Healthcare Software Development Guide 2024 – Everything Decoded

The last decade has witnessed a significant rise in the adoption of digital transformation across various business industries, and healthcare is no exception. The global IT health market is expected to surpass USD 523 billion in 2024 with a series of mhealth apps and software solutions. 

Healthcare software projects involve stakeholders like patients, doctors, management professionals, and more. Undertaking such a project requires a deep understanding of the various aspects of end-to-end healthcare software development services.

This article helps you with an in-depth analysis of developing healthcare software solutions.

What is Healthcare Software Development?  

Software development in healthcare is an umbrella term involving developing mHealth apps, SaaS solutions, hospital management solutions, and more. These software solutions are focused on improving healthcare accessibility for patients, doctors, and other stakeholders.

Overall, designing healthcare solutions is focused on improving the accessibility and management of clinical services.  

Software development for healthcare is focussed on the following:

• Allow doctors to track patients’ health records. 
• Streamline day-to-day operations like scheduling appointments, updating health status, uploading & access reports, managing staff, etc.
• Offer a virtual hospital where patients can find and consult doctors online, make payments, order medicines, etc.

Different Types of Healthcare Software

A healthcare application can be focused on resolving different types of problems for the users. Based on whether you are trying to replicate an existing app or build an innovative solution, the custom healthcare software development company can help you with the foundation, code, and launch of the ideas.

There are various types of health software, but most focus on simplifying workflows for patients or doctors.

Custom Healthcare Software for Patients

• Healthcare Accessibility Software: Accessibility-focused health solutions allow patients to access various functional features like medical consultations, storing lab reports, paying for the services availed, and more.
• Mental Health Counseling Software: Patients suffering from mental illnesses and issues like depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and drug addictions use such apps for regular counseling from professional healthcare providers.  
• Monitoring Software: These kind of apps can be connected with wearable technology to track patients’ heart rate blood pressure, and encourage a healthy lifestyle while facilitating early detection and intervention.
• Pharmaceutical software: These digital healthcare systems allow patients to order medicines online, automate filling-in prescriptions, remind drug intakes, and more.
• Lifestyle & Fitness Apps: There can be various kinds of mhealth apps focused on improving the lifestyle habits of individuals and helping them achieve fitness goals. Such apps offer consultation with physicians, dietitians, and fitness experts and also come with scheduling capabilities like food & water intake, reminder features, etc.

Custom Healthcare Software Development for Physicians

• Telehealth: On-demand doctor appointment apps allow physicians to register themselves, offer consultations via video conferences, access medical history of the patients, and prescribe medicines.
• Hospital Management Software: These applications streamline healthcare industry administrative tasks, data management, payment processing, and more while following any key regulatory compliance.
• Claims Management Software: Such healthcare services apps allow third-party providers to automate claims and insurance of the users. 
• Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software: These apps allow patients to maintain health records online and healthcare professionals to access them for a hassle-free diagnosis. 

Latest Technology Trends in Healthcare Software

AI in healthcare is revolutionizing the capabilities of the business industry and helping with various innovative solutions. Various technology trends are leading the medical industry; the most prominent ones are:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Source

AI & ML in healthcare are deployed to process vast amounts of data, build predictive insights, and enhance patient care. They are also helpful with rapid drug development by analyzing molecular structure, massive research data, and more. ML is being used to predict possible health risks and patient outcomes.

• Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

IoMT focuses on providing users with interconnected medical devices and applications that can work with patient data in real time. Popular IoMT devices include smartwatches, fitness bands, pacemakers, insulin pumps, etc. 

• Cloud Computing

Software consulting services with cloud computing can help you build apps that ease the storage of patients’ data and medical records, host EHRs, and aid in doctor-patient interactions while improving accessibility and efficiency.

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

AR & VR in healthcare can successfully bridge the gap between virtual and real-life consultations and effectively handle pandemic or endemic issues. VR technology can improve virtual consultation, aid surgical planning, train students, and more. Markets and Markets research shows that the AR & VR technology crossed $4997.9 Million last year.  

• Big Data & Analytics

Using Big Data for software development in healthcare can help with medical imaging, predict disease outbreaks and patient outcomes, tailor custom treatments, etc. 

Building MVP vs. Full Fledged Healthcare App

Healthcare software developers can either create a full-fledged app or a Minimum viable Product (MVP) of your idea. Going with an MVP if you are testing new ideas is advisable, as it will help you gain viable market demands and mitigate risks.

An MVP is released with a few core features that attract early adopters and generate feedback. Based on the performance and feedback of the early adopters, the MVP software is integrated with new functional features and released into the market in successive iterations.

In contrast, full-fledged apps are released with various core and additional features. Building a full-fledged app is costly and suffers from high market risks. Healthcare organizations usually proceed with building an MVP (minimum viable product) to test ideas successfully at a cost-effective budget. 

7 Simple Steps of Healthcare Software Development Process

Whether you are building an MVP or a full-fledged application, the steps of the software development life cycle model are the same. The only difference lies that in the case of MVP, you keep releasing new iterations of the software with fresh features. 

Step1- Analyze the Key Problem the App Must Resolve

Releasing a mobile app that does not resolve user’s problems yields disastrous results. Successful healthcare app development involves identifying the fundamental issues and analyzing how to fix them. 

A thorough market research is critical to identify whether the idea has viable demands and how you can fill the gap with the software solution. 

Step2- Define the Target Audience

The next step is identifying the solid user base the healthcare app will cater to. Recognizing and categorizing the target audience plays a pivotal factor in enlisting the application’s core features and design elements. 

For example, if your app is focused on Gen Z and millennials, you need to consider up-to-date features and offer a minimalist and contemporary design. In contrast, building a healthcare app for the elderly involves designing large fonts & buttons for greater visibility. 

Hence, identifying the audience is critical in designing apps with the right features to deliver high UX.

Step3- Assemble Development Team 

The next step is to find a trustworthy custom healthcare software development company to handle the project. Do not neglect research when finding potential partners. Go through the company’s site and case studies to determine the quality of solutions delivered. 

Also, look for positive feedback from previous clients as it helps to analyze whether the company delivers dedicated and professional services. The chosen development partner must have a proficient team of UX/UI designers, developers, and project managers. 

Step4- Customize Scalable Design

The app’s first version could have one core feature with a few supporting features. However, the design should be scalable to upgrade new iterations seamlessly into the healthcare app.

Failing to keep scope for future designs can lead to higher time and cost in the successive iterations of the software. If you are developing a cross-platform app, the UI must be compatible with iOS and Android users. Focus on providing users with a seamless navigational journey into the application. 

Step5- Code the Software 

The next step is identifying the best programming language and technology stack for coding the application. At JS Panther, we suggest Flutter for MVP development as it helps to create robust code with seamless performance over Android and iOS devices. 

Step6- Testing & QA

Once the app is ready, it undergoes several manual and automated checks to find and eliminate bugs in the code. The process continues until the app is free from all bugs and performance issues. This phase involves subjecting the code to unit, functional, etc. testing. 

Step7- Product Release and Maintenance

At this step, if you have released a full-fledged application, the medical software developers team gets involved in the maintenance. However, if you have launched an MVP, the team stays active on the user’s feedback.

The most critical concerns are identified and aligned for resolution based on the feedback. These concerns are transformed into new features in the following app iterations. The process continues till the MVP is shaped into a fully-featured application.

Why Choose JS Panther Company to Build Your Ideas?

At JS Panther, we have a team of proficient designers and developers to build your healthcare app. Our expert team ensures HIPAA, HL7, and other medical industry regulatory compliances.  

Our team goes agile for building a secured robust code, and we offer the following:

• Dedicated & skilled programmers
• 60 Days of Project Warranty 
• Non-Disclosure Agreement
• 25 to 40 Hours Risk-Free Trial Period
• 100% Transparency
• Seamless collaboration over Calls/Live-Chats/Emails