Telehealth Software Methodology and Framework Guide

What is Telemedicine Software?

Telemedicine software is a solution designed to provide healthcare services in a virtual setting, allowing appointments to be performed through secure instant messaging, audio calls, and video conferencing. Telemedicine services benefit many communities, especially those who experience access barriers to healthcare, including rural residents and elderly patients who don’t have means of transportation.

Telemedicine software is not intended to be a complete replacement for in-person appointments. Instead, it’s meant to be supplemental to traditional, in-person visits. Telemedicine software can eliminate the need to visit the doctor’s office to manage prescriptions, seek mental health services, and consult with a healthcare provider to find out if an in-person visit is required.

Telemedicine software can also be used to improve the experience of in-person appointments. This can include:

• Using online scheduling services that allow patients to schedule and update appointments on their own.

• Allowing patients to fill out necessary paperwork ahead of time to reduce the time spent in the waiting room, including medical history and health insurance information.

• Using a virtual check-in process that has patients check in before entering a facility to lessen the time spent in the waiting room and give patients the opportunity to wait outside or in their vehicle.

• Utilizing remote patient monitoring tools that allow providers to monitor a patient’s health condition in a telemedicine platform with wearable sensors to decrease the number of visits a patient has to make in person.

Who Needs Telemedicine Software Development?

Telemedicine software development provides plenty of benefits for patients, but which organizations and providers can leverage telemedicine services to improve their business operations? Here are just a few of those who will benefit from utilizing telemedicine software development.

Hospitals, Clinics, and Laboratories

When hospitals, clinics, and laboratories take advantage of telemedicine software development, they can improve the daily workload of administrative work and streamline the care provided to patients. Through the use of electronic health records to manage medical history and patient data, medical professionals can access information efficiently and ensure they’re working with current and accurate information.

Healthcare organizations can benefit from the use of telemedicine apps by improving the process workflow, medical record storage, and the overall patient experience. By storing all the data in a central location and streamlining processes, healthcare professionals can provide excellent patient care in a timely manner.

Doctors & Healthcare Providers

With telemedicine software development, doctors and healthcare providers can utilize electronic health records, manage appointments, and provide medical services virtually through a telehealth app. Through virtual appointments, healthcare providers can meet with patients through video conferencing or secure messaging and use supplemental equipment for remote patient monitoring.

Patients are more likely to schedule and attend appointments when they can do so through a telemedicine platform, which can increase the number of patients providers can consult in a day. By offering virtual care, providers extend their services to patients outside of their direct local area, which can also increase their patient load.

Telehealth Service Providers

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and healthcare organizations must evolve with it in order to remain competitive. With telemedicine software solutions, healthcare providers can utilize telehealth software features and offer telehealth services to patients. By offering remote healthcare services, providers expand their patient pool and can consult with more patients than if they only offered in-person appointments.

Telehealth features can still benefit organizations when it comes to in-person appointments. Virtual appointment management allows patients to schedule appointments with ease, and electronic medical records allow providers to access current records quickly.

Benefits of Telemedicine Software Development Services

We’ve reviewed who would benefit from telemedicine software development, but what are the benefits of receiving custom software development services?

Risk Management

The healthcare industry must follow HIPAA regulations in order to stay in compliance and protect patient information. Finding a software development company that is well-versed in HIPAA compliance will ensure every aspect of your telemedicine software is designed to prioritize organizational and patient data security.

Ease of Use

Software development companies have ample experience in creating software while focusing on the user experience. By prioritizing the user’s experience throughout the development process, the telemedicine software solution will require less training and lessen the frustration users experience.

Optimized Workflow

By opting for custom telemedicine software development to meet the unique needs of a healthcare organization, it can be built to accommodate specific processes and workflows. This can improve business operations and reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks, allowing for the time spent with a patient to focus on their concerns.

Telehealth Software Development Process

When it comes to telehealth software development, there are six key steps software development teams will typically take. Here’s a rundown of those steps and how they’re all integral to building an effective telemedicine software product.

Planning

Planning is the first step to a successful telemedicine software development project. The project leads will work with the client to decide on the requirements and how the software will be used. All the integral information will be defined before our developers start building the product to ensure there are no gaps or missing information.

Design

The telehealth software development company will also provide mockups of the software to give the client and stakeholders a visual representation of the product. This gives the client an opportunity to review the mockups and make any changes before development begins. This lessens the likelihood of components of the software changing during the development process.

Product Development

The development phase typically takes the most amount of time, as this is when the telehealth software product is built. Throughout the telehealth software development process, project leads will provide guidance and transparency to keep the project on schedule and get any necessary feedback from the client.

Testing

The testing phase is crucial to delivering a high-quality telehealth software product to clients. After development, the project team will intensively test the software to identify and resolve any bugs found. This will ensure the product delivered to the client provides a positive user experience and meets all the requirements determined in the planning phase.

Deployment

What’s included in the deployment step of the telehealth software development process depends on the company. For some companies, deployment can include just pushing the telehealth software live. At Genenca, our team offers training services, risk management advice, and supporting testing efforts as a part of the deployment.

Maintenance

Maintenance services ensure the telehealth software meets your needs and provides a seamless user experience. Additionally, with the ever-changing healthcare industry, your processes and requirements are likely to evolve. Partnering with a telehealth software development company long-term will make the development process easier to manage whenever updates are required.

Benefits of Telemedicine Software

Telemedicine software can benefit both patients and providers in numerous ways. Let’s look at just a few of these benefits:

Increased Engagement

No-shows and cancellations are common sources of profit loss and frustration. When patients can easily manage their appointments online and set up reminders as appointments approach in a telehealth app, they are less likely to skip out without notifying the provider. Also, with the ease of online scheduling, patients are more likely to reach out to healthcare providers at the early stages of their condition instead of putting it off until it’s an emergency.

Patients not attending appointments can also be due to extenuating circumstances, like a lack of transportation or child care. By offering virtual appointments through telemedicine solutions, patients that live in rural areas or have conflicting schedules can receive healthcare from their homes.

Enhanced Record-Keeping

Managing patient health records through a telehealth software solution can streamline the administrative processes while providing patients with faster care. With the use of electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR), healthcare systems and providers can collaborate with ease while streamlining the management of health records.

Expanded Healthcare Access

By offering remote healthcare services, healthcare providers have access to a larger pool of patients outside of their local area. Many demographics experience access barriers to receiving healthcare, including rural communities and elderly patients. A telemedicine platform allows these communities to easily receive healthcare services, while providers can visit with more patients within a day.

Increased Revenue

As previously mentioned, telemedicine software allows healthcare providers to see more patients in a day than they would by only offering in-person appointments. When nurses work through a telemedicine platform, they can work more efficiently, allowing them to meet with more patients. On top of billing more patients, providers can also decrease overhead costs with fewer staff and smaller office space, increasing the overall revenue.

Factors to Consider Before Building Your Own Telemedicine App

The telemedicine software development process can seem intimidating, even when partnering with a software development company. When deciding on a company to help build a telemedicine app, it’s important to keep these factors in mind.

Regulatory Compliance and Standards

The healthcare industry regularly deals with confidential and highly-sensitive patient data. In order to protect this information, HIPAA compliance regulations were put in place that required healthcare organizations to follow specific security measures. HIPAA regulations must be considered throughout the development process to ensure the telemedicine solution is in compliance and protects all required data.

Security and Saftey

Security is critical for any software solution, but healthcare organizations have their own unique regulations and requirements for data security. Finding a development team that is well-versed in HIPAA compliance and regulations is an essential factor to consider. Approaching telemedicine software development with data security in mind every step of the way will ensure your organization and patient data is protected.

Other Challenges in Telehealth Software Development

Telemedicine app development comes with its own unique challenges. However, these are not reasons to avoid building a custom telemedicine solution but rather things to keep in mind during the development process.

• Internet Speed – Many patients that choose to utilize telehealth software services will not have access to fast and reliable internet. Keeping this challenge in mind will impact how to approach telemedicine app development, as alternate solutions might be considered.

• Video Quality – While telehealth app services are not limited to video calls, a large number of virtual appointments will be performed with live video conferencing. The patient’s internet can impact the video quality, but so can the device the patient is on. Providing alternative avenues to work around this barrier will be essential during telemedicine software development.

• Scalability – Ensuring the telemedicine software is a scalable solution is critical to the longevity of the application. The telemedicine app development company is responsible for building a solution that is properly scalable and will ensure a long-term, positive user experience.

Why Choose Geneca as Your Telemedicine Software Development Company?

At Geneca, we have over 25 years of experience in custom software development and have a team of developers and analysts with ample experience in the healthcare industry. With our industry knowledge and business expertise, we’re ready to hit the ground running as your custom software development partner. Reach out to Geneca today to get started on your telemedicine app!

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