We live in an era where technology is a topic of virtually every conversation or discussion, and it is not a surprise that Healthcare is also adapting smoothly to our ever-increasing demand for software. What might surprise you, however, is the sheer size of the HealthTech ecosystem, the community of apps and technologies that have emerged out of this process of adaptation. If you are a startup or established business and are looking for a custom application development for your Healthcare-related software product this article provides what we consider key points to ponder before doing so.
Compliance
It’s no mystery to those of us that have been patients that Healthcare is a sensitive subject involving sensitive information. So much so, that different governing entities have enacted certain laws regarding the protection of information.
In the US one example is HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act enacted under the Bill Clinton administration in 1996. When developing a Healthcare-related app for American patients it is important to conduct research to see how this act applies to you, and ensure that your software team is very familiar with the guidelines of a HIPAA-compliant app. Teravision’s knowledge and experience in the area came in handy in the case of Focalyx, when we brought Focalyx App into life through application development for Android and iOS.
Other countries also have their equivalents of HIPAA, which Teravision exhibited in our work with Daytoday Health, a Boston startup looking to deploy their patient-centric pre and post-surgery mobile app in India. In this case, we assembled a dedicated software development team to make it possible.
Aside from complying with the law, It’s best to offer a certain peace of mind to every user of your app, starting with the assurance that their information is kept safe. Make evaluations and see what you can offer to your users to guarantee the safety they deserve.
EHR (Electronic Health Records)
EHR is a patient’s medical history but in electronic form. An EHR solution within your HealthTech application development process can make things much easier for doctors by providing customized reports and accurate, up to date access to information quickly. Having an electronic version of medical reports also helps to promote legible and complete documentation, improving storage efficiency and making it simple to everyone, as long as you can guarantee the privacy as mentioned in the first point. The need for a quick and valuable EHR solution became apparent in Teravision’s work with Lightning MD, one of the newer additions to our HealthTech portfolio.
Connecting Remote Devices
It is important to keep in mind that mixing Healthcare and software development brings a new world of opportunities as well as challenges. When physical objects and individuals are involved, sometimes a simple app on your phone is not enough. The technological age offers a variety of possibilities aside from just software programs, such as smartwatches, tablets/iPads, sensors or any other devices. With this opportunity comes the challenge of connecting these remote devices to your software product, which requires a certain set of skills. Teravision has been lucky enough to develop and exhibit these skills through our work through our portfolio items such as UNICEF’s Kid Power and the Opal System as well as Waggit, a Colorado-based Pet Health startup.
Determining your User
Always keep in mind that making life and work easier for doctors, patients or both is what will lead your Healtech application development to success. Make sure to identify your target user and address the particular pain points this individual is experiencing. Remember that the underlying objective is to replace old, tedious, inefficient and boring processes with sleek, innovative technology-enabled solutions.
Teravision Technologies has experience developing, improving and testing custom software solutions specific to the Healthcare industry.
