Doctor On Demand

Since COVID-19, the healthcare industry has leveraged technology to save time and resources. Services like doctor appointment booking app development are more popular than ever, as consumers have come to expect more convenience and better service from their healthcare provider.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at doctor on-demand app development, including the benefits of using these apps and how much they cost to develop (based on recommendations from Topflight Apps). 

The Benefits of Doctor Appointment Booking App Development

The design and development of an online doctor appointment system make life easier for a lot of people. Some of the benefits include: 

  • Better Patient Outcomes

A telemedicine app makes it easier to visit clinics and hospitals, acquire prescriptions for chronic health conditions, and get proper attention from busy doctors. This improves the patient experience and the likelihood of visiting the healthcare facility again. Patient ratings are often tied to hospital budgets, which has benefits for the clinic or hospital as well. 

  • Less Paperwork

Reducing paperwork removes the strain of completing laborious forms for patients and doctors. Essential details are kept on mobile apps, which is better for the environment as well. 

  • Convenience

Telemedicine can give people in rural areas access to medicine or medical specialists around the world. It also makes it more convenient for ill, immobile, or elderly patients who are unable to travel easier to access healthcare. 

  • Better Returns

When you invest in an online doctor scheduling app development, you are investing in better returns. Patients can receive digital reminders, which increases the odds of them attending an appointment. You’ll also gain an edge over your competition, of all which can boost your revenue. 

How Does a Doctor Appointment Booking App Work?

When you develop a doctor appointment booking app, you can change the way they operate, but most of these apps follow the same pattern: 

  • To receive treatment from a doctor, the patient needs to log in to the system and create an account
  • Some apps enable patients to enter their symptoms or requirements 
  • The app can match the patient with the right specialist or doctor based on their description
  • After matching with a doctor, they can book a video call with the doctor using the in-app calendar
  • The doctor will use the video consultation to discuss treatments, assign lab tests or make recommendations 
  • The patient can make payment through a built-in payment gateway or invoice
  • The patient receives their prescriptions digitally to fulfill at a local pharmacy

Why build a doctor appointment app?

There is a massive demand for these doctor booking apps. There is a global shortage of trained and experienced medical staff. Hospitals are under extreme pressure; a survey in the US showed that some patients have to wait up to 24 days to get an appointment with a doctor. Many of these patients decide to visit the emergency room instead of waiting, which places strain on the ER and its staff. 69% of patients said they would prefer booking virtual appointments instead of waiting for offline visits. Besides, patients are used to doing everything on their phones – from ordering dinner and groceries to booking a car or hotel. Why should healthcare be any different? 

How do you make money from a doctor appointment app? 

There are many different ways you can make money off a doctor booking app, including licensing, sales of remote consulting services, sponsorship, fees per download, device sales, transactions, or even in-app advertising. You can also sell the software on a subscription basis to doctors. Membership requires that physicians pay a monthly or yearly fee or software as a service licensing fee. Other apps charge patients on a per-minute basis or charge a commission on consultations. 

Key Considerations When Developing an App

When you are developing an app for the medical industry, you have to keep specific considerations in mind: 

  • Data Security: Medical information is sensitive and protected by strict data security and compliance laws. Your developers have to understand these considerations when designing security for your app and should use password protection and encryption strategies to keep users’ data safe. 
  • User Experience: Some patients that use these apps may be ill, impaired, or elderly. The user experience should be simple, unintimidating, and easy to use. 
  • Payments: Collecting monetary compensation means you should plan to include payment gateways and tools for insurers and physicians in your app. 
  • Reviews: Ensure that patients can leave reviews for the doctors they see to boost usage and help promote physicians. 

What Are Some of The Features of a Booking App?

There are several features that every booking app should have, including:

  • A doctor panel where patients can choose their physician
  • A calendar to manage and book appointments
  • In-app messaging so doctors and patients can communicate after an appointment
  • Medical and appointment reminders
  • Real-time analytics so patients and doctors can have an overview of a patient’s health
  • Multiple payment gateways
  • Electronic Prior Authorization to facilitate insurance payments
  • Document scanning and management tools to share records and prescriptions in a secure manner

These features are quite complex to build, so you’ll need a fully-fledged dev team on your side, including Android and IoS developers, a Project Manager, Graphic Designers, UX/UI designers, and QA testers. 

The features you end up including will also determine the type of technology you’ll need. The tech stack may include the following:

  • Java, Swift, Angular, Java, CSS, and HTML for front-end development
  • Android, iOS, and Web Application platforms 
  • Python, Laravel, and Node.js for back-end development
  • Batch, Twillo, and Push for push notifications and in-app messaging
  • PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, and other e-wallets for payment processing
  • MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase, and Postgres for the database
  • Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure for the cloud environment 
  • MapKit or Google Maps for location tracking

How Much Will It Cost To Develop? 

The cost of developing an app will fluctuate dramatically based on the features you’ll include. Your most significant cost will be the cost of your developers, who can charge as much as $100,000 per year each. That’s why so many companies outsource app development to countries where the cost of living is lower, or the exchange rate is more favorable. The cost to develop one of these apps starts at around $30,000 for a very basic booking app, but it can go up to $80,000 if you add more features. 

Conclusion 

Doctor appointment booking app development has made healthcare more convenient for everyone involved. Demand will continue to grow, so make sure that you start building your app early. 

And in this blog, you can learn all the ins and outs of developing healthcare applications.

 

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