Telemedicine App: Development, Features & Cost

Telemedicine is the use of online communications between patients and their medical care providers. With the advancements in the technological sector, telemedicine app development has brought many improvements in the healthcare sector. The telemedicine application is made up of technologies that improve your medical experience, increase your patient engagement. There are different technologies used in building a telemedicine application, such as artificial intelligence, IoT (Internet of things), blockchain, etc.

Ever since the covid-19 pandemic has hit us, telemedicine helped medical care providers with broadening out their services. Telemedicine helped them in providing immediate results to patients, at all times. 

According to many reports, the telemedicine industry could cross $175 billion by the end of 2021.

What should a hospital consider if they want to build their own telemedicine application?

1. The hospital should keep in mind what they need the application for.

2. How much advantage can it bring to their systems?

3. What challenges hospitals might have to face?

4. Feature of the telemedicine application.

5. Is it budget-friendly? Or not?

Why should hospitals get their own telemedicine application?

The advancements in the healthcare sector are just starting to grow. These new applications are now not only optional but necessary for the healthcare sector. Many hospitals around the world are supporting telemedicine application development solutions, it helps the hospital avoid complex situations and works efficiently. Hospitals can build the application of their choice.

How much advantage can it bring to the healthcare sector?

Since the application operated everything online, it brings the following advantages to hospitals

1. Telemedicine apps development services can help patients in the time of an emergency, patients can contact their medical care provider and get instant treatments and prescriptions.

2. The application monitors patients 24/7 hence making it easier to provide care anytime and from anywhere. This is helpful for patients who ask too many questions.

3. Telemedicine app development companies provide patients with specialist care, these can be available to patients residing in remote areas.

4. Patients do not have to travel to hospitals that are far from their house, they can access any doctor from anywhere.

5. The treatment they get from the telemedicine application is less expensive. The extra hospital charges are cut down.

6. Medical centres no longer have to keep patient records written. The telemedicine app saves all the patients information. The information can be accessed by doctors anytime.

What challenges hospitals might have to face?

 

1. With the growing use of applications in different industries, the chances of any mishappening have become common. While developing a telemedicine application, the following things should be kept in mind. The developers should keep in mind that the application should be HIPAA bound. This ensures that the patient data will not be shared with anyone but their medical care provider. The application connects a medical care provider and patients together, hence it should keep in mind the security concerns of both.

 

2. Connectivity can cause problems when communicating with a patient online. In many areas, internet connectivities are not very strong. This can make the video conferencing between patient and doctors buffer. Poor internet connectivity can also cause patient files to deliver late. 

 

3. Telemedicine might be the easiest solution for the young generation but the old generation can experience problems. Operating entire online systems can confuse them, rather than helping. Older patients might have to keep a medical carer with them at all times.

 

Feature of the telemedicine application for the healthcare sector and for patients

Healthcare sector -

1. Schedule appointments online - Scheduling appointments online makes it easier for healthcare providers to attend to more patients.

2. Saves the patient’s medical data - The telemedicine application helps save all the patient data from the first appointment to the last.

3. Receive all patient payments online - The application makes it easier for hospitals to receive the patient bills online, keeping track of every previous payment as well.

4. Record video & phone call appointments - You can record all your appointments with patients.

5. List of specialists - Telemedicine applications allows you to list specific specialists from different fields.

6. Increased hospital revenue - Telemedicine applications help hospitals in cutting down the extra expenses for patient care.

 

Patients -

1. Book appointments - Patients can book appointments with their doctors online. 

2. Find a specialist for your problems - Patients can use the telemedicine application to find a specialist for their illnesses.

3. Secure data exchanging platform - Telemedicine apps are HIPAA bound, hence all the data shared by them will be safe.

4. Save time and travelling expenses - The application helps in saving patients time by handling all the activities online. This cuts down on the travelling costs a patient pays to get to a hospital.

5. Make all your payments online - Instead of going to the hospital, patients can easily send payments from a telemedicine application.

6. Lower risks of infections - Telemedicine application prevents healthy patients from catching any infections from seriously ill patients.

How much should hospitals spend on building telemedicine applications?

Choosing how much to spend on telemedicine software development can be tricky. One should make this decision strategically. The cost of a telemedicine application would vary upon the client’s project.  The more features you ask for, the more money you will have to pay software developers. The process involves coming up with a plan, the complexities of building the application. The timeline you provide to software engineers. And most importantly the budget you have in mind.

If healthcare providers want to keep up with the new technologies in the healthcare sector to keep their customers satisfied, they need to invest more in telemedicine application development. More telemedicine software development companies are coming into the market to invest their time and services for the betterment of hospital care and patient services.

Developing a telemedicine application can be very tricky, a little more on the expensive side, but do not worry. Once you have your own telemedicine application everything will turn much simpler. Your patient engagement and health will increase, your patient reach will increase. Helping your hospital in the longer run.