Healthcare
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Want to build a custom patient portal for your healthcare practice? Consider between a tailored solution and a ready-made patient portal program? Our post will guide you through the process of patient portal software development.
Discover the must-have features and steps to develop a patient portal software. Learn the benefits of medical portals for healthcare providers and why it’s the right time to implement one in your practice.
The idea of patient portals is really self-explanatory. It’s a medical software system that connects patients and doctors, letting them exchange health data.
While the concept of patient portals may initially seem simple and a no-brainer, one may wonder how they differ from other healthcare software, e.g., EHR or EMR systems. While the latter two also connect patients and doctors, it’s the level of engagement that differentiates them. Custom patient portal development implies the most engaging functionality.
Such a portal is made for patients. To them, it is a good way to keep track of their data, set and manage appointments, or even carry them out virtually via video conferencing. Patients can also order prescription refills via an app or system, pay bills, and communicate with a healthcare organization.
Having a place of their own creates a feeling of comfort and lets your patients get on short terms with your organization. They can see you not as a faceless corporation but as a caring companion who is always at hand. So, what else makes patient portal development a top priority for many organizations today?
The latest healthcare technology trends for 2024-2028 show increasing demand for personalized care and telemedicine adoption, and digital portals are becoming enormously popular. The market statistics prove this.
Digital patient portals, either part of the system or a standalone tool, can immensely enhance your overall operation efficiency. While they can’t fully substitute the physical interaction between doctors and patients, they extend the care with virtual cabinets when in-person meetings are optional. Building a patient portal results in numerous advantages for healthcare providers.
According to the survey, 80% of patients prefer to communicate via digital channels at least some time, and 44% would choose them most of the time.
With a custom patient portal, you can connect with your patients at a new level, eliminating the need for back-and-forth calls and time-consuming visits. The portal can be equipped with a range of digital communication tools, such as online messaging, virtual appointments, and video conferencing. All of them can be conveniently embedded into the system, allowing the user to choose the tool that best suits their needs.
While patient portals vary in functionality, among the first and centered functionality is access to healthcare data like test results, visit summaries, and personal information. According to Statista, 98% of healthcare portals in the US provide such functionality, and for a good reason.
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Waiting for your lab test results causes anxiety and, to many - fear. On the contrary, being able to view them whenever needed brings transparency in the treatment process and a feeling of control — a significant factor that adds to overall patient satisfaction.
Patient portal software is true lifesavers when it comes to optimizing the time efforts for both doctors and patients. All the information is stored digitally and appointment scheduling or prescription refills take a few clicks.
With advanced features like ‘No-show Protection’ (e.g. in Parabou patient portal), you can implement policies that compensate for failed visits or last minute cancellations. You can effectively allocate your staff without revenue losses.
Involving patients actively in their health treatment process is crucial. It improves the overall results, motivates the parties and enhances the care. By designing a user-friendly tool for patients to view their medical records, follow procedures, and self-educate resources, you not only engage patients but also achieve better adherence to the treatment plan.
With all that said, custom patient portal development benefits both healthcare service providers and those who seek one. Over time, as your patient base grows, digital portals become an effective tool for nurturing patient loyalty and optimizing your internet processes. The end benefits are higher profits, business efficiency, and lower operational costs.
The question is, what type of portal best fits your particular organization and use case? Let’s examine them all.
Before you develop a patient portal, you need to define its type — integrated or standalone — and platform accessibility — web, cloud, or mobile. Each type has pros and cons, and each type is best for a specific use case, so let's understand what they mean.
Integrated patient portals are part of larger healthcare management software suites, such as EHRs or CRMs.The data exchange between the portal and the healthcare provider's system is synced.
Standalone portals function independently and aren't directly linked to other systems in your organization,e.g., Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Hospital Management System (HMS). The data is kept separately unless you set up its synchronization between the systems.
Web-based portals let patients log in through a web browser to view their data and interact with healthcare organizations. They are often hosted on a local server within the healthcare facility.
Cloud-based patient portals are accessed via a web browser but hosted on remote cloud servers. The cloud service provider delivers maintenance, support, and updates. Users require only an internet connection, and their device choice is not limited to a laptop, computer, or mobile phone.
Patient mobile apps are installed through the App Store or Play Market directly on user mobile devices. Usually, they stand as extensions to web portals and often provide just the core functionality.
These portals are tailored to specific healthcare needs, offering solutions for:
Such software suits focus on a particular aspect of care, e.g., virtual engagement, or simplicity of interface, to let healthcare professionals address the specific needs of their patients.
All of these factors — the type, platform and use case of patient portal — influence its functionality.
Let's examine the core features essential for developing a digital portal and go through some optional add-ons that can make your patient portal stand out.
The essential features of a patient portal include the following:
Building patient portal software can range from moderately challenging to very complex. A well-resourced development team with experience in healthcare IT knows many pitfalls and can help you effectively overcome patient portal implementation challenges. If you are new to the field, here’s the general flow of the patient portal software development process.
From there, you can form a list of functional and non-functional requirements either DIY or with the help of a healthcare software development provider.
You may start your patient portal development with essential features and scale it gradually. Prioritize the ones that match your use case and needs.
Make sure the portal is easy to navigate and has a modern design, as it directly influences user satisfaction. Consider using assistive technology for people with disabilities and visual impairments. Make it accessible and optimized for different devices and browsers. For reference and inspiration, look at some of the best patient portal software.
The technology stack for developing a patient portal may include:
Your choice of the technology implementation will depend on your requirements and budget. Get in touch if you need free estimates and consultancy on the best route for developing your patient portal software.
When developing patient portal software, compliance with healthcare regulations is paramount. It ensures data security and patient privacy. The list of requirements varies depending on whether your develop a patient portal software for the US or the EU:United States:
European Union:
Regardless of the destination, you need to ensure the highest level of software security, implementing strong and secure authentication (OAuth2, JWT) and data encryption (SSL/TLS) to protect sensitive information.
Agile software development methodology allows you to easily plan your budget and develop your custom patient portal quickly. It implies frequent releases and a by-sprint roadmap, so you can always be fully transparent about the development process and adjust it if needed.
Quality assurance should be part of the software development process with manual and automated approaches allowing to effectively spot and fix bugs and errors. It implies not just feature testing but security, usability, integration and localization aspects.
Integrating a custom patient portal with existing healthcare systems involves using APIs to enable communication and data exchange between the software. You should always conduct thorough testing to verify that the integration works seamlessly without data loss or system disruptions.
The answer is it depends. The cost of patient portal development services ranges from several thousand dollars to hundreds.
Basic patient portal software may cost $30,000-$60,000 with key functionalities like appointment scheduling, basic messaging, access to medical records, and billing.
Advanced patient portals with features like telehealth, EHR integration, AI-driven insights, personalized health education, custom reporting, and multi-language support are estimated at $150,000-$300,000+.
These costs fluctuate based on customization, compliance requirements, and ongoing maintenance.
In our recent project, we were tasked with a request for patient portal development services. The client's goal was to create a mobile app that not only engaged patients but also significantly improved communication. We designed an intuitive interface that provided all necessary information at a glance, integrated real-time data access, and ensured strict compliance with healthcare regulations.
HubChart is the mobile virtual care application that connects patients and doctors allowing them to safely communicate with text, voice, and video. It carries out virtual meetings in a safe environment and allows for effective document share. The client benefited from improved patient satisfaction, streamlined communication, and increased patient retention.
Are you looking for professional patient portal development services? NEKLO's expertise in healthcare software development and commitment to quality makes us a trusted partner for similar projects. We ensure secure, user-friendly, and compliant solutions to fit your budget.
We provide:
Check our portfolio of healthcare software development projects and get in touch for a free consultation and estimate!
Patient portal software development is a challenging yet highly rewarding endeavor. While it may require a significant investment of time and resources at the initial stage, ultimately the efforts pay off bringing you enhanced patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.
When building a patient portal, always create a solution with users in mind. Prioritize security, user-friendliness, and regulatory compliance. If carried out professionally, patient portal development will elevate your healthcare practice to a new level, with the most significant reward being happier, more engaged patients.
If you're looking for a skilled team to handle the full-cycle healthcare software development or to enhance your existing healthcare projects, NEKLO is here to assist. Our experienced IT professionals can craft a custom patient portal tailored to your medical organization's needs.
US-based and operating globally, NEKLO spearheads digital transformation initiatives for businesses worldwide. We deliver software solutions complying with your market and legislation.
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