The global healthcare IT market is suspected to reach a whopping 280 billion U.S. dollars by 2021. This accounts for an annual growth rate of 16%. Looking at this figure, investing in a doctor booking app is likely to boost up your business performance and help you in achieving a new and improved sales figure.
There was a time when booking an appointment to consult a doctor used to be a tedious task due to the limited availability. The long waiting hours in the queue, the unique odour of the hospital, watching the other patients lying on stretchers further added to the visitors’ anxiety.
To keep a check on all these unruly situations, doctors realized the need for some technical encroachment in their practice. Hence, the on-demand appointment app came into existence.
Since its launch, the practice of using healthcare apps by the patients as well as the doctors has increased considerably. More than 1.7 billion smartphone users and 80% of doctors worldwide are using these digital healthcare services.
You can also invest in the on-demand healthcare app development and take your services to the next level. These apps will not only enhance the way you used to consult with the patients but will also allow you to conduct checkups virtually.
BR Softech Pvt. Ltd. is a well-established software development company that can help you enrich your services with these new-age digital solutions.
This article aims to educate you about the importance of the on-demand appointment app as well as the steps for development and cost incurred in the process.
Table of Contents
On-Demand Appointment App
In the technological era, the on-demand appointment app has appeared as a boon to the healthcare practitioners.
Booking an appointment for doctor’s consultation used to be an uncertain process. Let us see what kind of business models exist in Doctor’s Appointment App.
Business Models for Doctor’s Appointment App
There are lots of factors associated while investing in a doctor appointment app development. For an owner, generating revenue with an improved customer service quality are two of the significant aspects that are considered in any app development.
Let us have a look at some of the most popular business models that are adopted by healthcare professionals.
Commission-based model:
It is the most basic amongst all the business models that we will be discussing later on. The doctors that are listed on the appointment booking app receive maximized exposure when compared to the old method of tele-booking or paying a visit.
In the commission-based model, the healthcare professional shares a portion of the fee charged by the patient to the app owner, making it a win-win situation for both.
Paid listing:
One of the best ways for rising practitioners is the paid listing. In this type of business model, the doctor pays a certain amount to the app owner for getting listed on the featured column.
It gives an edge over the other competitors and makes your services visible to the patients.
In-app advertisement:
In addition to the above two methods, there is another means by which you can earn profit by launching a doctor appointment booking app.
There are many healthcare brands and service providers that are willing to pay the app owner a certain fee for advertisements hence proving the in-app advertisements a profitable source for revenue generation.
Considering the above three business models, it can be concluded that there are many ways by which the on-demand appointment apps can be useful. You can also integrate your unique idea to further boost the income from the mobile-based application.
Now when you are familiar with the types of business models, knowing the features to incorporate in your app is the next step towards developing the online healthcare platform.
Doctor Appointment app Features
The success rate of your doctor appointment app is highly dependent on the features it boasts. To help you with the basics, below are mentioned some features that will benefit you in the process of app development.
Profile:
Profile creation is the first time that the user comes across in any app. The app should allow the doctors as well as the patients to create their profile. Let us first discover the aspects that should be included in the doctors’ profile, followed by the patients.
Doctors Profile-
Location: The app should display the location of the doctor. Not only this but also the exact distance between the patient and the doctor should be displayed with the benefit of a detailed lane to lane navigation using GPS.
Achievements: For the patient to opt for any doctor, they should be familiar to its skillset. The app should allow the doctor to mention its achievements like education, experience, professional certifications, speciality and many more.
Pictures: Doctors should be able to enrich their profile using photos of the workplace. A virtual visit will further work in doctor’s favor and ultimately in your favor.
Ratings and feedbacks: Ratings and reviews work as influencers no matter the services. Hence, a section dedicated to ratings and reviews will further enrich the user experience.
Patient’s Profile-
Name: The patient to be able to conveniently pass the initial stage of profile setup and add its first name and last name for better accountability.
Contact Number: It is another crucial aspect of the patient’s profile. By allowing the patient to update its phone number, the doctor can easily access it and connect with the patient. This will enhance the user experience.
Address: The patient can easily receive nearby service providers with the help of the address that they have entered. Hence, uploading the address is also of great importance as the others.
Other Information: The patient should be able to update their personal identification and also add any special note related to their health history. It will help elevate the user experience. Hence, information like age, sex or any other information hold much value.
Searching: This feature is dedicated to the patients. Patients should be able to conveniently search the professionals manually. The searching option should be powered by factors like the speciality, type of care, experience, time, fee, area etc.
Search features will work in favor of the patients by providing them accurate and quick results.
Appointment: The patient should be able to connect with the doctor by going through some predefined process after filtering the needed professional from the search bar. In-built chat support can work wonders in the favor.
After having all the queries answered by the healthcare practitioner, the practitioner should be able to fix, postpone or deny the appointment.
Payment options: The society we live in is a cashless society meaning that people are highly dependent on the electronic mode of payments as compared to the fiat money based transactions in the earlier time.
Hence, the app should accept payment by debit and credit cards, net banking, or using any other form of electronic payment.
Partnering with a secure payment gateway should be done as a compromise on the security aspect might land you and your brand image in trouble. Also, the payment option should be quick and easy.
Invoice: After the payment is made, the patient should receive an invoice that will not only build a peace of mind but can also be helpful for the hospital staff.
The invoice should carry all the necessary details like the fee paid, date, service requested and the scheduled appointment.
SOS/Emergency: In case of an emergency, the user should be able to book a paramedic facility. It will help in tackling emergency situations and build trust within the users.
GPS tracking: GPS tracking is another crucial aspect that is related to an on-demand appointment app. It will help the patient to locate the doctor and avoid any confusion while reaching the hospital.
Video Conferencing: By enabling the video conferencing, the patient will get the freedom to consult the doctor even while travelling. Hence, video conferencing is an option that will make healthcare facilities portable.
Push notifications: Another vital aspect that is related to app development. The push notifications will eliminate the need for patients to remember their appointments. Also, it will keep the patient updated with their medication reminders.
Document sharing: With the help of document sharing, the patient will be able to conveniently share their previous prescriptions and medications before paying the visit to the hospital or video consultation.
It will not only make the doctor familiar with the patient but also promote effective consultation.
The features, as mentioned earlier, do not make a complete list for an advanced app but are the basics. Even a budget constraint project is advised to boast these features for remarkable customer experience.
On-Demand Doctor Appointment App Development Company
The app development is not a tedious job if it is organized and conducted by a professional software solution company like BR Softech Pvt. Ltd.
Effective counselling for planned app development can significantly raise up the success rate of your project.
However, approaching the app development company is one thing and having clarity about your project is another. It is advised to do deep research about the ongoing trends that will help you during the app development.
Also, using a clone script like the Zocdoc clone script can speed up the app development process. Also, developing an app using a ready-made script have advantages like
Cost of Doctor App Development
App development is a complicated job and if done in the right direction can be the stepping stone towards success.
The cost incurred is the major point to consider in deciding the type and feature of your application. Many factors will decide the cost of your on-demand appointment app development.
The complexity of the app is one important factor that will determine the rate of app development.
Hours taken to complete the project is also one of the driving force to decide the cost. Precisely, hours in sync with the rates altogether provide you with the end figures.
The type of contract is another factor that will decide the cost of the app development.
The technology stack that you choose determines not only the success rate and in-app navigation but also the price.
Considering the factors mentioned above, an on-demand doctor appointment app can cost you from $15000 to $25000.
However, these figures are just an estimate, and the actual cost can be much lower or higher considering the business requirements, the platform for which it is created, the budget that you carry and many more.
Final Words
Concept, features, pricing and what not? This article covers every aspect that is related to the on-demand appointment app development.
To help you with the ultimate decision of healthcare app development, unique resolutions have been provided in this article that are sure to make your competitors feel weak at the knees.
BR Softech Pvt. Ltd. having class-leading expertise in a software solution is the ultimate resort to your app development project.
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