A breakdown of telemedicine app development cost in 2023
In light of the Covid 19 pandemic, telemedicine has become invaluable. It has never been this easy to consult medical professionals. Several doctors and hospitals have incorporated telemedicine into their practice to ease the burden on the healthcare system. This has led to the accelerated development of telemedicine apps. This is a large market that is growing steadily, so investing in telemedicine is a lucrative option at present. In this article, we will look at the different factors that affect your telemedicine app development cost.
Before we jump into it, let’s take a brief look at the advantages of telemedicine.
- Telemedicine apps save time, especially if the patient is suffering from a minor issue such as a cold.
- It is more convenient for a sick person to make a phone call than to travel.
- Since there are a limited number of specialists, telemedicine allows you to connect with those who can help you – even if they do not live in your town.
- Doctors can use the data from such apps to monitor patients more efficiently. They do not need to spend too much time asking patients about their medical history.
Telemedicine app development cost is predominantly based on the complexity of the app
Both cost and complexity are also closely related to the time it takes to build an app. Building a simple app will cost around $50,000 and will take two to three months to develop. An app with medium complexity will cost between $50,000 and $90,000 and will take about six months to complete. A highly complex app can cost anywhere between $90,000 and $200,000. It will take you upwards of nine months to build such an app. The complexity – and hence price – of an app depends on many factors, which we will look at in the following section.
| Telemedicine App Development Complexity | Telemedicine App Cost |
|---|---|
| Simple Complex App | $50,000 |
| Medium Complex App | $50,000 to $90,000 |
| Highly Complex App | $90,000 to $200,000 |
Factors that affect telemedicine app development cost
1. Features
To put it simply, the more features you include, the higher your mobile app development cost will be. A basic feature list with a simple admin panel will give you the simplest (and cheapest) of apps. But even with a simple app, certain features are essential. These include the following.
Registration
All users of your app should be able to create a personal account that stores their data. You can do this with the help of third-party tools such as Google Sign-In. However, you have to make sure that each account is secure. Using multi-factor authentication can help with security.
Profile management
Once a patient registers, they have to set up their profile. In addition to general personal data like their name, gender, and age, patients also have to put in their medical history so that doctors can maintain an EHR (Electronic Health Record) that they can refer to in the future.
Search and filters
A search function is essential for patients to be able to find the appropriate doctor for them. You should allow users to filter based on things like medical specialty, location, language, and rating.
Video conferencing
This is the prime feature of any telemedicine app. You have to make sure that both video and audio are transmitted in the highest possible quality so that doctors can better understand what the patient is suffering from. For simpler consultations, you can have an audio-only channel.
Text chat
This feature allows users to share photos and files with their doctor. Text chat is also useful for minor communications that may not be urgent.
While these are the basic features, you can always add more to streamline the process for your patients. For example, you can add a calendar feature to make it easier to book appointments. You can also include a payment gateway. High-end features like voice recognition, a chatbot, or even real-time monitoring (with the help of wearable medical devices) will considerably improve your offering. These things will, however, hike up your telemedicine app development cost.
2. UI/UX Design
If you want to ensure a high level of customer retention, the look and feel of your app have to appeal to people. Add to this the possibility that your users will be sick when they use your product, and you have to make the experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible. The more seamless interface is, the more it is going to cost you. If you are working with a small budget, it might be better to keep your UI/UX design simple at first and upgrade it in the future.
3. Platform
Telemedicine app development cost also depends on whether you decide to develop for Android or iOS. You can choose to build your app for the Play Store, the App Store, or both. The cheapest option is to build a cross-platform app; you will only need to hire one developer, and your app will have a wider reach than if you release your product only on one platform.
4. Development
This part of the telemedicine app development cost can be calculated based on how long it takes to code your app. Multiplying your developer’s hourly rate by the number of hours they take gives you your figure. In general, an in-house team is more expensive than an outsourced one, and the cheapest option is to outsource to freelancers.
As you might expect, the number of people on your development team affects the cost too. The more people you hire, the more you will have to pay per hour. However, the telemedicine app development process might take less time overall. You need to do some calculations before you decide on your development team.
5. Maintenance
While you may not want to consider the cost of maintenance as a part of your telemedicine app development price, you have to keep in mind that your app will not be successful if you do not maintain it regularly. You might need to upgrade your app based on changing market trends, or on feedback from your users. This is why you need to budget for your maintenance costs even while you are developing your app.
Looking for a telemedicine app development company?
iTrobes is here for you! We are a mobile app development company and we offer our services all over the world. Reach out to us today to get onto the telemedicine app bandwagon!
