In a time of the pandemic, the healthcare industry has been developed by leaps and bound and welcomed new IT solutions for business optimization. Healthcare facilities are enjoying the benefits of custom healthcare software, i. e. EHRs, EMRs, hospital management platforms, patient apps, and more. These technologies help healthcare providers to offer their clients high-quality care under conditions of increased workload. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the reasons why businesses should opt for custom healthcare software development, and why they should outsource it.
What healthcare custom software development is
Today, the healthcare industry heavily implements technological innovation, i. e. Big Data, IoT, RPA, Artificial Intelligence, and chatbots. Healthcare providers turn to IT experts to tailor these solutions to their specific needs and develop high-quality systems and apps. Custom healthcare software solutions are used by patients and doctors to get access to health information, significantly improve clinic asset management, provide better patient care, and more. In the course of the development, a technology partner includes features to the system based on customer requirements that are not always available in out-of-the-box solutions.
Normally, healthcare software outsourcing companies offer the following types of custom healthcare software:
- electronic health records (EHRs);
- electronic medical records (EHR);
- database management software;
- e-prescription apps;
- patient apps;
- telemedicine solutions;
- hospital management systems;
- CRM, and more.
Custom medical software meets your customers’ specific needs. This means that all its features are aimed at boosting your organization’s productivity and customer loyalty, substantial cost savings, and better time management.
Benefits of custom healthcare software development
Why should a company opt for custom healthcare software rather than for out-of-the-box solutions? There are at least four reasons why organizations prefer the first option:
- Tailor-made solutions meet user requirements.
Custom software solutions are developed on a turnkey basis which means they meet the specific requirements of their users. Therefore, they are in tune with companies’ business processes helping them to improve the quality of care.
- Custom-built systems streamline an organization’s internal processes.
A custom-designed app helps healthcare workers automate their daily tasks. For example, a platform that includes a feature for making appointments takes the burden of continuously handling phone calls from a clinic’s personnel and doing tedious paperwork. At the same time, patients no longer need to wait in queues, making appointments just in a few clicks.
- Tailor-made solutions provide personalized care.
The pandemic boosted people’s interest in their health. Healthcare providers and start-ups began to offer patients fitness trackers and remote monitoring apps, home test kits, and telemedicine solutions.
People are gradually getting used to monitoring their vital signs and receiving professional advice from the comfort of their homes. Custom medical software connects patients with healthcare workers in clinics and pharmacies using the latest AI-powered technologies, Big Data, IoT devices, and more.
- Custom-built solutions better ensure sensitive data protection.
Outsourcing software development companies ensure strict compliance with data protection and industry laws such as HIPAA and GDPR. Thus, you can be sure that your product follows the industry regulations and transfers sensitive data in a secure manner.
What are the benefits of software development outsourcing?
In order to develop a healthcare software solution, healthcare providers can either opt for staff augmentation to strengthen in-house teams while managing the whole project on their own or seek help from outsourcing software development companies and opt for product development services.
In the former case, a company spends the extra time needed to build its own team of professionals and provide them with the required equipment. This might be a costly option as you might need to rent an office and pay some additional taxes. In addition, you bear all the risks in case your business idea fails.
The second option can be a good choice as it helps you to:
- Save time and money. It takes approximately 32 days to recruit an employee, so it can take you over a month to assemble a team. Your company might lose precious time, while a professional software development company will deliver you the required specialists much faster. At the same time, the IT company has the equipment and software you need.
- Get an expert team. IT companies have in-house specialists who previously worked on healthcare projects. Your partner will promptly assemble a team for your project with industry-specific knowledge.
- Quickly launch the product on the market. Because a healthcare provider saves lots of time while assembling a team of experts, the development goes faster. Therefore, your product will go into production quickly, you’ll be able to implement it into your processes right away, making it possible for your clients to enjoy quality service.
How to choose the right outsourcing software development company
Outsourced IT services give a healthcare provider an opportunity to strike a contract with a company located anywhere in the world. However, this benefit might create additional difficulties. How to choose the right technology partner among the variety of suppliers? To do so, we recommend you note the following considerations.
An IT company’s expertise in healthcare software development. The more experience your future technology partner has in custom healthcare software development, the more likely the project is to succeed. You should consider this when developing a product from scratch. Therefore, we recommend you carefully look through the company’s portfolio to make sure they worked on similar healthcare projects before.
Technology stack. If a healthcare provider knows what technology stack is needed to implement the project, this may become an additional criterion for the selection of an IT company.
Quality assurance certificates. Healthcare apps normally contain sensitive patient data. Such industry and data protection laws as HIPAA, GDPR, and others oblige healthcare providers to protect customer privacy. The IT company that you’ll choose to be your partner must have the required security policies in place so that their products comply with the law.
A team of experts. Healthcare software is a complex system with a well-thought-out architecture. To implement a project like that you need a team of professionals including medical advisors provided by an IT company.
Product scalability on demand. Make sure that the company you’ll work with augments its teams at customers’ request, support, and scale their products if needed.
Conclusion
Custom healthcare software guarantees that healthcare providers, doctors, and patients will get a high-quality solution that will meet all their needs. Apps, systems, and platforms tailored to your business needs improve your organization’s performance, help you to build customer confidence and trust, and improve service quality. In other words, these solutions offer healthcare providers substantial benefits and give them a competitive edge which is crucial in today’s market.
