During the past years, many of us have encountered the term Telehealth. It is a prominent way to help patients get the best healthcare facilities at home. Witnessing the telehealth trends, healthcare organizations are primarily focusing on Telehealth App Development. The platform offers exclusive healthcare services to patients from a distance.
Telehealth makes the consultation process simple and easy for both doctors and patients. Both doctors and patients can always be in touch. With the help of Telehealth services, doctors don’t have to rent a workplace. It also reduces the readmission rate for hospitals. Apart from this, healthcare providers gain a new channel for distributing their services.
Therefore, many software companies have started building Telehealth applications. Today, the article will discuss “How to make a telehealth app?”. Simultaneously, we will discuss all of its related aspects like telehealth app development cost, and its features.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is a method of providing healthcare services to patients on a remote basis. Telehealth is the primary unit, its other prominent category is Telemedicine. Both of the terms are interoperable and are highly appreciated. Only four things are required to use Telehealth services and these are:
- Telehealth software: It helps patients to connect with doctors and store electronic health records.
- Camera: It helps doctors to examine their patients.
- Microphone: To talk with each other.
- Internet Connection: Good net connectivity to receive audio or video calls.
Let’s take a look at different types of Telehealth App Development:
1. Online Video Conference
It is the most common type of telehealth/telemedicine app development solution. Doctors examine their patients through video calling from their devices. Sometimes patients know about their diseases, so they need only a confirmation of the diagnosis. Instead of waiting in line or going to the hospital, the patients can easily book an appointment to consult with a doctor.
2. Treatment advice
This type applies to patients who already know about their diseases. They consult with the doctors with the help of text to ask questions regarding their treatment. These texts don’t distract doctors from other patients. These apps have a calling feature also.
3. Prescription management
This type helps the patients to get their prescriptions online. Telehealth apps Store patients’ electronic health records so that doctors prescribe medicine based on medical history. For this, the user has to do one thing is to apply the recipe and wait until this appliance is submitted. After this, they can go to the pharmacy with a printed prescription or show it on their device.
Why Build a Telehealth Application?
Due to following reasons, a telehealth application development is required:
Reduced healthcare costs: Due to the remote healthcare services, businesses don’t have to rent a working space. Previously, the doctors had to rent a place for their clinic or work in a hospital. But now, telemedicine apps allow doctors to work independently and provide their services.
Not only doctors get the benefit, but also hospitals and clinics. The consultation process becomes faster in hospitals and clinics. Patients don’t have to wait in line. Now, hospitals earn more revenue in shorter terms.
- Time-Efficient treatment – Due to telemedicine apps, the time spent by a person to get healthcare services is reduced by 56%. Now, the patients can book the appointment from their homes.
- Easier access to healthcare – It can be of great use where no healthcare services are available. The people who live in distant or rural areas will receive healthcare services from their homes.
- Effective time management for doctors – with the help of this app, now doctors can manage their time and won’t miss any appointments.
- Convenient access to electronic health records – The app can store the electronic health records of the patients. On the basis of EHRs, doctors prescribe medicine to patients.
What is the Telehealth App Development Features for Patients?
Any telehealth app is accompanied by some great features available for both doctors and patients. Here are some prominent features for patients:
- Registration: The user can register them in the app through sign-in via email or with the help of Facebook or Google sign-in. Telemedicine apps store a lot of personal data. So, a personal account is required.
- Profile management: After registration, the user has to set up their personal profile. The personal profile includes general data like name, gender, age, etc. The personal information should be private and available only to doctors and the owner.
- Search & Filters: Search & Filters features will help the user find the right doctors, language, rating, and more.
- Video conferencing: It is a key element of telemedicine app development. The video quality should be high so that the doctors can see the symptoms. To avoid buffering, apps should have a feature to adjust the video quality automatically.
- Text Chat: Text chat will help to solve minor issues. Text can’t distract doctors from other patients.
- Payment Details: It is a vital feature of telehealth app development. The user can pay a fee to the doctors through a custom payment service or a third-party system.
- Rating System: This feature will help the patients to find trustworthy doctors. Users can rate the doctors after their treatment and leave a comment.
- Notifications: This feature will help the user to remember their appointments and regular updates on your app.
Telehealth App Development Features for Physicians
- Physician profile: Doctors have to mention their specialization, experience, expertise, and more.
- Calendar management: It gives an admin role to doctors in patients’ Calendars. The doctors can set the appointment according to their schedule.
- Viewing Electronic health records: Through this feature, doctors can see the medical history of the patients.
- Communication: Telehealth app development should have a two-sided communication between patient and doctor. Doctors can able to text their patients to inquire about their health conditions.
Benefits of Telemedicine Software Development
From increased accessibility and convenience for patients to improved efficiency and reach for physicians, telehealth services transform the way healthcare is provided.
Benefits for Patients
- Convenient: Patients can connect with healthcare providers remotely using mobile devices
- Bridges the gap: Rural or remote areas are no longer barriers to quality healthcare. Telemedicine connects patients to medical experts wherever they are.
- More Safer: By avoiding crowded healthcare settings, critical patients reduce the risk of exposure to contagious diseases.
- Seamless care, anytime, anywhere: Timely medical advice, consultations, and prescriptions can be received without visiting a physical clinic or hospital.
Benefits for Physicians
Care Beyond Borders: By leveraging the power of remote diagnosis and treatment, physicians can extend their medical expertise to a broader patient population, transcending the limitations of geographical boundaries.
Optimize Time and Resources: With telemedicine, physicians can reduce or eliminate the need for travel between different clinics or hospitals, as they can connect with patients remotely using telecommunication technology.
Reduces Administrative Load: Telemedicine reduces the extra work associated with managing physical appointments, such as scheduling, paperwork, and waiting times.
Seamless Collaboration: Physicians can easily consult with specialists or colleagues, regardless of their physical location. This virtual collaboration enhances the quality of care.
Electronic Health Records: Telemedicine offers real-time access to patient records and medical data. This further streamlines the decision-making process for physicians.
Continuity of Care: Physicians can remotely monitor and follow up with their patients, ensuring that treatment plans are implemented effectively and progress is tracked over time.
Benefits for Owners of Medical Institutions
For owners of medical institutions, the implementation of telemedicine software can lead to improved patient satisfaction and increased revenue. By offering telehealth services, medical institutions can attract a wider patient base and retain existing patients who value the convenience and flexibility that telemedicine provides.
Additionally, telemedicine software reduces operational costs associated with traditional in-person consultations, such as staffing and infrastructure expenses. This can result in significant cost savings for medical institutions while maintaining high-quality healthcare services.
Technologies Behind Telehealth App Development Services
The following are the technologies involved in Telehealth Application Development:
- Artificial intelligence: Chatbots are the most promising AI in telemedicine. Doctors cannot be available 24×7. So, a simple FAQ chatbot should be in the app. It only answers users’ questions regarding the doctor’s schedule.
- Internet of Things: The IoT is another example of telehealth technology. In the case of an emergency, get an urgent notification. It has a feature to set a pill schedule without involving the patients.
- Cloud storage: Cloud storage will help patients and doctors store health reports. We have two options: cloud and on-premise.
- Blockchain: Both doctors and patients can share data in a secure encrypted format. It helps to make a telemedicine app more secure.
- Big Data: Health organizations generate and process a large amount of information. Big data enables these organizations to collect electronic health reports. With the help of the gathered information, the patients will get better care, do medical research, reduce healthcare costs, etc.
- Deep learning: It helps to obtain a vast amount of medical data. It helps in the decision-making process regarding predictions about patients’ well-being.
How much does it cost to develop a telemedicine app?
With most countries embracing telehealth services, there has never been a better time to enter this lucrative market. But how much does telemedicine app development cost?
The answer is not straightforward. Telemedicine app development cost depends on various factors such as the size/location of the development team, integrations, features, etc.
Cost by Application-Type
Basic Telemedicine App: The development cost for a basic telemedicine app can fall within the lower range, starting from $40,000. The emphasis is on simplicity and core functionality, making it an affordable option for healthcare providers looking to offer remote consultations.
Advanced Telemedicine App: A telemedicine app with features such as EHR/EMR integration, e-prescription, remote patient monitoring, data security etc will definitely cost more. The development cost can range from moderate to high.
Specialized Telemedicine App: These apps cater to specific medical fields or niches, such as mental health, dermatology, or radiology. These apps may require tailored functionalities and integrations, resulting in a higher development cost compared to generic telemedicine apps.
Cost by Team-Type
In-house Development Team: Building a telemedicine app with an in-house team provides better control over the development process. However, hiring and maintaining a dedicated team of developers, designers, and testers increases the overall cost siginificantly. .
Outsourced Development Agency: Partnering with a trusted development agency can be a cost-effective approach to developing a telemedicine app. The agency’s expertise and experience in app development can result in efficient development cycles and reduced costs.
Hybrid Approach: A hybrid approach involves forming a core in-house team that manages the project’s vision, requirements, and quality assurance while outsourcing specific development tasks to external specialists or agencies.
Cost by Location of a Team
Onshore Development Team: Onshore teams may offer advantages like better communication, cultural familiarity, and proximity, but they come with a premium price tag. Onshore Telehelath app development generally results in higher development costs due to higher salaries and living costs.
Offshore Development Team: Opting for an offshore telehealth app development services in countries like India can significantly reduce the development cost. These countries have a pool of skilled developers who offer competitive rates compared to their counterparts in higher-cost regions.
Nearshore Development Team: A nearshore team combines the benefits of offshoring, such as cost savings, with the advantages of better time zone alignment and ease of communication. Nearshore can strike a balance between cost and collaboration, making them an appealing telemedicine app development.
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Telehealth App Development cost with examples
Now that you know the way we determine telehealth app development cost, let’s dive into the process for creating the cost estimate.
The most basic telehealth app will cost you between $50,000 to $80,000. If you build a telemedicine app with full features, the cost can be around $1,50,000 to $2,50,000. The average time taken to develop a telehealth app can be between three to twelve months.
How is Telehealth App Development Cost Estimate Calculated?
There are two ways to estimate the cost of telehealth app development:
Rough estimate: It is calculated in the discovery phase. Its accuracy may vary from 25% to 75%.
Detailed estimate: It has 100% accuracy. It is based on wireframes, project specifications, and other documentation.
Examples of Telehealth Applications:
- Doctor on Demand: A US-based telemedicine app. The app provides a wide range of healthcare services.
- Teladoc: It is another US-based telemedicine app with annual revenue of $605.5 million.
- MDiv: It connects medical and pediatric doctors, patients, and insurers in the US and globally.
Pitfalls of Telehealth App Development
Any application is bound by some pitfalls & perks. After getting the perks of Telehealth app development, now let’s analyze the drawbacks of the healthcare technology trends.
- Technological concerns for healthcare providers: Finding the right platform for healthcare providers can be challenging.
- Security: The leak of the patient’s data can be one of the major disadvantages of telemedicine apps.
- Insurance coverage: It is provided for reimbursement in some states.
- Internet connectivity: If there is a problem with internet connectivity, the telehealth app development will fail.
- Video quality: The video quality should be higher. So that the doctor sees the symptoms of the patients.
- Limitations for doctors: The telemedicine app can’t do anything when it comes to serious health.
- Subscription: The users have to pay regardless of whether they use the app or not.
- Fees: For each transaction, Telehealth apps charge a fee from the patient or provider.
- Monetization strategies for Telehealth apps: Any app won’t last long without funding. It’s time to go through the main revenue strategies for telemedicine software development.
Conclusion
Telehealth app development companies have been in great demand in recent years as the healthcare industry is alive with their advanced technology and development services. So, take a brief look at how a Telehealth app can improve your experience with patient interaction. Additionally, you will get a complete idea of the various considerations that you need to figure out a fully developing telehealth app for your company. Also, check out the benefits of using telehealth apps rather than scheduling appointments with patients in person. I hope by reading all the information about telehealth app development, you might have got an idea of why you need to consider it for your business growth. So, let’s build something bigger together and help for a greater cause in the healthcare industry.
FAQs
Q1.What are the key benefits of developing a telehealth app?
Telehealth applications provide many advantages, such as better patient convenience, shorter travel distances, more access to healthcare services, and better chronic disease monitoring. They also assist healthcare practitioners in reaching a larger patient base and improving their workflow.
Q2. What are the essential features of a telehealth app?
A telehealth app’s key features include secure video conferencing, appointment booking, electronic health records (EHR) integration, patient and provider authentication, secure messaging, prescription administration, and real-time notifications. These characteristics offer a smooth and efficient healthcare delivery experience.
Q3. How much does it cost to develop a telehealth app?
The cost of developing a telehealth app can vary widely based on factors like app complexity, features, development team location, and technology stack. On average, a basic telehealth app might cost between $50,000 to $150,000, while more advanced apps with additional features can exceed $300,000.
Q4. What are the common pitfalls in telehealth app development?
Common difficulties include failing to comply with healthcare rules (such as HIPAA), designing an insufficient user experience, not implementing proper data security measures, integrating poorly with current healthcare systems, and underestimating the need for continuous support. Addressing these concerns early in the development process is critical.
Q5. How can I ensure the success of my telehealth app?
To ensure the success of your telehealth app, prioritize rigorous market research, user-centric design, adherence to healthcare legislation, strong security measures, and seamless connection with other health IT systems. Furthermore, engaging in user training, offering outstanding customer service, and continually updating the app based on user input are all critical measures.
