Covid-19 has created a lot of opportunities in the healthcare sector. Market trends show that this is a great time to hire a telemedicine software development company and start a healthcare startup in the USA.
Here are some interesting facts to support the above statement:
Mckinsey reported that the number of telemedicine users, patients, and medical professionals increased by 38 times during the pandemic.
As per Statista, 60 to 75% of US adults are inclined to use a telemedicine app even after the effects of Covid-19 wean off.
- 83% of healthcare companies are planning to invest in the telehealth or telemedicine sector. To launch your telehealth startup, click here.
All the above 3 facts indicate that the Covid-19 pandemic has created massive awareness for the telemedicine market. Venture investments are showing interest in telemedicine software development.
We hope that the above statistics will encourage you to launch your startup in the telemedicine segment.
Now, let’s see how a telemedicine app can benefit patients and physicians:-
Benefits For Patients
Convenient and fast
Patients can quickly connect with physicians and doctors, without worrying about traveling from one location to another.
Better healthcare outcomes
Patients can reduce their costs and avoid hospital readmissions. For common symptoms like cold and fever, a physician can connect with a patient through a video call interface available in a telemedicine app and instantly issue prescriptions or prescribe tests. Instead of waiting in line at the hospital, patients have access 24/7 to physicians from the comfort of their homes.
360-degree service experience
You do not have to visit a faraway hospital for getting treatment for a particular disease. Patients can connect with a doctor or specialist from anywhere in the world using the search and sort feature available in a telemedicine app. You can also ask questions on the telemedicine app and get an answer instantly or within 24 hours.
Related : Patient Engagement Solutions
Benefits For Physicians
Saves time
Physicians can save time on basic queries like the patient history, previous conditions and symptoms because a telemedicine app will collect all this information using automated chat and send it to the physician before a consultation.
Attend more patients
The app stores all the patient details (EMR/EHR records) in one place and a physician can attend to more patients based on their calendar. You do not have to worry about physician commutation as it is a virtual interaction.
Easy follow-up
App will record the complete history of patient records, their interactions, and prescription and will automatically create follow-ups with the patients.
Knovator Technologies is an experienced telemedicine solution provider and has built platforms that benefit both patients and physicians by addressing the above points.
Related : Healthcare Mobile App Development
Still not convinced why Knovator Technology is the most affordable telemedicine app development Company? contact our expert to help you make the right decision.
So, how much does telemedicine app development cost?
There are many factors involved in the development of a telemedicine app.
Cost by type of team
Average cost for a telemedicine app depends upon the type of team. If the team is an in-house team, it will cost you approximately $170,000. However, the cost will increase to $250,000 if you hire a local development agency.
The best option is to hire telemedicine healthcare IT solutions from an outsourcing healthcare app development agency like Knovator. It will cost you considerably less and custom quotes are also available based on consultation. Hiring freelancers for a telemedicine app will cost less but will increase complexity as freelancers may switch to other projects.
Cost by type of telemedicine application
A real-time interactive application that has video and multimedia features will cost you $75,000. Knovator has a telemedicine app that covers real-time interactive features. If you want to build a telemedicine app with a remote monitoring feature only, it will cost you $55,000. Physicians can keep a track of all patient conditions which requires self-monitoring.
Cost by location of the company
If you hire a telemedicine app development company like Knovator, the average cost is $45,000 [depending upon the features]. If you are planning to hire a company from Western or Eastern Europe, it will cost you $75,000 to $150,000.
Companies located in Australia will charge $160,000 while in the USA, the cost will be $280,000. Moreover, in the UK, the cost to build a telemedicine app will be around $180,000.
Moreover, there are other factors to consider while building a telemedicine app. App marketing costs will be 2-3 times more than the application development budget. Your marketing budget depends upon your plan of outreach and targeted audience. An initial investment in marketing your app will pave the way to build a loyal customer base and you can expect solid ROI.
Maintaining an app or after service is important so that your app is functioning 24×7 and experienced telemedicine solution providers like Knovator can plan maintenance schedules and provide suggestions related to upgrading the app as per the changing technology trends in web and mobile.
Interestingly, it takes 1500 man-hours to develop a telemedicine app. The cost of man-hours differs per location and Knovator Technologies can help you build a custom telemedicine app at the best pricing.
Cost is an important factor in the selection of an application development company. However, you must also choose a company that follows a standard and professional development process to ensure that your upcoming startup app development is in safe hands.
Related : Healthcare Mobile App Development
Also Read : Top Telehealth Business Ideas
5 Step process to develop a telemedicine app
Healthcare IT solutions providers like Knovator Technologies follow a 5 step process to ensure you get a great app.
Step 1 – Requirement understanding and analysis
In the first call, a company and client will discuss the requirements, ask initial questions, and understand the team size, experts required to develop an app. During this stage, a document is prepared and sent to summarize the understanding. In case a clickable prototype is required, the company will also design and provide a working link to help the client visualize a screen.
In the next call, requirements are finalized and a decision is taken to develop a Minimum Viable Product [MVP] and launch it. Post customers’ feedback and app traction, you can decide to add more features and launch a real-time interactive application.
The end goal of this phase is to plan the project in terms of MVP product development and milestones and develop a comprehensive Software Requirement Specification [SRS] that covers all the business requirements and technical requirements. It also covers the details of the technology stack, database, cost of servers, risk and challenges, prototype, milestones and more to ensure that both client and a telemedicine software development company like Knovator are fully aware of the project plan and deadlines along with budget and team decomposition.
Step 2 – User experience design phase
During this phase, all the pages are designed keeping the latest web and app development trends and user experience in mind. The concept of “less is more” is widely used in the UX design phase. Every app page layout is designed in such a way that the purpose of the interaction and call to action is visible and consumable.
Step 3 – Development and healthcare compliance phase
During the development phase, the first step is to choose a reliable database platform like Oracle, Hbase, MongoDB and technologies like React Native, Laravel, AWS with Twillio, PayPal, and Stripe integration. A telemedicine app needs a vast and secure database to store patient prescriptions, medical history, and reports. You need SSL certificates, protocols, and a custom healthcare security interface to protect your app from any HIPAA/GDPR compliance violation. Knovator’s telemedicine healthcare IT solutions utilize industry-standard techniques like Laravel encryption to keep your app safe from a potential data breach.
To add on, automatic scalability tools help to handle peak user load and ensure there are no app crashes.
Step 4 – Quality auditing
Once the development is completed, the app will go through manual, regression, and automation testing to ensure all the screens of the app behave as per user interactions and any search feature generate the correct search results.
Step 5 – After launch care and support
Every custom telemedicine solution provider like Knovator will offer a support and maintenance package with ticketing, helpdesk, and regular maintenance features to ensure your app is working fine and adhering to the changing healthcare, GDPR and technology trends.
As we come to the end of the technical walkthrough to develop a telemedicine app, we also need to know 4 major challenges. Many are covered during the above discussion. However, it is important to summarize them below so that you are aware of them.
Also Read : Benefits of Buy Hospital Automated Prior Authorization Solution
4 Major challenges in telemedicine app development
Both patient and physicians interface should be different and relevant to them. You do not want to present the patient booking module to physician or physician scheduling function to a patient. An experienced telemedicine app company will know these differences and ensure to mitigate this challenge from the first step.
All the API integrations, security integrations, HIPAA and GDPR compliance integrations should be supported by robust documentation and approach to ensure quick, successful and secure data transfer between patients and physicians.
Server cloning, manual code analysis, auto-scaling, addressing the app’s weak code areas and regular maintenance can ensure that the telemedicine app behaves normally even during peak load times.
Blocking unauthorized access, reducing data downloads to local desktops, synchronizing the storage, login controls, and monitoring process ensure your app will always get top marks in any healthcare audits. Using tried and tested security frameworks, software, and a HIPAA compliance data service from AWS ensures proper and optimal data security.
Great! You have reached a stage where you know the benefits, risks, challenges, cost, technical walkthrough related to telemedicine app development. So, what features do you expect in an app?
Telemedicine solution providers: Key Features For Patients
- Profile managementPatients can register using their phone number or social media accounts. With OTP verification, the sign-in process is secure. Patients can upload their health records and update their profiles. Enabling notifications will ensure they never miss a doctor appointment, important healthcare updates, and more
- Search and book a physician easily With the help of search features like search by specialty, proximity, time, and fees, patients can quickly find a doctor, view their calendar, and book a consultation.
- Text and video chat Patients can book a video consultation and connect with a doctor in virtual face-to-face interaction. Behind the scenes, providers like Knovator develop technology to avoid buffering. For minor issues, it is possible to send text chats to doctors and take consultations.
Related : Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring
Telemedicine solution providers: Key Features For Physicians and admins
- Accept appointments per conveniencePhysicians can create their schedule or sync their appointments from GMAIL to track their appointments easily. On their behalf, an admin can also create and accept appointments and generate payment invoices.
- Digital prescriptions and trackingPost consultation, doctors can send a legal digital prescription to a patient. The healthcare pp will keep a track of all the prescriptions to ensure there are no miscommunications between patients and physicians.
Didn’t find the right feature you are looking for? Our expert can help you build the right feature for your telemedicine app
Now, we all know you must be all set to hire a health solutions development company. Before you do that, you must know 3 important tips or factors to consider.
3 Tips to remember before starting a telemedicine app startup
Classic features like patient records, booking physician services, communication chat tools, notifications, and payments are a must in a telemedicine MVP product. You must consider publishing clinical content related to Covid-19 and also provide a list of doctors and hospitals treating Covid-19. As a step further, you can also provide a search feature to find vaccination centers to add more value to your app.
You must plan your budget for developing an MVP product keeping app marketing and maintenance costs in mind. It’s important to pay specific attention to the type of mobile device, intuitive navigation in the app so that users find it worth downloading and using your app. This will help you get more traction and prepare a pitch to add more advanced features to the telehealth app development process.
Design a one-page website with links to download your mobile apps at designated places on the page. The page must cover all the app features with a video tour explaining to users what to expect when they download your app.
We are confident that you have got a solid understanding of how to launch a telemedicine app. Before we conclude, you must have questions.
Top 4 FAQs related to telemedicine app
A1. Add annual payment plans or include in-app advertising in your app money model. You can also add a reference model in which patients and physicians will get a certain amount if a patient books a physician
A.2 It will cost you $75,000. Factors such as type of team (in-house or outsourcing), the country where it is being developed and features being added also impact the cost of the telemedicine app development.
A.3. First, prepare a one-page website demonstrating features. Then, build an app with all those features. Choose the right telemedicine software development company to develop an industry-standard app. Monetize your app with reference, subscription model. Solve customer pain points with minimal clicks or touches in your app. These are the stepping stones for your app’s success.
A.4 Both iPhone and Android devices are important. You must develop and launch the app on both devices. It’s important to note that iPhone application development will cost more than Android application.
Developing and launching a telemedicine app can be tough, but returns can be rewarding in the present scenarios.
This guide on telemedicine app development along with tips, processes and costs gives you an idea about how to launch your telemedicine app.
Knovator Technologies’ telemedicine software development approach helps healthcare businesses achieve their goal in developing and launching their telemedicine app.
If you’re looking to launch a telemedicine app for your healthcare business, call our healthcare app development team for a free consultation.
