Create A Telemedicine App Like Doctor On-Demand
Amid coronavirus outbreak, Telemedicine apps like Doctor-on-demand app are witnessing an influx of patients. The dramatic expansion in demand has overburdened this unprepared sector. Telemedicine companies are facing backlogs due to this sudden surge and opting for a telemedicine app development project. The World Health Organization counted telemedicine among essential services in its policy; Strengthening the Health Systems Response to COVID-19. It is observed as an alternative to clinical decision and services support in this policy given by WHO. On the increasing burden on healthcare apps, the CEO of AmWell; a telemedicine company in Boston, said, “But you’re very quickly getting to a point where the supply of medical services isn’t there. We need to have enough clinicians to allow us to handle that incoming volume.” Undoubtedly, this is an unprecedented period of healthcare services’ shortage. This calls entrepreneurs to discover the solutions for how to develop a telemedicine app like Doctor-on-demand and empower healthcare providers. In fact, it is a lucrative prospect to develop a healthcare app for your business!
Why should you create a telemedicine app like Doctor-On-Demand? Telemedicine Market Growth: The COVID crisis is not alone to contribute to the growth of the telemedicine market. According to research, the global telemedicine market size is expected to reach 185.66 billion U.S. dollars by 2026. Let’s check the complete forecast report in the graph below. These stats can be even more glittery keeping in view the current situation in the telemedicine industry. Hence, starting a telemedicine app in this flourishing industry can increase the chances of your success.
Patients in Need: Imagine severe shoulder pain starts in the evening and you are afraid to go to the hospital due to the fear of catching coronavirus. You will surely look up to such an app for quick relief. And imagine you could not find an appointment due to backlogs that these companies are facing with the surging demands. How dreadful it is? There are many patients who are facing this issue every day. The people who are suffering from ailments other than coronavirus need these services urgently. Hence, your app can help many people in dire need.
Increase in Demand: During the healthcare crisis all around the world in 2020, people are searching for telemedicine online. The Google Trends for the search term “telemedicine” of the past four months give a glimpse of a rise in the demand for these services. Check the trend in the graph below.
Source – Fortune Business Insights This depicts the increase in internet users’ need for availing telemedicine services. Hence more availability will facilitate in serving this escalating demand optimally.
Community Responsibility: Do you know 7% of search queries on Google every day are health-related? This might seem like a general stat but what creates a problem here is the poor state of the healthcare information available on the internet. Online healthcare symptom checkers indicate wrong results in 66% of the cases. This not only endangers the lives of people who are seeking medical health online but also motivates people like us to work on this system. Hence, if you want to serve them then opting for telemedicine app development solutions is a perfect choice. If you are still dicey about this prospect or thinking about exploring this opportunity then you have landed at the right place. This blog will focus on everything revolving around the development of apps like Doctor-on-demand. Here are the things you will get to know about in this blog:
Benefits of creating Telemedicine App like Doctor-on demand for your Business The success story of doctor-on demand app Complete working process of a telemedicine app like doctor-ondemand Must-have Features in a telemedicine app Legal and security aspects of telemedicine app Cost of developing a telemedicine app like doctor-on-demand Steps involved in Telemedicine app development
Benefits of Creating Telemedicine App like Doctor-On-Demand for Your Business
Creating an app like doctor-on-demand will not only help in serving the community but also improves your offline healthcare system. Here are the benefits which you can reap from the telemedicine app for your business:
Facilitate Record Keeping: These apps use blockchain to record the medical data of patients as well as doctors. Being the supreme technology to store information with complete security, blockchain integration in your telemedicine app will ensure the safety of data. This provides all the information in a few clicks about a patient’s medical history, diagnosis, and treatments. It saves cost, effort, and time for doctors and other healthcare support.
Improve Management: From consultation to treatment, everything is managed seamlessly through a healthcare app. This helps in updating prescriptions, follow up consultation, and appointment booking. With this app, you will experience an improvement in the management of all the work.
Enhance Productivity: With the quick and easy availability of medical data, the decision making of doctors improves and speeds up. Moreover, when we provide video healthcare services, there is no limitation on time. The 24/7 availability of doctors improve their productivity exponentially.
Increase Revenue: Amid the COVID crisis when the demand for telemedicine has increased with many folds, your app can help you earn extra revenues. As the telemedicine app eliminates the restrictions on time and space, doctors are able to treat and consult more patients. The Success Story of Doctor-On-Demand App Development With the support of a fully-integrated technology platform, Doctor-On-Demand managed to gain acclamations from patients as well as the healthcare and technology industries. The app was featured among the top telemedicine apps by App Annie and several other app ratings and research companies. Doctor-On-Demand is the pioneer in the telemedicine industry to integrate insurance plans within their platform. The administration of this app believes in putting patients first. They have enrolled certified physicians and psychologists to provide complete body and mind care to the users. The average waiting time doctor-on-demand app takes to connect a customer with a doctor is 5 minutes. They deliver services through health plans, employers, or directly to
consumers. Since 2012, the doctor-on-demand app platform has successfully integrated laboratories, insurance companies, and pharmacies to provide end-to-end online healthcare services.
Complete Working Process of a Healthcare Apps Like Doctor-OnDemand
The working of every telemedicine app is unique in its own way. An app like this app consists of a patient app, doctor app, and an admin panel. The process of Doctor-Ondemand app development is explained in the steps below:
Registration: The patient log-in to your app and adds the symptoms and history in the registration process. This creates a profile of the patients with the app.
Advice: The registration provides the primary information about the patient based on which the admin advises further steps. The app finds a suitable healthcare service for the patient.
Appointment: Under this step, the patient schedules an appointment with a doctor based on the app’s advice and users’ choice.
Video Consultation: Finally, the doctor and patient have video conferencing via the app. During this call, the doctor understands the state of the patient, advises lab tests, prescribes medicines, etc. Payment: After availing the doctor’s services, the patient finally pays for it through the online mode of payment. The app provides receipts and recommendations for the future. Redirection: In case of need, apps like doctor-on-demand redirect a patient to pharmacy or labs for further investigation or treatment.
Must-have Features in a Telemedicine app
Doctor-on-demand has most of these features integrated into its app. Depending on the concept and budget, you can choose appropriate features for your app:
Payment Gateway Integration: Monetization of these apps is important to earn revenue and manage the cost of enrolling doctors. The per-consultation fees, membership fees, etc needs a payment gateway integration. This is one of the sensitive features which needs the healthcare development company to follow PCI-DSS rules and regulations as well as to attain the certificates. It is vital to integrate this app after taking proper safety measures to avoid the leak of sensitive information and security of money.
Push Notification: It is a feature that allows the admin to send a notification to the users whenever required. If this feature is used wisely, it can make your app highly interactive. If it is excessively utilized, it can turn off the users and force them to stop using your app. Hence, only important notifications related to app updates, appointment times, etc. should be sent as push notifications.
Calendar: This feature allows the patient and doctor to check their upcoming appointments and schedule others accordingly. This feature must have the option to edit and cancel the appointment based on availability.
Search Option: How do you search for the dress you want to purchase in an eCommerce store? The categorization and search facilitate the purpose. Hence, a search option will allow the patients to search for their doctors and other specialists. This improves the navigation of your app and contributes heavily to its success or failure.
Geolocation: You can add this function by integrating an API like Google Maps’ API or any other. This helps the patients to search for a nearby service provider in case of an emergency. Moreover, the doctors or app administration can also locate a patient with this feature in the situations of sudden healthcare emergencies.
Feedback: This feature can be used to take the review of your users about the doctors they consult with or your app admin. This facilitates in discovering the loopholes in your application. Moreover, it improves the services of your healthcare app.
Cloud Data Storage The electronic health record (EHR) is one of the most sensitive data the technology is always on the verge of losing. The test reports, prescription, and other treatment and diagnosis related data are required to be stored on the cloud to ensure safety and convenience.
Chat option: This option allows the patient and doctor to exchange files and images. This should be highly secured with end-to-end encryption. This facilitates easy communication if proper safety measures are taken during telemedicine On-demand App Development.
Audio and video session recording: It is vital to ensure you have the record of everything that happens through your app. This provides security to patients, doctors, and the administration. Crimes and frauds do not occur with a disclaimer. Hence it is better to stay prepared and equipped with safety measures. Speak to Our Expert
Legal and security aspects of Telemedicine app development solutions Being sensitive to frauds and data thefts, healthcare apps like these apps must adhere to the necessary regulations. It safeguards the app from repercussions and ensures the supreme security of data as well as money. These aspects can be divided into three categories; explained below:
Data protection: As mentioned above, data of the healthcare industry is sensitive to thefts and frauds. Hence a solid Electronic Health Record system is essential. There are various regulations region-wise which we must adhere to save our app from such threats. HIPAA and GDPR are data protection regulations for the US and EU markets respectively. The healthcare app must adhere to these acts and guidelines to ensure the optimum security of data stored in the app.
App Store Guidelines: Every app store has guidelines related to the publishing of an app. The Apple app store has more stringent regulations as compared to Android. Moreover, iOS has separate guidelines for healthcare applications. Make sure the healthcare development company you hire has knowledge about these rules and regulations. The telemedicine app must comply with these guidelines before getting published and launched in the market.
PCI-DSS Regulations: Payment gateway integration is necessary for your app. Hence the compliance with PCIDSS regulations is a must. These regulations are related to payment security and adherence to it with a license that makes your app a reliable platform. It safeguards sensitive information from leakage or theft.
Cost of Telemedicine App Development The cost of telemedicine app development depends on various factors. Changes in these factors can affect the app development cost drastically. Here are the factors on the basis of which the cost of developing an app will depend:
Concept: The concept of an app that is finalized at the first stage is a major factor in which the complete cost will depend. The types of app you will choose to develop will affect the technology and features to be included. For example, if you conceptualize to develop an app with chat support and eliminate video conferencing then obviously the development will cost less.
Feature Integration: After the conceptualization process, features are integrated along with tech-stack to execute the concept. Every feature brings with it an additional cost along with the technology’s cost with which it is developed. An app with minimal features will comparatively cost less than an app with high-end feature integration. For example, every app does not have an EHR feature. Including the electronic health record feature in your app will add the cost of security technologies. Moreover, the API integration requirement of various features also adds heavily to the overall cost of healthcare app development. Hence, add features according to your budget and needs.
Development Approach: Traditional development approaches wherein only the final product was delivered is more expensive. The agile approach to development is the best option to save costs. Under this approach, the development teams work collaboratively with the client. A constant reporting is done and the client can give their feedback. If you go for agility in telemedicine app development, you will be able to work closely and generate the first time right final outcome. This saves the cost heavily, hence, the development approach has a huge impact on the overall cost of app development.
Hiring Model: This factor depends on the mobile app development company that you partner with. An offshore company will be more budget-friendly. The hiring model impacts the cost greatly as choosing to hire app developers on an hourly, monthly, or fixed cost basis will help you reduce the cost. Moreover, when you have options in hiring models, you can choose wisely according to your project’s needs. The selection of the correct hiring model can save an incredible amount of cost. Steps Involved in Telemedicine App Development While reading about the working process, feature integration, and legal aspects related to these apps, you must have imagined and conceptualized your own app. Now, here comes the stage to execute your idea. Follow these steps to get a telemedicine app as doctor-on-demand developed: Identify Your Needs and Consult with a Professional Being an entrepreneur, you must get a clear idea of what you are aiming to develop and achieve. Identify the place where you stand today in the telemedicine market and where you wish to reach with your idea. The bitter truth here is, no matter how much you plan about your app, you will not be able to think from the perspective of a person from a technical background. Consult with the professionals of an app development company. Convey your ideas and goals. All your queries can be resolved during this stage. Moreover, this also gives you a chance to reconsider the choice of selecting a healthcare app development company as your partner. Once you are convinced with them, ask for a quote.
Finalize Budget: On the basis of the quote the Mobile App Development Company gave, you can finalize your budget. We understand it is one of the crucial factors for you as an entrepreneur. Hence, Set your budget, select the features, and technology integration accordingly. After this, search for a suitable partner for app development. It is recommended to choose a company that gives the option of various hiring models like hourly, monthly, fixed cost basis. The telemedicine app development cost depends heavily on the hiring model that you select.
Connect with Doctors and Vendors: These apps are incomplete without the enrollment of doctors. Connect with certified and reputed physicians and psychologists to provide healthcare services to the patients. Get them registered with a doctor’s profile. Depending on the concept of your app, connect with the necessary vendors. Like doctor-on-demand has a pool of labs, pharmacies, insurance providers integrated with its app. This will enhance the services of your telemedicine app. Decide Features and Tech-Stack The features which you can integrate with your app were explained above. There are different technologies that are prevailing in the contemporary market like AI, IoT, big data, blockchain, AR, etc. These technologies are necessary to uplift the performance and functionality of some of the features. While availing App Development Services consult with your partner about the additional cost of each one of them and finalize the feature and tech-stack accordingly.
Choose the Right Telemedicine App Development Company It is the step where half of your burden decreases but only if you end up choosing the right partner. How will you make the right choice? Here are the tips which you can follow: • • • • •
Make sure the provide feature and technology integration according to your choice They have a demonstrated history of creating telemedicine or healthcare apps Provide end-to-end App Development Services, from consultation to deployment Flexible hiring models which allow hiring developers on an hourly, monthly or fixed-cost basis An acclaimed telemedicine app development company that offers dedicated hiring of certified and experienced developers.
Test and Deploy This stage might be the last and final but it is equally crucial than others. In fact, in some ways, it is more crucial. Rigorous testing is essential to ensure all the other stages where done right. Shortcomings are analyzed and resolved at the testing stage to resolve all the issues.
Once the testing process is completed, an app is deployed to the app store. There are many factors that are required to be checked while publishing an app especially when it belongs to the healthcare industry. These factors should be taken care of stringently. A result-driven Mobile app development company will follow all publishing guidelines before finally launching an app. A careful deployment ensures the telemedicine app is attributed to high-performance and supreme security during its first launch.