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Healthcare Mobile App Development Costs, Benefits & Features

Stuti Dhruv
healthcare app development cost

Medical facilities have become more costly around the globe and the demand for digital solutions is booming. The expense of developing a healthcare app is rising in lockstep with the rest of the market. In the last ten years, development spending has risen massively and will continue to rise. These costs are increasing due to the time-consuming nature of health app development, compliance with various security regulations, and the constant proliferation of emerging technology. There is no one-size-fits-all method for implementing a development project. What counts is that the product addresses challenges for your company and adds value to your consumers. A medical application project may be completed with only one full-stack engineer.

Types of Healthcare Apps

The platform you use will influence your costs. Let us look at the most popular categories of healthcare apps and their key features.

EHR programs were first developed in the 1970s, but it was not until recently that they were broadly embraced and assisted by smartphone applications. There are also problems with EHR adoption; for example, patients frequently encounter device glitches, which can have a detrimental impact on medical treatment. Because of malware attacks and general privacy issues, certain people chose to opt-out.

The selling of medical details to third parties is a significant issue that exists daily. Apps that enable patients to view and maintain their medical information are an exciting field for growth. Currently, only a few hospital apps have EHR control, but several people are interested in this functionality.

The connection between doctors and patients is one of the most desired features for modern consumers. You may create an appointment scheduling program for a specific hospital or a whole region. Doctor accounts, a schedule with the ability to incorporate and change appointments, and payment processes would also need to be integrated. Notifications can also be sent out to inform consumers about upcoming appointments.

Most people want the ability to speak with physicians in real-time without having to attend physically. Telehealth programs include all city dwellers with busy schedules and those who live in remote communities with little access to healthcare. Integration with a video chat client is needed to create a telemedicine app.

It has become commonplace to look up symptoms on the internet. Moreover, it has become simpler and more reliable thanks to websites and smartphone applications supported by health researchers and practitioners.

Mental health apps account for a sizable portion of the health app industry. They will associate users with psychologists, give self-assessment quizzes, and monitor and evaluate health details.

Benefits or importance of healthcare mobile apps

Healthcare mobile apps play significant roles in doctors, patients, and other staff’s lives. Below are some of the top reasons why developing healthcare mobile apps is a viable business venture:

Through healthcare mobile apps, it becomes easy for doctors to communicate with fellow doctors and patients, too, for better patient care routines and processes.

Streamlined communication among doctors and patients enables doctors to make informed decisions, especially diagnosis, which improves overall patient care.

Patients, too, can figure out proper approaches to taking care of their health, especially when they receive timely results after some tests.

Tracking and monitoring different medical procedures for different patients can be a hectic and complex process. However, with healthcare mobile apps designed as patient-centric, it becomes easy to involve patients to be part of the process. In this case, individual patients can access and manage their respective medical records, prescriptions, and scheduled appointments without having to visit the doctor’s office or hospital facility.

In the wellness field, for instance, users can easily connect and follow guidelines from health professionals through videos and audio as long as they have the respective app.

Nutrition and exercise guidelines are also available through such mobile apps, hence encouraging healthy living habits among users.

Healthcare facilities handle massive amounts of data from different users. From medical files to medical records, it can be hard and complex to keep an eye on every patient’s details. Important data and details could be lost easily. However, in healthcare mobile apps, through AI and blockchain integration, it becomes easy to store and secure all forms of data, including confidential details. What’s more, it becomes easy to manage appointments to avoid confusion and misunderstandings among patients.

Healthcare mobile apps often have payment getaways integrated for streamlined payment processes. This makes work easier for app users, especially those with disabilities and those who are old. Again, those living in areas with difficult transportation facilities (remote areas) can make online payments and access medical and healthcare services through such apps.

Healthcare mobile apps keep all the records of a patient. This way, it becomes easy to evaluate the behaviors and patterns of specific patients overtime, hence a better way to provide patient treatment and monitor the patient’s progress overtime.

In fact, doctors can study an individual patient’s behavior and pattern and then create an appropriate treatment plan for better health.

We are in an era where many people prioritize measures that can save time while giving the ultimate convenience. In this case, healthcare mobile apps help patients connect with doctors from anywhere, hence highly convenient. What’s more, patients don’t need to travel to hospital facilities, hence saving transport costs. All they need is a relevant app that will help them accomplish their goals.

Doctors, on the other hand, can have a detailed overview of the patient’s details, hence scheduling appointments appropriately in relation to their availability. This creates a higher level of convenience for doctors and patients, too.

Healthcare app features 

Users may conveniently personalize their details or profile that is available to the public utilizing this tool.

The map and other statistics are readily visible to the customer and can be personalized based on their consumption details.

The consumer will use this feature to look up doctors and whatever else they want. Even the search box has auto-completion and feedback.

This functionality reminds the consumer of their regular exercise schedule or medication dose.

This functionality allows consumers of the mobile app to view all of the updates and live videos provided by doctors and clinicians in the areas of fitness, diet, wellness, Zumba, meditation, Yoga, and much more in real-time.

This functionality helps consumers to log in or sign up for the healthcare smartphone app using their email address or social networking profiles such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

You will conveniently provide the users with a chat service with a licensed practitioner who would be accessible on the smartphone platform to provide useful consultation using this feature.

Patients may pay their treatment charge directly from the smartphone thanks to an in-built payment processing mechanism in the healthcare mobile app.

Users can conveniently monitor their health with this function by utilizing different elements on their wireless computers.

Step-by-step Healthcare mobile app development process

Healthcare mobile app development is a process that requires specific tools and technology. Most importantly, it is a process that requires the experts to follow well-defined steps to produce a fully functional and well-performing healthcare mobile app.

Once you establish the type of healthcare mobile app you need to develop, you can then follow the steps below for a complete process:

Start the process by doing in-depth research to evaluate the problems you need to solve with the healthcare mobile app, define your target audience, then app features & requirements, legal requirements, and integrations with other systems. These insights will give you an overview of the app’s functionality and its relevance in the healthcare sector. Besides, you will understand the rules and regulations you must adhere to as you venture into the healthcare mobile app development field to avoid crossing the line with the relevant authorities.

With the insights you’ve collected in the previous state, you can now design the overall architecture of the app, including the system database, API integration, and user interface.

As you design the app’s architecture, keep the focus on scalability and an intuitive design to accommodate the emerging future technologies and trends in the healthcare sector.

With the architecture overview, you are now in a better position to select the relevant tech stack in accordance with what you need to achieve.

You only need to factor in the security, scalability, and compatibility with the set healthcare guidelines like FHIR and HL7.

Some of the major tech stack in this case include

At this point, you have all the app requirements, the app architecture, and the required tech stack. You can now begin the process by building frontend and backend development.

For frontend development, create a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate interface. You can use frameworks such as Flutter, React, or Vue.js for a compelling frontend of the app.

Backend development, on the other hand, uses the appropriate frameworks while prioritizing regulatory compliance and data protection.

After completing backend and frontend development, you can now begin integrating APIs to include the required functionalities within the app. The integrations can include data analytics, payment processing, telemedicine, or electronic health records (EHR), among others.

API integration enhances the app’s functionality, performance, and overall user satisfaction.

After API integration, you need to ensure that security and privacy measures are implemented within your app. Therefore, put in place secure authentication measures, solid data encryption techniques, and regular security audits.

Don’t forget to factor in the set healthcare industry rules and guidelines that secure patient data and privacy.

Once you’ve facilitated API integration and ensured security measures of your healthcare app, you’ll need to test the app first to verify its functionality and performance in relation to your initial goals and objectives.

During this period, identify any bugs and issues as you resolve them. Check also if the app meets the required rules and regulations in the healthcare industry.

At this point, you have your complete app with all the required features. You can now launch and activate your app on the relevant platforms (Google Play Store or App Store). Review the app’s performance, gather user feedback and reviews, check security issues, and adjust where necessary.

After the deployment of the healthcare mobile app, that is not the end. You need to keep updating and improving the app in relation to user feedback, advancing technology, and emerging trends in the healthcare sector. The process includes adding relevant features and upgrading the app to align with the changing user preferences. This will ensure your app stays in the market for a long while beating the competitive market.

Healthcare app development cost

The cost to develop a healthcare app is on average $20,000– $25,000 not including post-launch maintenance and promotion. However, for complicated solutions, this number is insufficient.

An efficient health care smartphone app includes a wide range of functions. Besides, the expense of developing a healthcare mobile app is determined by a variety of variables, including the kind of mobile app you choose to develop and the functionality and functionalities you choose. The expense of creating a healthcare smartphone app is challenging to predict.

Additionally, the healthcare app development cost is determined by the device on which you choose to develop your mobile app (Android/iOS/Cross Web (Flutter)) and the region in which the custom mobile app development business is based. An app development company in the United States costs about $150–250 per hour, an app development company in Europe charges about $85–150 per hour, and an application development company in India charges about $15–$25 per hour.

Factors that influence different healthcare mobile app development prices

We’ve seen the different types of healthcare mobile applications. Well, the cost of developing these apps isn’t constant as it varies based on the factors below:

You can select frameworks for either iOS or Android platforms. The type of platform selected requires different technologies, resources, time, features, and talent to build a useful healthcare medical app.

The prices will therefore vary. For instance, a native app will require approximately $400000 as compared to a hybrid healthcare app that will require approximately $600000 for the whole process.

Depending on the aim of the healthcare app, the UX/UI designs will vary to meet the client’s specifications and to meet the user’s needs. The UX/UI, therefore, plays a crucial role in determining the features, resources, and technology to use to achieve a specific UX/UI design, thus affecting the overall cost of building such an app.

A healthcare mobile app developer in the US won’t charge the same as a developer from Asia or Africa. This is because of a number of elements, such as living standards, level of experience, among others.

Below is a simplified table showing healthcare mobile app development charges based on the location of the developers.

Developer’s Location

Approximate Charges Per Hour

North America (the USA, Canada, etc.)

$80-$150

Europe (UK, France, Italy, etc.)

$45-$100

Gulf Countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc.)

$30-$120

Asia (India, Russia, Japan, China, etc.)

$15-$50

Australia & New Zealand

$35-$150

A healthcare medical app is a technical app that requires some measures put in place to ensure the patient’s data is secured. Besides, these regulations ensure the safely medical practices that ensure all patients are handled professionally. With this in mind, the apps require extensive features and application of complex technology to comply with the rules and regulations, thus affecting the overall costs of developing such an app. Here are some of these rules & regulations include the following:

Issued by IMIA – international medical informatics association and WHO – world health organization, these rules and regulations for mobile apps help to monitor medical information and medical practices given to app users.

These are regulations put in place to enhance data protection and data encryption for all app users. Therefore, a healthcare medical app should comply with HIPAA-Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation guidelines.

Good read: GDPR vs HIPPA Compliance

All healthcare mobile apps should follow advertising and marketing rules to avoid spreading false or misleading information.

The tech stack you choose contributes largely to the overall costs of healthcare mobile app development. Depending on the nature of the app you are developing, you might need several tech stacks and frameworks to complete the processes seamlessly. This calls for expert developers in specific healthcare tech stacks who can implement the processes as required. Of course, hiring different developers will attract different costs for developing such apps. Again, some apps will require the integration of advanced technologies such as IoT and AI, hence more costs.

The healthcare industry is wide. Therefore, the cost of developing a healthcare mobile app varies widely depending on the type of features and the number of features you need to integrate into such apps.

Some common features in medical apps that affect the overall costs include the following:

The cost of integrating an appointment scheduler management system in a healthcare mobile app can range between $1000 and $2000, thus impacting the overall cost of developing such an app.

These are among the many features that a fully functional healthcare mobile app must have to complete the needed tasks. Integrating such features and systems requires extra costs, thus adding up to the overall development costs.

The cost of developing a healthcare mobile app also depends on the type of app you are developing, how complex it is, and the goals you want to achieve with the app. Different healthcare apps require different development approaches and technologies, thus price variations.

Tips to reduce the cost of healthcare mobile app development

There is no doubt that developing healthcare mobile apps comes at a cost that, if not well planned, can leave you bankrupt, especially if you are new or lack adequate knowledge of the mobile app development industry. Luckily, you can strategize and minimize the overall costs and save on budget. Here are some practical tips that will help you develop healthcare mobile apps while saving at the same time:

If you happen to develop a healthcare mobile app without defining your users, you are likely to get a huge loss. Therefore, research the market trends, identify gaps, define the user audience, and validate your idea.

Conduct interviews and surveys as you involve end users, identifying their challenges and pain points, and then devise a strategic idea that will help solve all these challenges.

The research helps you minimize market risks, work with a plan, focus on your objectives, and, most importantly, produce an app tailored to meet end-user needs.

Agile methodology gives the developers ultimate flexibility to adjust the app by adding or removing some elements to ensure the app aligns with industry trends and changing user needs.

It is easy to review and upgrade an app under development, testing, and deployment stages with agile methodology. Reviewing and refining the app’s features and functionalities ensures the final product will penetrate the market seamlessly, thus a higher return on investment.

What’s more, you will avoid costly mistakes with agile methodology, thus helping you save on development costs, especially since you will be utilizing the resources to the maximum.

An MVP is a basic version of the healthcare app you intend to develop. An MVP has basic features for basic functionalities.

With an MVP, you get to launch your app to the market early enough, collect user feedback, and refine your final product to align with what users need. This approach helps you use resources well without wasting some resources that won’t be viable in the long run. Besides, this approach helps you save time by developing and launching the appropriate product to the market.

Another tip that will help you save on healthcare mobile app development is outsourcing development services from the Aalpha Information Systems’ team.

Hiring expert engineers to handle different aspects of your healthcare mobile app can be costly compared to outsourcing the same development services, where you will get professional services all under one roof. In this case, you don’t need to hire designers, frontend developers, and backend developers separately. You get all these services at a go once you outsource development services, thus saving you on costs, and you don’t need to worry about the quality of the final product.

How to Monetize healthcare mobile apps

Finally, you have your healthcare mobile app. However, how will you benefit from the apps? How will you generate revenue from such apps? Below are the best monetization strategies for healthcare mobile apps:

This is an effortless approach to earn from healthcare mobile apps. You only need to strategize the approach to attract personalized and insightful ads to attract users.

Technologies such as beacon transmitter, NFC – near field communication, and RFID – radio-frequency identification will help you tailor and generate ads that align with user location.

In this model, you simply include advanced features through which users must pay to access them while offering the health app for free.

You can include a subscription model or a one-time payment plan. Include regular offers here and there while limiting trials to specific timelines as you attract more users.

Use user insights to identify user patterns, noting the areas with higher conversions, and use the insights to attract more users.

Finally, you can monetize your healthcare mobile app through subscription models. This model is likely to work, especially because healthcare mobile apps connect doctors with patients. You can decide to include yearly, quarterly, or monthly subscription plans to generate more revenue.

Wrapping up

When you have a clear idea about what you want your product to be, search for developers that have experience in the healthcare sector. Examine their holdings and do regular interviews with the team to ensure you are on the right track. Bear in mind that the overall cost of developing a healthcare app is determined by the kinds of apps you choose to create, the number of developers you hire, the production country, and the functionality you want in your app.

Healthcare Application Development FAQs

How can I know when a healthcare mobile app is successful?

You only have to study and understand the target audience, then include features and technologies that will enable your target audience to achieve their goals by using the app. Above all, make sure you hire the right development team for quality results.

What are the approximate charges of developing a healthcare mobile app per hour?

The cost of developing such an app varies based on a number of elements described in this guide. However, you can expect the charges an hourly range of $15 to $25 from Aalpha information systems.

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Also check: medical software development process

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