How to Build an MVP for a Healthcare Startup?

An impressive growth rate and positive feedback from customers are the two main factors that have contributed to the rapid growth of telemedicine applications across the world. There are numerous studies show that by the end of  2021 the global telemedicine market size grew by 26.5 percent CAGR. The market is projected to grow to USD 475.50 billion in 2026.

The transition from visiting a physical doctor and accessing online medical services is a result of necessity and prompted by the pandemic has strengthened its position on the back of these elements.

• More consumers are willing to utilize applications for telemedicine.
• A greater willingness among health professionals and doctors to make use of the telehealth applications.
• Regulation changes that permit access to and reimbursement for mobile applications for telemedicine.

While, on the one side, telehealth applications have played a significant role in making health care more affordable and accessible for people who use them, the business has also shown potential for entrepreneurs looking to venture into the market.

According to the rock health report on digital health funding in the report, venture capital investment made in the health and digital space during the H1 of 2021 totalled $14.7 billion more than the investment made in the year 2019 – $7.7 billion. In addition, the earnings of the top 60 telemedicine mobile applications was $5.5 billion at the close of 2020.

As you can see, the need for the development of telemedicine apps isn’t just a user-generated requirement, but it is also one that will be profitable for entrepreneurs who want to venture into the field of virtual medical care.

In this article we will discuss the different elements of developing an application for telemedicine, including the different features of telemedicine apps and the price of applications for telemedicine as well as much other crucial information.

Must-have Features of Telemedicine Mobile Apps

If you work with a company that develops a telemedicine application company to develop apps for healthcare, telemedicine and healthcare, you will have two interfaces, one for the patient side and another on the physician side. Although the features for both parties are almost identical however, there are some that are exclusive to doctors or the physicians, such as payment received, and managing the EHRs of patients.

Let’s look at the various feature sets because they greatly affect the price of a mobile application for telemedicine.

1. Registration

Sign-in is the most important characteristic of every telehealth application. Patients can have the option of signing in using email or third-party applications such as Google log-in, as well as Facebook Login. In light of how vital it is to protect the information, we suggest including multi-factor authentication into your application.

2. Profile management

Another step to take for the user is to create their profile. For patients, the profile may contain basic health information as well as any known health issues and their treatment histories. For the telemedicine platform that is used by doctors, it may include specific details about their experience including contact information, hospital they work in, and so on.

3. Search and filter

The algorithms for searching in applications for telehealth are utilized by patients to locate the most suitable doctor. With the help of this feature, users can search for doctors within their region as well as using their language of choice, as well as their expertise, availability and consulting fees.

4. Video conferencing

It is the most important component of developing an app for telemedicine and is also the primary factor in determining the cost of the telemedicine platform. The video must be broadcast at a high quality, which will ensure that the doctor can clearly see symptoms clearly. At LN Webworks, our telemedicine app developers utilize streaming protocols such as WebRTC as well as RTMP to allow continuous video calls.

5. Voice and Text Chats

For smaller consultations, patients prefer text messages, or calling using voice calls within the mobile applications for telehealth. The reason for this feature is that it gives users the ability to upload pictures and documents of their medical records. As an app development company It is essential to make sure that the app is secure and adheres to HIPAA guidelines.

6. Calendar

This feature-set is among the features that are used by both doctors and patients. It allows them to schedule appointments and keep records of it. We suggest synchronizing the calendar with the calendar which the user is using such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Calendar or any other. This way, they’ll receive notifications when the date of the appointment has been set.

7. Payments

One of the main advantages of telemedicine apps that are used for health care is the convenience of making payments. As an owner of a telehealth program, you can choose between developing your own payment method or using a third-party payment software. Be aware that establishing your own payment system can increase the cost of Telemedicine software, whereas the use of a third-party solution will maintain it on the lower cost side. We include payment processors into your application which are recognized to be sturdy and reliable – PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree.

8. Notifications

Another feature is similar to that for patients as well as the telemedicine application for doctors. It aids in notifying doctors and patients of their appointment time, new text message, missed voice call or video notification as well as payment status. To assist in pushing push notification it is common to utilize the Firebase Cloud Messaging.

In this way, we’ve discovered a key aspect of developing an app for telemedicine. The next step is to dive into the cost of building telemedicine app development.

MVP Breakdown For Healthcare Development Costs

There’s no one price that could be set in the case of an MVP. While it could range from $3000 for an appointment-scheduling application, it could be as high as $30,000 for the EHR platform or another complex product.

MVP development costs should be assessed on a case by case basis. Because a myriad of aspects can impact them and it’s difficult to assess these costs without digging deep into your company’s needs. However, you need to consider the following commonly occurring variables that will definitely impact your final quote

What exactly you’re making. A simple prototype is more affordable to create rather than an MVP for an app that runs on multiple platforms. Therefore, the more complicated the MVP will be, the more costly it is to build and test it, then launch it.

What you’re doing to create the HTML0. There are many ways to develop similar things. Reduce your costs and save money on MVP design by cutting out unnecessary procedures and functions. If you choose to display every feature of the product you’d like to launch in your MVP be prepared to shell out more.

Who’s creating it. If you choose to create an initial viable product for a medical product by yourself then you’ll likely have to pay for more cost of overhead and hourly wages rather than choosing outsourcing. This is particularly true if you’re assembling a team from either the USA and European countries.

Outsourcing is a cost-effective option to build the medical MVP. There’s a vast difference in the salary of software engineers and Product managers both in the USA as well as in countries with economies that are less bloated, such as Ukraine. What could cost you around $96,000 for the services of one or two Uncle Sam’s experts may be half the price for the average Ukrainian professional.

The most important thing is that Ukraine is a sought-after destination for developers. Therefore, your savings shouldn’t affect the quality of your MVP in healthcare.

How to Monetize a Telemedicine App?

The commercialization of a telemedicine app is possible in many methods, but one of the most popular methods of doing this is through fees. For instance, if you have a Doctor on Demand app which charges 25% of the users for accessing features like consultation with a doctor, you can include the fee component to the application.

Additionally, you could choose a membership-based model, where patients sign up for an annual subscription to the app and pay for access to the different features available in the application at a reduced cost. Lastly, like Doctor on-Demand, you can provide your product as a software-as-a-service where you can tie with corporations for their employees’ healthcare needs.

In a Nutshell

We have examined the various aspects of developing a telemedicine app. All that is left is to start a business. We can help you. Contact us today with your idea for a telemedicine application Our team will turn it into an actuality.