding features such as appointment scheduling, telemedicine, and electronic medical records will require more time and effort from the development team, leading to a higher cost.

It is important to prioritize features and only include the most essential ones in the initial version of the app to minimize costs.

Location:

The location of the development team can also impact the cost of development. Development teams in the US and Western Europe tend to be more expensive due to higher salaries and a higher cost of living. Teams in India and Eastern Europe are often less expensive due to lower salaries and a lower cost of living.

It is important to weigh the cost savings against the potential drawbacks of working with a remote development team, such as communication difficulties and time zone differences.

Development Time:

The length of time it takes to develop the app will also impact the cost. A shorter development time will typically result in a higher cost due to the need for additional resources and a higher rate of development.

A longer development time may result in lower costs but can also result in delays and a lower return on investment. It is important to balance the cost of development with the time it takes to bring the app to market.

Want to Develop a Unique Healthcare App

How can Arka Softwares help you with healthcare app development?

Arka Softwares is the one of the top healthcare app development companies across the world and we can help you bring your healthcare app vision to life by offering a comprehensive range of services that cater to your specific needs and requirements.

The team at Arka Softwares understands the importance of building a healthcare app that not only meets the needs of patients but also stands out from the crowd and makes a positive impact on the lives of users.

Here are a few of the key ways in which Arka Softwares can assist you with healthcare app development:

Ideation and Concept Development:

The first step in building a successful healthcare app is to develop a solid concept that takes into consideration the needs of patients, the competitive landscape, and emerging technologies. Arka Softwares can work with you to develop a concept that sets your app apart from the rest and sets you on the path to success.

User-Centered Design:

A healthcare app must be easy to use, visually appealing, and accessible to a wide range of users, including those with disabilities. We provide expert design services and UI/UX support to ensure that your app is intuitive, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing.

Robust Development:

Building a healthcare app requires technical expertise and a deep understanding of the latest technologies and programming languages. Arka Softwares has a team of experienced developers who can bring your app to life and ensure that it is scalable, secure, and able to meet the demands of the healthcare industry.

Customized Solutions:

Arka Softwares takes a tailored approach to each healthcare app development project, providing custom solutions that are tailored to your specific needs and requirements.

Whether you need a basic app for appointment booking or a complex system for remote patient monitoring, Arka Softwares can provide a customized solution that meets your needs.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance:

The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving, and your app must be able to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Our team can provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure that your app runs smoothly and is up-to-date with the latest advancements.

Our topmost healthcare products are:

1. Spitar:

It is an innovative platform offering medical and cosmetic treatments in the United Arab Emirates. With only a few taps on their phones, patients can research and select the finest medical and cosmetic facility, and the best discount offer, schedule appointments, and navigate between different sections of the medical facility, all of which help to promote medical tourism to the United Arab Emirates.

Spitar Mobile App development

2. Primeiros Passos:

It is a mobile app that facilitates communication between physicians and the parents of children in need of medical attention.

Through this app, concerned guardians can locate the nearest doctor, set up routine checkups, and even seek immediate help in the event of a medical emergency. The doctor can bring all the necessary medication and test results right to the patient’s doorstep.

Overall, Arka Softwares is your one-stop solution for healthcare app development, offering a full range of services to help you bring your vision to life and make a positive impact on the lives of patients.

So, why wait? Contact Arka Softwares today to learn more about how we can help you build the healthcare app of your dreams.

Bottomline

Building a healthcare app is a challenging but rewarding process that can have a major impact on the lives of patients. With the right resources and guidance, anyone can develop an app that meets the needs of the healthcare industry and improves the lives of patients.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you will be well on your way to creating a successful healthcare app that provides real value to users and transforms the healthcare industry.

So, whether you are an entrepreneur, developer, or healthcare professional, it’s time to take your ideas to the next level and start building the healthcare app of your dreams.

FAQs regarding Developing an Healthcare App

Satyam Chaturvedi

Satyam Chaturvedi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Arka Softwares, a leading app development company dealing in modern and futuristic solutions. He loves to spend his time studying the latest market insights.

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