How to Develop A Doctor On Demand App?

Doctor on-demand search is increasing from a last few months-

                                                                                 Data from Google Trends

That search could be for anything like, “doctor on demand psychiatrist” or “doctor on demand physician.” But, the demand for on-demand services is growing rapidly.

Even when you look for services that are on-demand such as services from a plumber, cab, food delivery, and more.

Today, you think of a service and you can easily access the same in a few taps.

• You need food delivery, you have Zomato that delivers food at your doorstep
• You need cab services, you have Uber or Lyft that brings cab to your location
• You need entertainment, you have Netflix that entertains virtually on your device

Similarly, if you need a doctor on-demand, doctors can be virtually available on your device in no time. Because on-demand is not what you receive physically at your home, virtual assistance or telemedicine facilities can be considered as the doctor on-demand services.

Now, if you look at the numbers from the US telemedicine market report, they don’t lie. This telemedicine market has witnessed revenue of $11.8 billion in 2018.

Also, the on-demand segment has become more tech-savvy than ever before. You can consider this development as one of the significant advancements that happened in terms of technology in healthcare.

So, it’s time for the medical startups and doctors with different specialties to think of doctor on-demand apps to fill the gaps between doctors and their patients.

Why Do Patients Need Doctor On-Demand Apps?

Find out the reasons why patients are looking for Dr. on-demand apps-

1) Unavailability of doctors nearby

Patients who live in rural or remote areas may not be able to access your services otherwise. But using an on-demand doctor app, they can.

2) Long travel times and germ-free wait times

Patients won’t need to travel long distances or wait for hours with a risk of being exposed to germs at the clinics to get medical assistance. You cannot miss a situation like a coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic where patients need to avoid human contact and still need medical assistance. They can book an appointment and call a doc via the app instantly.

3) Doctors are available 24X7 for the elderly and disabled

Using the app, the elderly and disabled individuals get the required treatment on any day, any time, without having to travel to far-off places.

4) Challenging patient monitoring/data

Doctor on-demand apps let the patients connect with you remotely via video call. Based on the diagnosis, you can send prescriptions to them right away.

5) Access to specialized doctors

Licensed doctors with any specialty are available on demand. Patients can call pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, or any other physicians as per their needs. Check out the number of physicians that were available as per their specialties in 2019-

Why Do Doctors/Physicians Need Doctor On-Demand Apps?

Benefits also prevail at the doctors' or physicians’ end for Dr on-demand apps and they are-

1) Easy access to patients

Through an on-demand doctor app, you are 24X7 accessible to patients. Also, you can enable scheduling appointments in case there is so much demand and doctors are at patients’ assistance.

2) Enhance patient’s health better

It becomes easier for patients to get the necessary treatment from time to time as you know their past history. Hence, you provide assistance on the go without making them wait in the queues at your clinic.

3) Attract new & retain existing patients

Whatever may be the disease or need for medical assistance, you can attract new patients as you have all types of doctors available with the Doctor on-demand app. Having an app also means you will have more time to treat or consult more patients, which ultimately implies higher revenue.

4) Less administrative work

You save time on administrative tasks and paperwork with the help of an on-demand doctor app. Well, time is money though.

5) Flexible work-life balance

Most doctors struggle in maintaining a work-life balance. But, that’s where you can win with a doctor on-demand app and reduce stress in life.

Opportunities in the Healthcare/telemedicine Market

Let’s understand what are the opportunities in the telemedicine or doctor on-demand app development market-

• The global mHealth market is expected to cross the mark of $316 billion by 2027. Mobile health or mHealth services via apps is one way to improve the healthcare system.

A survey shows that remote connection to patients is one of the main reasons to advance in the field of mHealth-connected business.

How Does Doctor On-Demand App Work?

Doctor on-demand apps can make it easier for you to offer medical services offline as well as online. Offline because doctors can visit patients at their home when utmost necessary and online as they can attend the patients on call. Your patients can connect with you by only a few taps on their phone’s screen.

Here is how on-demand doctor apps work:

1. Doctor registrations and profile creation where they can describe their expertise and achievements
2. Admins or a team of experts at your end verify the doctors based on their qualifications and necessary documents
3. User or patient registration via email and their profile creation to store their personal and medical information/history
4. Search for doctors online based on health problems and medical fields
5. Patients can make a phone call, call the doctor at home, or schedule an appointment
6. Personal assistance booking to call you at the patient’s place and provide medical assistance
7. Digital prescription sharing via the app
8. Online payment transfers to the respective doctors and you via secure payment gateways

Revenue Model of Doctor On-Demand App

The need for doctor on-demand apps with telemedicine functionalities is growing because of unexpected situations like COVID-19. And hence, the revenue can also increase in various ways-

• Online Payments - Direct revenue from the patients when they pay you for the services using the app
• Paid Listing - Featured or paid listing of several doctors or laboratories to give them the attention of patients on the app on a subscription basis
• In-app advertisement - Third-party advertising modules to show within the app based on user’s browser history; optional but can be added as an additional source of revenue

Before monetizing the app, it is crucial to grow the user base of the telemedicine-like on-demand app and promote its prime functionalities. The app should benefit them so that they use it as per their health needs.

What are the Features of a Doctor On-Demand App?

There are three main panels of a doctor on-demand app -

• Patients where they can book the appointments
• Doctors where they can accept/reject the appointments based on their schedule
• Admin where the staff members manage the Backend

Find out more about the features of each of these panels -

Patient Portal Features

 

Doctor Portal Features

 

Admin Portal Features

 

Advanced Features

Team Structure of Doctor On-Demand App

The team to develop the most prominent and successful doctor on-demand app should be highly experienced in knowing your requirements, suggesting the right steps, and keep you informed throughout the entire doctor on-demand app development process.

They should be aware of every norm and compliance of medical regulatory federations as per your location whether it’s the USA, Australia, Africa or India.

The most skilled and experienced doctor on-demand app development team knows what features and functionalities would deliver an excellent user experience to boost the growth and ROI of your mHealth app.

We suggest you the following people in your doctor on-demand app development team:

• Business Analyst
• Software Architect
• Project Manager
• UI/UX Designer
• Android & iOS Developer / Flutter or ReactNative Developer
• Backend Developer

Medical Acts/Certifications for the USA

We have covered medical acts and certifications that a doctor on-demand app must comply with before launching it, which varies from country to country. Particularly for the USA, they are as follows:

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Health Level 7 International (HL7)
• Food and Drug Administration
• Meaningful Use Stage 1 and 2 (MU-1 and MU-2)
• Electronic Prescription for Controlled Substance (EPCS) Certification
• Electronic Prior Authorization (EPA) Integration

Tech Stack Required for Doctor On-demand App

 

How Much Time Does It Take to Build A Doctor On-Demand App?

The time to develop a doctor on-demand app differs based on various factors-

• Scope of work (SOW)
• List of features and functionalities to have in the dr on-demand app
• Technologies to be used to build the app
• Complexities in building various features and functionalities
• Number of people you have in the team

But, it takes a few months to develop a powerful doctor on-demand app with telemedicine functionalities.

CAUTION: If you find somebody saying they can develop in a few days or a month, stay away from them as they might deliver an app full of errors and flaws.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop A Doctor Appointment Booking App?

No two doctor on-demand apps are the same. They differ in terms of various aspects, such as the number of features in them, app design, app usage and performance, app availability on multiple platforms, and geographical location where you want to get the app developed.

All these aspects have a combined impact on determining the total cost of doctor on-demand app development.

It is best to launch the MVP version of your app with the help of a doctor's on-demand app development agency.

Some Popular Doctor On-Demand Apps

To get inspiration for your doctor on-demand app, it is a good idea to know about the existing popular apps in this category. Here’s a list:

• Doctor on Demand – offers services, including urgent care, preventive care and chronic care
• Medici – enables virtual visits with doctors, veterinarians, and therapists via audio or video calls
• MDLIVE – offers medical help with over 50 health conditions

Bring Your App Idea to Life

The competition in the healthcare industry is more compared to other service-based industries. And, if you don’t make a healthcare app now, other medical startups would.

So now you know-

• Why you need a doctor on-demand app
• Whether the healthcare at-home market is at the rise
• How a doctor on-demand app works
• What’s the revenue model to monetize your mHealth app
• Simple and advanced features you need for your Dr. on-demand app
• The minds and hands you need in your doctor on-demand app development team
• How much time it takes to develop a telemedicine app
• How much it costs to develop the app
• Some popular doctor on-demand apps

Keep in mind that your doctor on-demand app must have the right value propositions that can attract the target audience and fulfill their needs.

Talk to the experts before you finalize how much you want to invest in developing your money-minting doctor on-demand app.

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