Over the last few decades, the medical and healthcare field has advanced at an impressive rate. Thanks to this progress, medical mobile app development is a necessity for healthcare organizations of all sizes. From booking doctors’ visits, processing insurance claims and viewing bills to controlling medical devices like insulin pumps, the uses for medical apps are endless.
For many medical professionals, however, the mobile app development process is a foreign concept. In this post, we’ll explore some key concepts to understand before beginning development.
Quality Medical Mobile Apps are an Investment
Taking on an app development project is no small feat but it can pack a powerful ROI. Generally speaking, it costs a minimum of $75k to produce a useful mobile application. When you pair general development with the specialized needs of the medical field – such as HIPAA compliance – the required investment grows.
At 7T, it’s not uncommon for clients to come to us with a failed development project that needs to be “fixed.” Often times, this simply means it needs to be re-developed. In an effort to save money upfront, many companies will opt for offshore development or try to rely on internal teams. While there is merit in trying to save money, developing a medical or healthcare mobile app requires reliable expertise that prioritizes patient privacy and compliance.
Awareness of reasonable app development costs is essential to a well-executed development project. It’s always better to have an app developed once, the right way, than to “save” money at first and have to redevelop the product.
Healthcare Apps Require Unparalleled Security
We know the story all too well – an unexpected data breach puts millions of customers’ personal data at risk for identity theft. When it comes to healthcare data, there is no room for security mishaps. HIPAA alone has several compliance requirements, including automatic log-off, emergency access, unique user identification and encryption standards.
When you pair HIPAA compliance with GDPR – a global standard for data privacy established by the European Union – placing mobile app and data security protocols in expert hands safeguards your organization from disaster.
We all agree that patient information deserves the utmost respect and privacy. Landing a spot on a list like “The 10 Biggest Healthcare Data Breaches in 2019” creates a near-irreparable mark on an organizations’ reputation. Data breaches can also damage patient trust for years to come.
With this in mind, compliance isn’t something to be dreaded. Instead, compliance is a tool that allows medical organizations to better serve their patients. Understanding its functions and implications is critical to a successful healthcare app development project and an enduring mobile strategy.
Healthcare Mobile Apps Need to be User-Friendly
Everyone needs access to quality healthcare – not just the tech-savvy among us. That’s precisely why developing an intuitive, user-friendly app interface is so important.
For a lot of medical executives, addressing the UI/UX (user interface and user experience) design for healthcare apps may seem like a low priority. However, producing a useful, navigable user interface (UI) means the difference between an impactful ROI and a nonexistent one.
If users are unable to figure out how to complete their desired action, such as viewing patient records from a recent round of lab work, the app is a failure. Choosing a development partner with a seasoned design team can help your organization create an app that’s accessible to the broad range of patients that benefit from your organization’s care.
Find a Partner You Can Trust
If your medical organization is looking for mobile app development services, it’s important to find a trustworthy, transparent, and highly-experienced partner that can help you achieve optimal design and security for a reasonable investment.
With several healthcare and medical mobile app development projects under our belt, 7T may be the right partner for your needs. We can help your business with mobile application development services, custom software development solutions, data management, security and more. Reach out to our team for more information.
