Technology and healthcare have been walking hand in hand over the years. Healthcare has evolved with technology over the years to bring on the stage the best of the services and help mankind lead a happy and healthy life. Most healthcare service providers now look to partner with patient portal development companies to integrate a portal that allows patients to review their health status and other needs easily.

Forming a reliable connection between the patients and the healthcare providers is very crucial in the arena of healthcare, and Patient Communication Portal Software is just apt for that purpose. Patient portal software and mobile app allow patients 24/7 convenient access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection.

As per the latest research, 50% of physicians in the United States are using portals to manage electronic health records (EHRs), as the system enables them to easily manage their practice system. In fact, patients themselves find these technologies extremely hands-on and are impressed with their capabilities, like:

  • Schedule appointments & complete registration forms remotely
  • Access additional information and educational material on various issues
  • Email healthcare providers via a secure communication channel
  • Have complete access to all of the laboratory reports & analysis
  • Helps in the creation of PHR (Personal Health Record)

Well, in the domain of healthcare, the competition is tough, and success only comes to those who successfully deliver high-quality patient services and 100% customer satisfaction. And by custom patient portal solutions or mobile apps, which I tell you are in huge demand today, you can certainly place yourself on the list of top healthcare providers. It is actually a secure electronic communication today capable of doing a lot. Speaking in terms of patients, the key goals of the software are:

  • Increase the level of accountability
  • Bring practice efficiency to a new level
  • To ensure patient’s satisfaction with medical service

Patients actually love the idea of patient portal software development and are eager to best utilize this improved community opportunity with a healthcare provider. This portal offers a number of benefits to the patients and if you intend to get a patient portal developed for your medical practice, it is advised that you get in touch with an experienced Patient Portal Development Company who has expertise in providing Healthcare Software & IT Solutions.

Patient Communication Portal

Things to Keep in Mind Before You Start with the Patient Portal Development

So to begin with, keep in mind that each time you want to come up with an effective, measurable, and beneficial portal you require to provide your patients with maximum access to their healthcare information. They should be able to go through the panel and access any relevant data with just a few scrolls. For this, you need to deliver these three fundamental abilities and components to your patients via the portal. They consist of:

  • Ability to submit all necessary information demanded by the practice or upon doctor’s request.
  • Give access to all necessary healthcare information and to review data and direct communication with a doctor.
  • Enable them to place requests for any necessary services ranging from making appointments to prescription refilling & obtaining referrals.

Related Blog: HIMS – Hospital Management Software Development Cost & Features

The idea is certainly to have more satisfied patients, and that will be possible when they are at the benefiting end, and such an approach is going to be beneficial for both. Patients will be satisfied to have access to all relevant data or make any changes requested by the practice, whereas, Healthcare practices will be saving their time & receive all the information at short notice.

What are the Benefits of a Patient Portal Software Development?

With the outbreak of the pandemic the need for a patient portal software where people can access their health related problems and its cure without visiting hospitals has seen a great demand. Along with the ease of no mobility, there are various other advantages that such portals offer to their users.

There are a lot of benefits to using a patient portal with few of them being:

Improved Patient Communication: The portal can be utilized by the patients to accomplish a number of tasks that usually require making a phone call, or say many phone calls. As patients can themselves place requests for appointments, medication refills, referrals from the patient portal, it increases the clinical staff’s efficiency, as they are allowed to keep their focus set on assisting patients requiring the most immediate care.

Increase Efficiency: These portals can be used as an efficient means to accomplish many of the daily administrative tasks which typically require numerous staff members. When patients are enabled to make appointment requests themselves on the portal & request for a medication refill, it helps in streamlining and expediting otherwise time-consuming tasks.

Enhanced Patient Engagement: These portals increase the extent of patient’s involvement in their healthcare, with them being able to access crucial health information more readily, like test results or just to stay more informed.

Read More: Healthcare Software Development – A Detailed Guide

Reduces Instances of No-show: It is among the most significant benefits of the Patient Portal software/mobile app that drastically reduces the instances when patients forget to attend appointments. These portals are equipped with the ability to alert patients via emails, messages about upcoming/rescheduled appointments.

Streamlines Patient Registration & Administrative Tasks: These portals allow for registration forms completed electronically prior to appointment check-in and this keeps front-office handlings more efficient. Thus, instead of guiding patients about which forms to fill and how the front-office staff can rather focus on the patient in front of them and any questions they might need an answer to. This way, by the time the patient, reaches the medical center they are done with administrative requirements, so their only concern will be medical in nature. These ensure cost savings and improve care delivery.

mobile-app-development

Better Clinical Outcomes: As with the patient portals, tasks like requesting a prescription refill, referrals get easier and convenient and this leads to great patient compliance. And when patients are following the orders of physicians, the outcomes are bound to improve.

Improved Patient-Physician Relationship: these portals enable patients with 24-hour access to connect with their healthcare providers, who can review patient health info, answer to asked queries & review notes. This certainly makes the patient-physician relationship closer than ever.

Prioritizes Patient Care: The portal enables easy access and sharing of patient information electronically. This way, the physicians don’t require to focus on finding what’s needed in the patient’s chart or figuring what how to get those records to the provider the patient is being referred to, the focus can be solely on a higher standard of care.

Checkout: Top iPhone App Development Companies

These advantages make it easier for the people to stay updated with their health-related issues and take care of themselves as and when required. If you are looking forward to monetizing the trend then all you need to do is hire the right patient portal app development team that can assist you build a strong name in the market.

The team associated with us makes it a point to bring into the market a solution that would earn great profits and strong user base. We include features that make it easy for you to work on your apps and patient records.

Features of a Robust and Engaging Patient Portal Software Development

We all know the fact that the popularity of any app depends on a few factors and the features included play an important role in the same. When working on your custom patient portal solution we make it a point that all the basic features are included.

Registration: As soon as the patient enters his/her email id into the portal, a staff member initiates a Portal Registration email, to which the patient is required to respond correctly as the Portal Registration email consists of identity verification questions, in order to successfully complete the Portal Registration Process.

Login: Patients simply need to login to the portal in order to access it, by using the user credentials (Unique username & password)

Patient Profile: Here, the patient updates his/her profile adding basic information, along with General Health Information & demographic information. They can view/update general health info documented in their records at the clinic. The information may include Medication List, Documented Allergies, Patient immunizations, Medical History & a List of Health issues.

SMS/Texts: Patients can communicate with the clinical staff using the messaging features.

View Results: Lab Results & other diagnostic tests can be viewed

Book Appointment: Patients can get the appointment booked via the portal. As the Doctor schedules or confirms an appointment, patients receive an alert. In case the appointment has been canceled/rescheduled, the patients can be informed about the same.

View Health Summary: Patients can view their Health Summary Information from anywhere and at any time.

Patient Portal Development

View Visit Notes: Patients can view visit notes signed off by healthcare providers and uploaded on the portal.

Upload Document: The patient can upload relevant documents (test reports, images & videos) on the portal.

View Lab Reports: Patients can view Lab Test Reports on the portal.

Print/Save e-copy: Patients can get the health summary/last office visit printed or can also save an e-copy.

Place Physician Referral Requests: Some healthcare practices allow their patients to place Physician referral requests via Patient-Portal.

Refill Request: Some healthcare practices allow their patients to place Prescription refill requests, which are reviewed & approved by a healthcare provider before refilling is done.

Medical History: In case of certain kinds of appointments, your physician may request you to fill a medical history questionnaire. In that case, once the appointment is confirmed, an alert is displayed on the Overview tab in the Patient portal.

View/Print/Copy CCR: The patients can view a Continuity of Care Record (CCR), which is a snapshot of health summary information documented in your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at your physician’s office. Patients can get a CCR’s copy, and save a copy to their computer in case they want to carry that while they go to another doctor for consultation. This is crucial to avoid lethal medication interaction.

Insurance Information: Patients can go to the portal to view/update their insurance information.

Billing Query: Patients can submit billing-related queries via the portal.

e-Payment: Multiple Payment modes are available for patients to make online payments.

Ratings & Reviews: Alerts can be sent to patients to rate and review their recent visits to the portal.

Note: Most functionalities available on the Portal are optional and can be enabled/disabled by the Portal Administration website, so specific features can be implemented on the basis of your preferences.

Along with these features, we study your competition well, see what loopholes they have in their application, and cover the same for you. We make it a point that our research team brings to the table a few points that would help your business stand out from the crowd.

Patient Portal Mobile Application Development

There is no doubt that medical mobile applications enable both hospital staff and patients to access all the information on the go from anywhere. Thus, patient portal development for patient communication is a great idea. It also helps to enhance patient engagement with the system.

A portal like this is a great way to carry your medical history and current medication methods with yourself. It makes it easier for your consultant to help you with the right medication and practices that would encourage speedy recovery.

Many of our clients reach to us with lab result portal development along with patient portal development that would include the results of various tests of the patients along with medication and ailment history.

Read Also: Explore the Potential of AI in the Healthcare Sector for Efficient Services

How Hospital Practice Uses the Patient Portal?

Healthcare portal development is a great step for hospitals too as it would be more accurate and requires less of paperwork involved. Well, the Patient Portal can be used by the clinical staff for the following purposes:

patient portal app development

Connects Staff & Patients: Communication between clinical staff and patients gets effective and easier through an Online message system provided in the portal.

Send Reports: Lab tests & other diagnostic test reports can be sent to patients via the Patient Portal, as well as it includes important messages regarding reports.

Receive requests: Staff can receive referral requests, refill requests & billing queries submitted by patients through the Portal.

Schedule Appointments: Appointment requests made by patients can be received via the Portal directly to Wait-list.

Appointment Reminder: Customize Alerts for a scheduled appointment can be sent to the patient as well as the doctor directly a day prior to the scheduled time.

Visit Note: Visit Notes can be created in a chart available on the Patient Portal so to know the Patient’s response to the visit made by him/her recently.

With the right app development and accurate features in the application, it becomes easier for the hospital staff to keep track of the visitors and their ailments. Also, it saves the doctors time in asking and revising the history of any particular patient. So, if you want to make some contribution to the health sector, making it easier for people to enjoy their health benefits, then creating a patient portal app like this would be a great idea!

Also Read: Doctor Appointment App Development – Cost and Key Features

Doctors Can Also Prefer The Patient Portal Software Development For The Following Purposes

It is not just the hospital staff that would benefit from the patient portal software, the doctors would enjoy its benefits equally. They too would be able to save their time and energy in analyzing the patient’s medical history before reaching to any conclusion about the medications.

This is just one advantage; there are a lot more benefits that doctors may enjoy:

Doctor’s Profile: This section includes details like name, address, photograph, area of specialization, available appointment hours, and user reviews and ratings. Doctors can also ask the admin to input additional info such as a Brief Professional bio, Education and certification, and Experience.

Appointment Status: Doctors can view the exact date & time of all scheduled, completed, canceled, and rescheduled Appointments.

Edit Schedule: Necessary changes can be made to the daily schedules based on the doctor’s availability.

Online Prescriptions: Doctors can provide e-prescriptions via the Portal, Accept refill requests, etc.

Patient Information: The crucial patient information can be browsed by the doctor through the portal whenever the need arises.

Access Reports: The doctor can access the documents, lab tests, and other test reports of patients while being on the go.

Known allergies: Doctors can always view the known patient allergies on the portal and prescribe drugs accordingly.

Access Medicine Database: The Medicine Database can be accessed from the portal.

Generate New Rx: In case the old dosage needs to be revised, doctors can generate new e-prescriptions to the patients via the portal.

Create a Favorite List: Doctors can create a favorite list of prescriptions for each patient, thus making the process faster.

Dosage calculator: This dosage calculator informs doctors about the right medicine dosage that needs to be given to the in-patients.

Read More: Telehealth Software Development – Cost and Features

Pharmacists Can Also Prefer The Patient Portal App Development For The Following Purposes

Another important component of the healthcare sector is the pharmaceutical sector. It can benefit from the patient portal in various ways. The significance of the portal for pharmacists is discussed here:

Patient details: All the relevant details related to the patient can be found here.

Known allergies: They can stay aware of the patient’s known allergies, so provide drugs accordingly.

Doctors Details: Get information such as physician information for reference and patient insurance details. Also allows referring the current e-prescription and the patient status.

Prescription (Text or Image): The order requests from the patients can be accepted by the pharmacists via this portal.

New orders: New order requests placed by patients via the portal can be received by the pharmacist.

Accept orders: Accept order requests from the patients via the portal.

Delivered orders: Keeps a record of orders delivered by a pharmacist to the patient.

Receive Payment: Pharmacists can receive payment from the patient in lieu of drug delivery.

Prescription History: A pharmacist can check the patient’s order history.

Drug Database: With a comprehensive drug database, it is easier to search by brand and generic drug names, class, and specialty alphabetically, as well as a favorite list, can be created.

Check document: Documentation of provided medication is improved with electronic prescribing by tracking what medications are delivered and when.

Online Payments: Order status can be tracked online, and patient payments can be collected even after they have left the clinic, with an e-payment integration system into the app.

Read Also: 10+ Tips to Build Your Own Web Portal

Additional Features

Along with all the features we have discussed, some other important components cannot be left behind.

Community Forum: This section connects the Patients, Physicians, Clinical Staff, and pharmacists, where all of them can discuss information and share opinions. It keeps them all aware of their medical surroundings. For example, an event or concert is being organized where all of them can come together and contribute.

Patient Education: Patients are often keen to know about the medicine taken by them, and this provides the right information to them. The Portal connects to the pharmacy databases in order to locate information about alternative medications, possible side effects, and comparative costs.

Feedback: Patients can share their experience with the app and the medical service provided by the hospital by heading to the portal.

Now that you know the indispensable features you need to include in your application, let us look at if you want to hire a custom development team or SaaS solution providers.

Different Types of Patient Portals We Build

The patient portal makes it easier to increase the quality and frequency of communication between patients and providers. It allows them to clarify a number of doubts, maybe regarding treatment at home or some other issue, instantly. With the portal, the patients simply need to submit their queries, and the hospital staff can respond quickly via text or email. It is also effective in prescribing medications, allowing patients to request a refill online, and scheduling appointments from the portals. Thus, it keeps the patients engaged in the app and keeps them informed. Meanwhile, the Patient Portal works well on the web and mobiles (supporting iOS & Android).

E-Prescription

E-prescription software is crucial in boosting Patient engagement as it assists patients in reducing unnecessary hospital visits as they can quickly get e-prescriptions from doctors, get help regarding medication, and contact in case of any allergies or side effects. Thus, the software keeps the patients constantly engaged and connected with the practice. Meanwhile, e-prescription software functions well on both the web and mobiles (supporting iOS & Android).

Also Read: e-Prescription Software and Mobile App Development- Cost & Features

Medical Kiosk

Today, more and more hospitals and healthcare service providers are integrating medical kiosk technology solutions into their operations. Medical kiosk technology in healthcare businesses can connect patients and customers and help exchange information, payments, and other aspects. Chronic care Software has become a boon for patients as it allows them to work hand-in-hand with doctors to monitor their health. The system enables patients to get instantly in touch with providers whenever needed, such as when they have to report symptoms, medication dosage, side effects, or anything else. It is an effective system that works well on both the web and mobiles (supporting iOS & Android).

Medical Kiosk

Medication Tracker

The medication tracker mobile app (supporting iOS & Android) enables patients and providers to engage during health-related proceedings fully. Like in the case of providers, they can keep a check on their patients, whether they are abiding by the prescription or not, and keep a tab on their progress, while patients can again contact the providers regarding any query related to the medication.

hire-app-developer-for-medical-software

Healthcare Education App

The healthcare education mobile application is meant to educate providers and patients about healthcare education, like present trends, new technologies in healthcare, new offerings, etc., and it certainly has great features to keep the patients engaged. After all, patients are often curious about the new developments in healthcare, and the app does it pretty efficiently.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine, Also known as Telehealth Software, is an excellent means to limit patients’ visits to healthcare centers by enabling doctor consultation via the video chat feature. The patients greatly embrace this functionality owing to the comfort it delivers in healthcare. It keeps the patients engaged with the software as they can connect with the providers to discuss symptoms, queries related to certain ailments, medication, present health, or just anything related to the arena. Not only does it boost engagement, but it also ensures privacy for the patients. Telemedicine Software works well on both web and mobiles (supporting iOS & Android).

Read More: Telemedicine Mobile App Development – Cost & Key Features

Reminders

While getting treated for a certain ailment, the ultimate aim of the patients is to receive the best care, and they admire a personal touch to it, which is made possible with reminders sent to patients from time-to-time regarding upcoming appointments, medicine in-take timing and for the number of other purposes. Thus, it keeps the patients engaged at all times. Meanwhile, this feature is offered on the healthcare website and mobile apps.

Gamification

This technology, which is being increasingly applied to many industries with healthcare being prominent, is a great means to create fun and engaging experiences, and it converts users into players. It is usually employed in health & wellness apps related to self-management, disease prevention, medication adherence, medical education-related simulations, and some telemedicine programs. Gamification enhances patient engagement by enabling users to share progress and results with their friends or other users of the service, thus creating a competitive spirit to elicit better use of service (like weight loss apps, fitness apps, etc).

us-healthcare-gamification-market

Women’s Healthcare Apps

Today, there exists a number of women’s healthcare apps that allow them to keep track of their health. These apps allow women out there to book all kinds of video appointments with a wide network of vetted experts, ranging from therapists, GPs, and gynecologists to nurse practitioners. Thus, the apps keep the patients engaged at all times, like constantly sending updates regarding women’s health, while the basic functionality remains the same as other apps, like booking easy and instant appointments online, discussing health-related queries, pregnancy tracking, etc.

Diet & Nutrition Tracking App

Diet & Nutrition Tracking Apps have bridged the gap between the real and virtual world by delivering interactive and creative solutions to human problems. To start with the app, you simply need to enter your nutritional goals or weight-loss goals and use features within the app to plan your meals and monitor your adherence. In this manner, it keeps the users engaged in helping them track their diet and nutrition intake throughout the day.

What to go With: Custom Patient Portal Development OR SaaS-Based Product?

As one decides to get the Patient Portal developement for their medical practice, various factors need to be considered, but the most integral decision is to find whether you require to get a customized patient portal app development or buy a SaaS-based patient portal software development.

Custom Patient Portal Development: Large Healthcare institutions and medical practices mostly prefer custom patient portal app development, it offers control to the owner, and as it is a customized software, so the exciting features can be added as per the organization’s requirements and preferences.

SaaS-based Patient Portal Software Development: Well, the SaaS-based Patient product is feature-rich and offers numerous benefits. However, it is most suitable for small clinics, and here the medical practice has no control over it, and more features can’t be added, as it is in the case of customized patient portal app development.

Read More: Top Web Development Companies in USA

Why is it Important to Choose The Right Development Partner For Custom Patient Portal Development?

While choosing the Medical software development company for Custom Patient Portal Development you need to be clear about a few requirements which are integral for the development of the portal. The software should be:

Custom Patient Portal Development
  • Easy to use & feature-rich
  • Efficiently works on all devices (Desktops, Mobile & Tablets)
  • Integrated with the EHR system of the healthcare practice
  • In compliance with HIPAA, HL7, And GDPR
  • Certified with EPCS (Electronic Prescription for Controlled Substance)
  • EPA (Electronic Prior Authorization) Integrated

Once you are sure that the Healthcare Software Development Company will be able to provide you with these essential features, give it a go.

What is The Cost of Custom Patient Portal Development?

So, a number of aspects need to be considered to determine the cost of developing a custom patient portal app development. The system is really massive, as it connects doctors, pharmacists, clinical staff, and patients in this one place. Meanwhile, as it comes to patient portal software development cost, there are a number of factors that affect it, such as:

  • Basic Features & Functionalities
  • Advance & Additional Features
  • Third-Party API Integrations
  • Certifications & Compliances
  • Development Partner Location
  • Size of the development team

The estimated cost of patient portal software development of such apps can be from 10K USD to 50K USD, depending on the advanced technology and features that are to be included.

Wrapping It Up!

When it comes to talking about the cost of patient portal software development a lot of factors influence it. If you want to develop a high revenue generating patient portal application, then you are at the right place. All you need to do is share your idea with us, and we will turn it into a functioning reality.

Frequently Asked Questions For Patient Portal Development

THE AUTHOR
Managing Director
WebisteFacebookInstagramLinkedinyoutube

Arun G Goyal is a passionate technology enthusiast and a seasoned writer with a deep understanding of the ever-evolving world of tech. With years of experience in the tech industry, Arun has established himself as a prominent figure in the field, sharing his expertise and insights through his engaging and informative blog posts.

Previous Post Next Post

Octal In The News

Octal IT Solution Has Been Featured By Reputed Publishers Globally

Let’s build something great together!

Connect with us and discover new possibilities.

    Gain More With Your Field Service

    We’re always keeping our finger on the pulse of the industry. Browse our resources and learn more.

    Let's schedule a call
    Mobile App Development
    Mobile App Development Mobile App Development