What is Telemedicine Software Development: Features, Cost, Challenges

Even smaller, independent medical establishments have started to implement telehealth software solutions to stay relevant and convenient to their patients and not to lose the competition. By leveraging the latest telemedicine software features, healthcare providers can reap the benefits of improving their efficiency and profitability, reducing medical costs, and enhancing patient experience and quality of service.

Technologies Behind Telehealth Solutions

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

The growth of AI in the healthcare industry is accelerating at hyper speed. In the healthcare industry, AI stands for an umbrella term that includes different technologies to enable machines to sense, learn, analyze information, and act. Here are some of the important AI and machine learning technologies use cases for telemedicine software development:

• Telemonitoring

Artificial intelligence is already widely used to monitor the patient’s health remotely and check vital indicators such as blood pressure, pulse rate, weight, respiratory level, etc., remotely. Machine learning classification models analyze the data that has been sent directly from devices to identify if the patient is at risk of certain conditions and requires further monitoring.

• Diagnostics

Based on studying symptoms and medical history, AI speeds up standardization and quantification to prevent misdiagnoses. A great example is Enlitic which works on deep learning tools to streamline radiology diagnosis. It analyzes unstructured medical data (blood tests, EKGs, radiology images, etc.) to give doctors better insights into a patient's health conditions.

• Hospital Visits

Although telemedicine apps allow to significantly cut down on hospital visits, there are many cases where they are essential. First of all, AI technology allows patients to schedule their visits online and reminds them about visiting a doctor when the time comes. Secondly, AI informs staff members about the inflow of hospital visits, high-priority cases, bed assignments, etc.

Blockchain

The disappointing statistics of data breaches in the industry make security the most vulnerable aspect of going digital. Just in eight years, from 2009 to 2017, over 176 million patient records, including medical and banking information were exposed in data breaches. 

If there is a digital risk, there is a technology to mitigate it. Here comes blockchain. Blockchain is actively used for enhancing security almost in every industry today and healthcare is no exception. Blockchain allows us to securely encrypt and transfer patient data, manage supply chain processes, and even prevent the outbreak of harmful diseases. Here are other popular blockchain applications in medical care:

• Patient-centric EHRs

Poorly-coordinated care as a result of medical errors is the third leading cause of death in the US. Healthcare systems in many countries are struggling with mistakes and omissions in existing hospital records that are frequently integrated into telemedicine apps for better convenience. Blockchain-based systems for EHR/EMR link to existing software can solve this problem. A unified and secure single system to store, update and immediately retrieve data helps to avoid errors and miscommunication, provides patients with more personalized care, and ensures faster and more accurate diagnosis.

• Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are fully-digitized and automated environments that are now actively used by healthcare providers, insurers, wholesalers, pharmacists, and other healthcare actors to authenticate their identities, manage transactions and payments, and log contact information.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

The times when virtual and augmented reality were used exclusively in the gaming industry have already passed. Today, the technologies are widely leveraged for physical therapy, medical training, post-traumatic stress treatment, and a range of different purposes:

• Patient Experience

Patients greatly benefit from the implementation of VR & AR technologies in telemedicine software development. VR is used, for example, in planning the sequence of procedures and viewing the future results in aesthetic medicine and orthodontic treatment. In remote areas, where telemedicine is a 90% solution, the technology assists patients in self-diagnostics and self-guided treatment. AR navigates patients to find the nearest hospital in unknown areas which is extremely useful in case of emergency.

• Surgery Preparation

Before starting surgery, surgeons can use VR & AR solutions to walk through the organs or look through 3D models of challenging surgical procedures. 3D models of organs are also widely used for learning purposes and also to illustrate the patient's process of surgery. The Harvard Business Review Study has found that the usage of VR solutions in surgeons’ training boosted their performance by 230% compared to the traditionally trained surgeons.

• Pain Treatment

Post-surgical, gastrointestinal, and cardiac pain declines as patients are using VR to distract them from painful stimuli. It has also been proven that women in labor who were visualizing soothing landscapes with the help of VR headsets went through labor pain more easily. 

Types of Telemedicine Software

There are different types of telemedicine software applications, the 4 most common include:

On-demand Urgent Care App

It’s a type of telemedicine software that allows users to connect with a doctor virtually for getting quick medical assistance. Such apps allow users to schedule an appointment with a doctor within minutes, receive a diagnosis and treatment plan from a board-certified physician, and access a virtual pharmacy for medication delivery. 

Planned Care App 

With planned care apps users can easily connect with a doctor or other healthcare provider for scheduled visits. The app allows users to book an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare provider, view their medical history, and receive personalized recommendations for treatment. 

Mental Health App 

Mental health apps allow users to connect with a mental health professional virtually. People who are struggling with mental health issues or who do not have access to in-person mental health services are the most common users of this type of telemedicine app. The app allows users to book an appointment with a therapist, access evidence-based mental health resources, and receive personalized recommendations for treatment. 

Self-Care App

Finally, the self-care app allows users to access self-care resources and tools for managing their mental, physical, and emotional health. This type of software is especially useful for those who are interested in exploring different self-care techniques or who want to be better informed about their health. The app allows users to view and track their wellness data, access evidence-based resources, and receive personalized recommendations for self-care.

Who Needs Telemedicine Software Development?

Telemedicine software development is a vital tool for various healthcare organizations, including small healthcare facilities, medical laboratories, pharmacies, large clinics, and medical networks. These organizations need telemedicine software to meet the demands of an ever-evolving healthcare landscape, where patients expect quick and convenient access to care, regardless of location.

Small healthcare facilities, for example, can use telehealth apps to expand their reach and provide remote care to patients who may not be able to visit the facility in person. This allows them to increase patient satisfaction and reduce costs associated with transportation and lodging.

Medical laboratories and pharmacies can use telemedicine software to streamline their processes and improve communication with patients and healthcare providers. This can include the ability to securely transmit test results and prescriptions, reducing the need for patients to physically visit the laboratory or pharmacy.

Large clinics and medical networks can benefit from telemedicine software by improving the coordination and management of care across multiple locations and providers. This can include features such as electronic medical records and appointment scheduling, which can help to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Overall, telemedicine software development is a critical tool for healthcare organizations of all sizes, as it allows them to adapt to the changing needs of patients and improve the quality and accessibility of care.

What Are the Benefits of Telemedicine Software?

Telemedicine software has revolutionized the healthcare industry, providing doctors, patients, and healthcare providers with a wide range of benefits. 

First of all, by leveraging telemedicine solutions, healthcare providers have the ability to offer high-quality healthcare services to patients remotely, enabling more efficient use of time and resources, as it eliminates the need for patients to travel long distances to see a doctor. 

Secondly, healthcare providers can offer more personalized care to their patients due to the ability of instant communication between providers and patients, which guarantees more accurate diagnosis and treatment. 

Finally, telemedicine software enables healthcare providers to provide better access to care for patients in remote areas. By using telemedicine software, healthcare providers can provide patients in remote areas with the same quality of care as those in more populated areas.

Key Requirements for Telemedicine Software Development in 2023

# Regulatory Compliance and Standards

All telehealth software solutions must be built in accordance with specific regulatory and medical standards in order to protect sensitive patient data and prevent cyber security breaches in real time. Here are country-specific standards that telemedicine software must comply with:

• HIPAA (US)
• GDPR (Europe)
• PIPEDA (Canada)
• FHIR (International)
• OWASP (International)
• IEC 62304 (International)
• DICOM (International)
• Data Protection Directive (International).

It’s important to mention that not following these standards not only makes your data vulnerable but results in license revocation, enormous fines, erosion of trust, and damaged reputation.

# Security and Data Safety

Data security is the most vulnerable aspect of telemedicine apps as they are a very frequent target for various cyber attacks. Therefore it’s vital to take all the available security measures to protect the sensitive data of your patients. Namely, ensure that your telemedicine app is compliant with all the regulatory standards, use data encryption, identify widespread phishing tricks and tactics, enable multi-factor authentication, and regularly invest in employee cybersecurity training. 

# Video and Audio Conferencing

Telemedicine software solutions allow healthcare professionals to securely connect with their patients instead of giving an in-person visit. They can interact face-to-face in real-time via their mobile, desktop, or web apps instead of spending time on the way to the hospital and back.

# EHR/EMR/CRM Software Integration

The recent push for EHR/EMR has encouraged many healthcare organizations to integrate their telehealth platforms with electronic records for internal data exchange. Patients and practitioners have 24/7 access to their blood tests, prescriptions, and diagnoses, and view new information as soon as it appears.

# Mobile Telehealth App Development

Usage of mobile apps significantly prevails nowadays and not investing in a mobile telehealth app will be a big mistake due to which you’ll lose a big share of your patients. 

Telehealth Software Development Process

The process of building a custom telemedicine app is rather complicated and is divided into several main phases. Usually, there are six main software development steps in the project life cycle:

#1 Planning

The planning phase determines the main project goals and builds a high-level plan for the project. Actually, it is exactly what it sounds like: it helps to define the problem and scope of the existing systems and develop an effective outline for the upcoming development cycle.

#2 Discovery Phase

The discovery phase is the initial research that takes place before kicking off the actual development of the project. The main focus is on your target audience, their needs, and the problems they are trying to solve with your product. Why is a discovery so important for the success of your telehealth app? It helps:

1. To develop a market-driven product;
2. To ensure a great user experience;
3. To design prototypes;
4. To set a clear product direction.

#3 UI/UX Design

General ideas accumulated during the previous two stages are shifted to creating user interface elements and scenarios. UI/UX design phase consists of several stages such as design research, sketching, wireframing, visualization, and slicing.

#4 Product Development

The phase of actual telehealth app development is the most time-consuming. It starts when the customer receives a statement of work (SOW) that includes information about every aspect of telemedicine app development such as schedules, timeframes, payments, etc. 

The development process is divided into sprints during which the development team builds a previously-agreed functionality of the telemedicine app. Different software vendors use different methodologies. For example, at inVerita, we use Agile and Scrum framework so that we and our customers remain flexible and can make changes during the development process.

#5 Testing

The QA team runs multiple tests to detect any bugs or usability issues, and if there are any, sends them to developers for fixing. In most cases, this phase consists of six stages: requirement analysis, test planning, test case development, environment setup, test execution, and test reporting.

#6 Delivery and Maintenance

After the final edits and pre-launch testing, the telehealth app is moved to development. Afterward, it’s continuously maintained and updated under the agreement which outlines liabilities. We recommend adding to your maintenance plan during each stage of the development process not to miss a thing.

Challenges in Telehealth Software Development

Insufficient Data Security

Over the years data security issues have remained the main industry risk within healthcare. According to the statistics, most of the data breaches in the industry occur because of human error and only the fourth in the list is hacking. We have a great article about the most common cyber threats in healthcare and how to protect your data from them.

Lack of Scalability

Application scaling is highly important and it’s one of the main responsibilities of your software developers to ensure it. Scalable applications guarantee a good customer experience, save your money, ensure app stability, and allow you to make new adjustments according to user feedback and your business goals.

Misuse of Streaming Protocols

The invalid code and bandwidth issues result in bad video and sound quality which makes quality telemedicine service impossible to provide. However this risk is easy to mitigate, good software engineers will do it properly.

Finding a Reliable Development Vendor

With hundreds of software companies available on the market today, it may be difficult to choose the right one. The first step is to choose the country to outsource to. Don’t be afraid of cooperating with overseas vendors, they’re usually much less expensive and highly professional. Make sure you carefully examine the company's portfolio, and reviews on independent platforms, and get everything in writing.

How Much Does Telemedicine Software Cost?

The cost of telehealth software greatly varies depending on multiple factors such as the type of software, complexity of the features, the size and location of the telehealth software development team, and app integration. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict the final telehealth software cost unless all the aforementioned factors are taken into account. However, our experts can calculate the approximate telemedicine software cost during a free consultation you can arrange by following the link. 

Usually, the average telemedicine software pricing varies between $120k and $220k+. An important price factor is also the choice of the development team. It’s not a secret that outsourcing comes much more cost-effective than building an in-house team though there are a great number of outsourcing companies across the globe and their price tags also vary. Here is a comparison of some of the popular outsourcing destinations:

Our Experience

inVerita is a telemedicine software development company that specializes in full-cycle custom software development services to bridge the gap between medical practitioners and patients. By providing seamless software performance, we streamline clinical and non-clinical services such as examination, diagnostics, and e-prescription via telecommunication technology.

Our company runs the telehealth app development process in strict compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, and HITECH privacy standards and leverages storage encryption, two-factor authentication, and data wiping to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive patient data.

Telemedicine Software Development: Key Takeaways

The development of telemedicine software involves a detailed and comprehensive approach, encompassing both business and technical considerations. Regardless of the specific issue or benefit that your company aims to address, there are essential telemedicine software requirements that must be met to guarantee compliance, security, and optimal streaming performance.