It is forecasted that the digital healthcare market would have grown to $460 billion by 2030.
This means that the future is digital with the skyrocketing demand for custom software development.
Is the cost of a healthcare software outrageously high?
Where to start if one is in dire need of digital support?
Find the answer in the article below.
Importance of Custom Software for Healthcare Industry
A modern healthcare customer is tech-savvy and expects the same from the healthcare provider. If a provider can’t automate their data management, communication, and offer high-quality services, they lose the patient’s trust and can’t stay competitive.
Benefits for Patients and Professionals
- Better access to medical services: Telemedicine opens healthcare doors to patients with lower incomes due to telemedicine services – consulting a patient online is cheaper compared to in-hospital sessions;
- Improved customer-and-provider communication: Providers can share medical data with their patients and timely act on their requests, which results in improved patient outcomes;
- Personalized care: Custom software helps medical professionals tailor treatment plans according to the requirements. Meanwhile, patients can set medication reminders and monitor their symptoms remotely;
- Enhanced data management: All data is set in one system, while the automated data entry reduces human error, and the data analytics features help a provider analyze the trends and patterns in the treatment.
Who and Why May Need a Custom Healthcare Solution
Healthcare Providers (Both Public and Private)
A bespoke digital solution is an answer to the issues of healthcare providers, clinics and hospitals, like inefficient management of patient data, the lack of administrative tasks automation, and low patient outcomes.
Healthcare Insurance Companies
Customized medical software can help insurance companies (especially commercial players) manage claims, track and assess data with higher efficiency, personalize plans, and prevent fraud.
Pharma Businesses
Custom healthcare tools can help pharma companies improve their clinical trial management, reduce waste when it comes to managing their inventory and supply chain, and ensure their processes comply with industry regulations.
Medical Hardware Manufacturers
Engineers can focus on the safety of the manufacturer’s products during the development, ensuring they comply with regulatory requirements and expanding the functionality of devices to bring better patient outcomes.
What Factors Influence the Price of a Custom Healthcare Software
Building custom software for a healthcare segment might take months and even years (!). Commonly, a healthcare developer is a software development company. And if you want to learn more about what a healthcare development company is, check the Empeek website for valuable insights. Meanwhile, these are the factors that influence the total healthcare software project cost below.
Complexity of a Project
A complex project with a vast scope requires a bigger team of tech developers, more time, and more resources, hence the high cost. Other factors that make the project complex are multiple integrations with the provider’s in-house systems, interface design for top user experience, and enhanced robust data security.
Type of Custom Software
Electronic health records (EHR) and telemedicine tools are the most expensive to build due to the complex functionality the systems imply like upgraded data storage, security, the possibility of further customization, and integration with other systems.
Scheduling and medical billing software also fall into the category of the most complex healthcare software because of the intuitive interface and the need for the compliance with billing regulations respectively.
Development Team
Outsourcing a team of developers is a decision that will certainly optimize your budget.
Just remember that the development of complex software will require more specialists with deeper expertise along with diverse technologies – a feature that will impact the total cost of the project.
Timeline of Software Development
The number of hours a developer will devote to your project directly depends on its complexity. The longer the development takes, the more hours a developer has to put into the building process. Meanwhile, software that is easy to build will require fewer resources, hence a shorter timeline and reduced costs.
Where and How to Start if You Need Custom Healthcare Software?
First, define your project. Think of the idea, identify your business needs and the areas that require automation in the company. For instance, gather employee feedback regarding performance and work efficiency.
Once you’re ready with that, contact a developer of healthcare software or a few of them to keep your options open and compare your potential software development partners-to-be.
Ask for a consultation. A company with great on-practice experience will help you learn and choose between a cloud-based and on-premises solution, and give you advice on the functionality of the application you can benefit from the most.
Further, they’ll estimate the health software project for you and also develop a plan and timeline. Once you’re happy with the deal conditions, your cooperation will start.
Final Thoughts
Estimating healthcare software development is an elaborate process that encompasses the impact of factors like the size of the development team, the project scope, the software type, and the timeline. Anyway, asking for professional consultation from healthcare software developers is a great way to set a future kickoff of the project you’ve cherished for years.