Top 9 Must-Have Functionalities for Web and Mobile Applications

Most likely, you would like to make your digital product highly competitive, get guarantees on its relevance, and avoid its costly rework even if its life cycle exceeds the unspoken five-year limit, right? Then, in today's changing tech environment, endowing it with long-distance growth prospects will be not just another strategy you may follow or not – it will be a necessity. 

What Is Future-Proofing?

No one would dispute that guaranteeing long-term stability adds confidence to the development process. Based on this, you may have a question: “What is the future-proofing?”. Now, we will explain the future-proofing meaning.

In short, it is the creation of several applications, websites, and services that retain their functionality even after a long time. For example, in the context of mobile application development, it predicts the occurrence of potential changes in the operating systems of gadgets so that these applications remain practical and relevant. By considering possible technological advancements, likely competitors, and requests from the target audience, the need for large-scale updating is minimized.

This process consists of analyzing a number of technological trends, considering potential risks, and integrating adaptive solutions to market trends. But do not close your eyes to some problems and challenges of future-proofing. There may not be a specific update date, and the implementation of flexible solutions may require both additional time and additional money. You should be sure that the tools and methods you use guarantee high quality and a high level of reliability of the product so that the process of its development is productive and relatively simple.

In addition, an equally important aspect of the above-mentioned approach is the study of potential changes that may occur in the needs and behaviors of the target audience of your product. This will make you ready to overcome obstacles. Let’s take a concrete example, if you integrate software with cloud services (using self-testing and scaling architecture).

The Benefits of Future-Proofing Software

It is worth considering the most striking advantages of this software to make sure it is appropriate:

• Flexibility in a dynamic technology environment: This helps to adapt existing products to new requirements.
• The real prospects for the future: The more long-term prospects are taken into account during the future-proof development of the digital solution, the longer it is guaranteed to be stable.
• Optimization of financial costs: If the potential upgrade of the review is done immediately at the development stage, it minimizes the possibility of costly disposal of the product itself.
• Superiority over competitors: Service providers that offer better protection of their decisions, respectively, are much more efficient and faster to respond to constant changes in the market and the needs of their target audience.

Future-Proofing Methods

You should also pay attention to the most popular ways to improve your digital products in the long term:

• Quality Assurance: Stable support of high-quality standards is a direct path to product reliability.
• Modularity: Modular architecture simplifies processes such as updating and modifying specific required components, minimizing any impact on the entire system.
• Documentation: Detailed documentation that is regularly updated to facilitate further support and streamlining.
• Implementation of modern standards: Strict adherence to the latest quality standards increases the adaptability of your products to innovative technologies several times.

7 Ways to Future-Proof Software

Let's dwell on the seven most essential methods for reliably protecting your software from upcoming challenges and guaranteeing its stable operation for many years.

Implementation of automated tests

Automated tests allow you to quickly detect and correct errors that occur when making changes to the code. This dramatically reduces the risk that new features or updates will break existing functionality. In addition, automated testing increases development efficiency, reducing the time for manual QA procedures.

Using containerization

Containers provide software flexibility and portability, making it easier to deploy across platforms. They isolate the application and all its dependencies, which avoids problems with environment compatibility. Containers also simplify application management in several environments at once.

Expanding of architecture

Planning the architecture for possible load increases makes it easy to scale the system. Using a microservice architecture, a design pattern that structures an application as a collection of small, loosely coupled services, for example, enables the scale of individual components independently, increasing the system's overall performance and reliability.

Integration with cloud services

Cloud solutions provide flexibility and the ability to adapt to new requirements quickly. They allow you to store and process data on remote servers, reducing infrastructure costs and achieving higher availability and service reliability.

Regular updates and patches

Constant software update allows you to maintain its relevance and reliability. Regularly fixing vulnerabilities and adding new features helps to avoid obsolescence and ensures it meets modern security standards.

Using open standards and APIs

Open standards are publicly available specifications that facilitate interoperability. APIs are sets of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other, be compatible with other systems, and simplify integration. These make it easy to connect new services and expand the existing functionality without significant changes in its architecture.

Investing in team training

Investing in team training and focusing on long-term planning is crucial to preparing to embrace new technologies and methodologies. This ongoing evolution of skills and knowledge not only enhances employees' current abilities but also prepares them to adapt to fluctuations in the tech market.

Conclusion

Future-proofing your software, through robust security measures such as encryption and regular vulnerability assessments provides you with long-term stability and high competitiveness. At the same time, you get a significant reduction in the cost of service and increased flexibility and speed of adaptation to a number of new requirements and conditions, which in the complex creates the conditions for the adaptability of the entire team. In this way, your software will always be efficient and reliable despite the changing technology environment.

It's crucial to note that the strategic approach to software protection and development is not just about the technology but also the people behind it. This approach stimulates the development team's performance, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness through process standardization and the introduction of the latest technologies. By empowering your team to implement new features and optimizations, this approach makes them feel valued and integral to the process, thereby increasing performance.

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The future of healthcare is digital. In 2022 alone, the global patient portal market reached $2.9B, as the Grand View Research reports. By  2030, it’s projected to grow even higher—at a CAGR of 19.44%. This trend reflects how public and private healthcare organizations strive to digitize paper documentation and automate everyday business operations.

Indeed, the stakes in healthcare are high. Even minor errors can lead to incorrect diagnoses and worsen patients’ conditions. This is where patient portal software greatly minimizes errors, particularly those caused by human factors 

Below, read on how to create a patient portal. We’ll analyze the target audience’s needs, dive into the most successful examples of its implementation, and examine the nature of the target audience's requirements.

What is a patient portal system?

An online patient portal is a web or mobile solution (usually for Android and iOS platforms) that gives patients access to medical records, helps schedule appointments in a few clicks, and easily communicate with healthcare providers at any time. 

By automating the interaction between the parties via the patient portal, organizations can improve the quality of care while making their services more accessible and convenient for patients.

In particular, modern patient portal requirements are:

• Fast and secure access to their medical data and records with guaranteed privacy protection.
• High-quality medical services without the need to wait in long queues.
• A clear understanding of the treatment plan and progress.

Healthcare organizations instead aim to:

• Reduce their administrative costs – in particular, for maintaining paper documentation.
• Maximize personnel efficiency without the risk of burnout.
• Increase patient satisfaction through transparent interaction and remote patient monitoring.
• Comply with the healthcare regulations.
• Reach a new level of income by reducing expenses and attracting new patients.

That is why the patient portal system is the one-stop solution that, if implemented correctly, covers all the above-mentioned needs. This is typically achieved through the following features:

• Access to medical records (including medical history and test results).
• Appointment booking (with the option to select the date, time, and doctor).
• Online consultations (for example, via video calls and chats with doctors).
• Repeat prescription orders (automatic issuance of electronic prescriptions and reminders for refills).
• Online bill payment.
• Personal data management (including patient contact information).
• Push notifications (reminders for upcoming visits, tests, vaccinations, etc.).
• Educational materials.
• Feedback tools (surveys for patient satisfaction and forms for submitting complaints, etc.).

Types of patient portals: Which fits your healthcare needs?

Generally, there are two global types of patient portals: integrated and standalone. The former is presented as a component of electronic health records (EMR/EHR) and is fully tied to the infrastructure of a healthcare facility. Integrated portals ensure uninterrupted data exchange between doctors and patients but, in the case of ready-made solutions, are limited by the functionality offered by the specific healthcare provider.

Standalone portals, however, come in two forms: SaaS and on-premise. The former are hosted in the cloud and are available by subscription, which is especially convenient for healthcare providers within small organizations. Their advantage is quick deployment and configuration. At the same time, their customization options are often limited. 

As for the second category, these are software solutions installed on local servers of a specific healthcare organization. They provide comprehensive control over data but require significant infrastructure and support costs. They can also be difficult to scale and integrate with third-party solutions.

It is worth noting that every medical organization has its own regular processes and specific business tasks distributed among different departments. In particular:

• The reception desk keeps track of patient records.
• Laboratories collect, process, and store test results.
• The finance department is responsible for payments and insurance processes.
• Doctors and medical personnel work with medical records and appointments.

All the above processes can rarely be integrated into a single system, which makes it difficult to automate them using only one off-the-shelf patient portal. Moreover, medical institutions vary greatly in specialization (including clinics, dentistry, laboratories, hospitals, etc.), and ready-made products do not always meet their needs. 

If we add to this the need to comply with regional security standards for patient data, it becomes clear that out-of-the-box solutions may not be viable. This is the main reason why healthcare organizations are increasingly resorting to custom healthcare portal development.

Patient portal requirements: Key features and functionalities

Now, let's check the main functionalities and features that should be integrated into a patient portal.

User authentication and access management system

This portal component uses OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect for secure login. It protects users' credentials and enables multi-factor authentication. Usually, developers provide multi-level access with restrictions based on user roles (including patients, doctors, administrators, etc.). 

At the same time, when implementing role-based access, it is important to adhere to widely recognized patient data security policies, such as HIPAA and GDPR. Specifically, doctors and administrators should have full access to all patient data. In contrast, individual patients should only be able to view, edit, and delete their info.

Medical data storage

The storage is located on local or cloud servers using AES-256 and TLS 1.3 for data encryption. By the way, many cloud vendors have ready-made solutions for healthcare organizations that meet the standards of patient data privacy (including AWS HealthLake, Azure Healthcare, and others). It is also crucial to ensure that such storage is protected against data misuse and unauthorized access.

Integration with EHR systems

This integration is necessary for consolidating patient data. Thus, developers must adhere to FHIR and HL7 standards to ensure compatibility and data exchange. As for the integration itself, if we are not talking about legacy solutions, it is carried out through an API. 

Finally, to ensure that the patient portal system complies with the requirements of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (particularly, the ONC's Cures Act), it is essential that the platform could get full access to the patient, with all the ability to edit and delete.

Appointment schedules, doctors’ cards, and telemedicine tools

The first two components involve creating a catalog with therapists’ information and a scheduling system where patients can book visits. This can be achieved through RESTful API to synchronize with hospital calendars. Also, integrating with trusted video communication platforms like Zoom Healthcare can facilitate direct communication between patients and doctors.

Automation of bill calculations and online payments

Online payments are processed through integrations with payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal. In general, they must support PCI DSS standards. As for the automated billing system, this is essentially a regular calculator that “pulls up” data on the cost of services selected by the patient and sums them up (minus insurance and benefits, if any).

Integration with wearable devices

This is necessary so that doctors can monitor the condition of patients in real time. To do this, developers use APIs to collect data from devices (for example, from Apple HealthKit or Google Fit, as well as more specialized IoT equipment). At the same time, they must also implement a mechanism for obtaining prior patient consent to collect personal data.

Messaging 

It also makes sense to integrate a chat (with the ability to attach media files) for interaction with doctors, supporting end-to-end encryption (E2E) and using WebSockets protocols that provide real-time messaging.

User dashboards

The patient portal needs an interface for each user role. Basically, it should adapt the data and tools for doctors, admins, and patients. Among other things, it can also be enriched with advanced analytical tools. For example, Power BI or Tableau can be used to generate reports and visualize data (assessing attendance dynamics, treatment results, patient satisfaction, etc.).

How to develop a patient portal software: From concept to launch

When it comes to custom solutions, our telehealth website development services are provided in several subsequent stages. Let’s consider them in detail.

Ideation and requirements analysis

At this stage, our team consolidates the portal concept of custom healthcare portal development, according to your business goals, unique aspects of your internal business processes and IT infrastructure, the needs of the target audience, and an analysis of competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Based on this blueprint, we create documentation indicating functional and non-functional requirements.

Architecture design

From now on, our patient portal development team has everything ready to define the project's technological stack (for the frontend, backend, and database) and choose a specific architectural approach. We also approve the necessary third-party Integrations (including EHR, payment gateways, telemedicine solutions, etc.). 

Finally, we select tools and protocols to ensure our portal has a proper security level, including data encryption, user authentication/authorization methods, diagrams of interaction between components, etc.

UI/UX design

This stage involves building interface prototypes and gradually transforming them into a full-fledged design after usability testing. At the same time, our patient portal app development experts always take into account the requirements for the accessibility of the user interface. Basically, they are most accurately outlined in the WCAG 2.1 and ADA guidelines.

Development

Now, we can start working on the frontend and backend of the patient portal. Once individual functional modules are ready, we conduct unit testing to prevent hard-to-fix bugs at later stages of the project. This stage also involves the implementation of security mechanisms and integration with third-party solutions.

Testing and quality control

When the code base is ready, our patient portal development experts conduct rigorous testing, including functional, load, security, usability, etc. This stage ensures that the solution meets the best specs and software quality standards in healthcare.

Deployment and launch

Before launching the portal, we prepare all the necessary infrastructure, build a CI/CD pipeline, and set up a monitoring system. If needed, we can train your staff on how to use the portal. After all the previous stages are checked—we usually start deployment.

Post-release support and updates

To better understand ​​​​its further optimization, our patient portal development experts regularly check the portal’s logs and metrics, collecting feedback. In addition, as post-release bugs are discovered, we fix them and, if necessary, implement new features.

Understanding the needs of your patients

A patient portal and medical website design should fully adapt to the target audience's problems. That is why it is essential to define them in advance. Based on our experience, we would like to highlight the following ones:

• Long wait time when making an appointment.
  Patients often encounter long wait times in phone and in-person queues. A patient portal can help. It lets users book online appointments 24/7 and choose a specialist. In addition, it sends SMS or push notifications to remind patients about upcoming visits.
• Lack of full access to medical data.
  Many patients are forced to visit clinics because healthcare organizations still document their test results manually. The patient portal gives access to electronic medical records, test results, and doctor recommendations, which can be easily downloaded or saved (for offline access).
• Lack of understanding of the treatment plans.
  Patients may find it difficult to track their treatments' progress, which may result in forgotten, delayed, or canceled visits and procedures. To prevent this, portals display the treatment plan and the current status of therapy. In addition, patients get notifications about upcoming procedures, calendars, and recommendations, which is very smart.
• Difficulties in paying for medical services.
  The need for patients to be physically present makes offline payments resource-intensive. Patient portals eliminate this headache with integrated payment systems, allowing users to view their payment history and current bills in just a few clicks.
• Insufficient communication with the attending physician.
  In-person appointments to explain test results and treatment plans can be time-consuming for both patients and healthcare providers. Patient portals streamline this process with online chat and video calling capabilities.‍
• Weak control over the treatment of chronic conditions.
  Patients with chronic conditions often lack convenient tools for regular monitoring. Portals can address this with real-time health data visualization, medication reminders, and appointment scheduling, as well as integrating with wearable devices for continuous data collection.‍
• Low involvement in the treatment process.
  Since some patients find it difficult to understand how their actions affect treatment results, the patient portal development team can also add interactive tools to the portal to track patients' treatment progress or provide educational materials.
  Gamification elements can enhance the effect.

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Patient portal development challenges and solutions

In this section, we will analyze the most typical challenges of patient portal software development and the most effective ways to overcome them.

• Ensuring compliance with regulations.
  Telemedicine hugely relies on strong data protection, first—to comply with laws like HIPAA and GDPR, and second—obviously, it is for patient trust. End-to-end encryption, role-based access control (RBAC), and multi-factor authentication are key practices, along with regular system audits and penetration testing to ensure security.
• Integration with existing solutions in the organization's IT infrastructure.
  Many healthcare providers still use older systems that don't easily connect with modern software. To solve this, developers can build 'middleware'—software that acts as a bridge—to automate data transfer between patient portals and other systems, ensuring everything works smoothly.
• Ensuring high performance and scalability.
  Many portals frequently freeze when user traffic exceeds the original design capacity. To solve this, developers can host the portal in a cloud environment that scales as users grow and use a microservice architecture to balance the workload across the portal's services. Additionally, they can optimize a database through indexing and caching.
• Ensuring intuitiveness. 
  ‍Since the target audience of patient portals is diverse (including the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with no technical literacy), there should be universal access to the full use of all portal functionality. To solve this, during the development of the patient portal software, the team should conduct user research and surveys to guide and optimize the software effectively. They should also adhere to the compliance of this software with the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. 

• Accessibility on mobile OSes.
  As patients increasingly manage their healthcare on digital devices, patient portals must offer a seamless mobile experience. Poor mobile optimization can lead to slow loading times and display issues. Developers can address this by building progressive web apps (PWAs) or cross-platform solutions, implementing offline access for key features, and optimizing content loading with techniques like lazy loading and data compression.

Patient portal software cost: What to expect

The cost of telemedicine app development depends on project complexity,  the team involved in the patient portal software development process, geographic location, development timeline, and the scope of features. Let's examine each of the points that influenced the cost in detail:

1. Project complexity

• Basic consultation apps with user registration, appointment scheduling, video calls, and messaging: $30K-$100K.
• Advanced telehealth platforms with multi-user portals, integrated EHR, and health analytics: $100K-$300K+.
• Telemedicine platforms with IoT/AI integration: $250K-$500K.

2. Team composition

A typical team for creating a basic patient portal usually includes:

• 2-3 developers: Where 1-2 are front-end developers, and 1 back-end developer.
• The project manager: Tracks the project goals and wins. 
• QA specialist: Tests the app to make sure it works correctly.

3. Development timeline

The time it takes for patient portal software development also affects costs. Most telemedicine apps take between 2 to 6 months to develop:

• Simple apps usually take about 2-3 months.
• More complex apps may take up to 6-12 months.

4. Geographic location

American tech experts can be expensive. For example, a front-end developer might earn over $100K annually, about $8K monthly. He might charge between $70K-$80K for a three-month project.

Hiring remote developers can save you money. For instance, Eastern European developers or other regions often charge between $2,500 and $3,500 monthly. You can easily hire a similar team for about $30K to $40K for the same project.

If you want to find out the patient portal software cost in your case, please fill out this contact form. 

Improving patient outcomes with data management: A case by Darly Solutions

From theory to practice—let's examine our relevant Darly Solutions experience through a top case from our portfolio.

In particular, we were approached by a HealthTech company specializing in consolidating unstructured medical data for organizations in the healthcare sector. They needed a custom digital solution to monitor clinical data. 

Faced with a tight deadline and the need for high precision, we meticulously planned and assigned all the UX/UI design, web development, QA, and project management tasks. We also reviewed the team's work schedule, as some members had to work overtime. Finally, we carefully chose the technology stack. We settled on Angular, HTML, CSS, Docker, ngRx, TailwindCSS, NGX Pagination, and JSON. 

Finally, our efforts paid off. We launched the product on time and met all design, functionality, and quality standards. As a result, the client has a competitive product with all the chances to thrive in the innovative telemedicine sector.

Find out more about this case here.

The future of patient portal development

In general, the future of patient portal software development is closely connected with the fast development of modern technologies, such as:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning.
  These technologies will personalize the portal and related healthcare services. AI-powered chatbots, including ones with recognition of human voice commands, will assist with scheduling appointments and answering FAQs. In advance, machine learning can also analyze patient data and symptoms to provide preliminary diagnoses.‍

• Blockchain.
  The introduction of blockchain technologies in patient portals can be aimed at more secure storage of their medical records and ensuring access to them only to authorized users. In addition, with its help, each interaction with data (adding, editing, and deleting) will be recorded, increasing the system's transparency.

• Virtual and augmented reality.
  These technologies can form the basis of next-generation telemedicine solutions. In particular, in the future, patients will be able to interact with doctors at a distance without reducing the quality of service. AR interfaces will also help inform patients about upcoming treatment plans.
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• Internet of Things and integration with wearable devices.
  IoT solutions can provide end-to-end RPM in real-time (for example, portals will be able to collect and analyze data on the patient's pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level, and activity). Based on this data, doctors can receive instant notifications of critical changes regardless of patients' locations.
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• Big data and business intelligence.
  Examples of patient portals use big data to identify trends, such as tracking the rise in the incidence of a particular virus or assessing the effectiveness of treatments. Also, end-to-end medical data analysis ensures timely prediction of exacerbation of chronic diseases. Finally, doctors and administrators of healthcare institutions will be able to monitor departments' workloads and optimize appointment scheduling.
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• Biometric identification.
  Biometric mechanisms can give users access to the portal through fingerprint, face, or voice scanning, making the authorization process more secure and easier.

Conclusion

Now you know everything about patient portal development and can safely choose an off-the-shelf solution or search for a team to implement a custom one. If the second option is closer to you but you would not like to turn the search process into a real headache, you can contact us, and we will be happy to discuss the details of our future cooperation to implement your idea.

129M Americans have at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports. Thus, the high cost of drugs, patient misunderstandings about their medications, fear of side effects, and overly complex dosing schedules—contribute to 5 of the top 10 leading causes of death.

The stakes couldn't be higher, but managing complex medication schedules doesn't have to be overwhelming. Since digitalization is growing and everyone has one or even two smartphones—medication management apps thrive as powerful tools to address healthcare challenges. 

Let's examine the trends, features, benefits, costs, and use cases of medication management app development.

Medication Management Apps Market Trends

From millennials managing chronic conditions to caregivers coordinating elderly parents' prescriptions, medication management apps are becoming an essential part of modern healthcare.

Thus, the market is booming. It was valued at $3.2B in 2024, and experts project a surge to $14.4B by 2033, demonstrating a 28.1% CAGR. 

The expansion won't stop here; it is powered by tech advancements like AI and cloud computing, which promise to enhance efficiency and reduce patient and healthcare providers' costs.

Benefits of Medication Management Apps

As healthcare evolves beyond traditional paper prescriptions and handwritten schedules, medication management apps have emerged as powerful allies in daily wellness journeys.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the key advantages of these apps:

1. Better Medication Adherence

MMAs help people stick to their treatment plans. They send reminders to ensure medications are taken on time, which is especially helpful for those managing multiple prescriptions or chronic conditions. Statistics speak louder here — researchers see users experience up to a 20% improvement in sticking to their medication plan. 

2. Fewer Medication Errors

In fact, 50% of patients fail to take their medications correctly, contributing to increased health risks. With built-in reminders and tracking features, MM apps cut missed doses or incorrect timings. 

3. Better Health Outcomes

The benefits extend beyond reminders: Medication apps led to a 15% adherence boost for hypertension patients and improved blood pressure. This proves that apps help manage medication, improve the effectiveness of treatment for chronic conditions, and improve overall health outcomes.

4. Increased Patient Engagement

Medication management apps help patients understand their medications, manage interactions, and make lifestyle choices. This knowledge lets them take an active role in their healthcare journey.

5. Cost Savings

These apps can lead to big savings for healthcare systems. Helping patients follow their medication schedules correctly reduces costly hospital stays and prevents complications. This saves billions yearly in expensive treatments, benefiting patients and the healthcare system.

6. Preventing Hospitalizations

Medication errors in the home affect nearly 1.3 million people annually. Common missteps include taking the wrong pill or starting dosage too soon. Such mistakes can lead to serious side effects or even hospitalizations. Medication management apps help patients stay informed and avoid these potentially harmful situations.

7. Customization for Individual Needs

No two patients follow the same medication schedule, even with chronic disease. That's why custom medication management apps let patients tailor everything, from pill dose tracking to reminder times. 

8. Integration with Healthcare Providers

Modern medication apps link patients with their healthcare teams. Medical providers can track adherence patterns, adjust treatment plans, and respond quickly to emerging concerns. Furthermore, a significant majority—84% of patients—report that having their medical records accessible online has improved communication with their doctors. 

Exploring the Different Types of Medication Management Apps

The sheer number of medication management apps can be daunting. However, understanding the core types and their benefits simplifies the selection process. We’ve listed the most common types of medication management apps below.

Medication Tracking Apps

Medication tracking apps are designed to record when medications are taken, ensuring adherence to prescribed routines. The tracking history is stored within the app and can be easily shared with caregivers or healthcare providers. Among such app features are logging, reminders, and interaction checkers.

Pill Reminder Apps

Beyond simple reminders, pill reminder apps provide tools for effective medication management. They offer customized alerts, refill reminders, dosage instructions, tracking, snooze options, interaction checks, multi-user support, and personalized notifications to help users stay on schedule.

Prescription Refill Apps

Prescription refill apps are designed to avoid last-minute pharmacy runs. Users can quickly request refills directly through the app, often with convenient reminders to reorder pills on time. Many apps integrate with pharmacies, enabling automated refills and seamless coordination with pharmacy services.

Chronic Condition Management Apps

Custom medication management apps support people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma. They help users manage their medications, which can differ even with the same diagnosis. Plus, chronic condition management apps monitor important health metrics and collect data from wearables, which makes health tracking more accurate.

Drug Interaction Checker Apps
These apps identify potential medication interactions, provide management tips, and promote safe medication use. Patients can scan and identify medications and may integrate with pharmacy accounts to check for drug-drug, drug-disease, and drug-allergy interactions.

Top Use Cases for Medication Management Apps

Nevertheless, all the medication management apps seem alike, which is especially fair since they all have a common feature—tracking; there is no one-size-fits-all. In fact, they do cater to various scenarios.

From managing chronic conditions, supporting senior care, or ensuring post-surgery adherence, these apps even cater to pill and med development processes. Read on about each use case below:

Chronic Disease Management 

Medication management apps are the most standard version used by people of all ages. They usually feature reminders for taking meds, alerts for refills, and tracking adherence. These apps often integrate with wearables, enabling continuous health data monitoring. 

For example, My Diabetes Home helps patients with diabetes by tracking medications and syncing them with wearables to monitor health metrics.

Senior Care

Medication management apps are essential tools for efficient in-home care. Automated medication reminders help caregivers stay on track. Adherence tracking offers visual reports that make it easy to see progress. Secure messaging with care teams boosts efficiency and cuts down on medication errors. 

For example, CareZone enables caregivers to schedule medication reminders, track real-time adherence, and communicate directly with physicians and pharmacists within the app. This approach streamlines communication and improves care coordination.

Post-Surgery Medication Adherence

Following surgery, patients often require complex medication schedules involving painkillers, antibiotics, and other drugs. Medication management apps can assist users by sending timely reminders and clear dosage instructions. This helps lower the risk of missed or wrong doses. Plus, healthcare providers can monitor adherence remotely to ensure the recovery process stays on track.

Medisafe is one such app. It helps patients manage complex post-surgery medication regimens by providing reminders and dosage instructions.

Drug Interaction Monitoring for Polypharmacy Patients 

Polypharmacy, which refers to the use of five or more medications, significantly increases the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug interactions. It is particularly common among older adults, who often deal with multiple coexisting conditions. 

Medication management apps can spot possible interactions when users add new medications. They alert both users and healthcare providers about any risks. 

For example, MedAware tracks drug interactions among patients on several medications. It warns users and healthcare providers about possible dangers and provides safer alternatives.

Facilitating Medication Management During Travel

Forgetting doses and struggling to find the right pharmacy can compromise travel plans and health. Luckily, a new wave of mobile apps helps travelers stick to their medication and manage healthcare needs easily. These apps ensure patients can easily track, manage, and access their medications while traveling, minimizing disruptions to their treatment plans.

For example, MedAdviser combines functionalities like symptom checkers and medication reminders with access to local pharmacies, making it a versatile tool for managing health on the go.

Enhancing Data Accuracy in Clinical Trials

Nonadherence in placebo-controlled trials can decrease the study's power and, as a result, lead to wrong conclusions about a pill's effectiveness or safety. That’s why medication management apps are on-the-go tools for practical scientific findings.

Key and Modern Features of a Medication Management App

From integrating with smart devices to providing real-time healthcare insights, these features represent the cutting edge of digital health technology. 

Let's explore the essential functionalities and tips from our team for the effectiveness of medication management app development. 

Core features:

• Medication Reminders.
  Scheduling daily, weekly, or monthly reminders allows users to set specific times.
  Tip: Implement smart reminders that learn user habits to optimize reminder delivery.
  
  
• Dosage Instructions.
  Instructing, including dosage, frequency, and timing, to help users understand how to take medications correctly.

Tip: Ensure the app can support various dosage forms (e.g., tablets, liquids, injections) and promote personalization of dose adjustments based on individual patient parameters such as weight, age, and disease severity.

• Medication Tracking and History.
  Logging when medications are taken allows users and caregivers to monitor adherence over time.

Tip: Since the app handles sensitive health data, build a secure backend system to store and manage medication history data. To protect information, implement data encryption, secure user authentication, and regular vulnerability testing.

• Prescription Refill Reminders.
  Reminding users when to refill prescriptions, ensuring they never run out of essential medications.

Tip: Integrate with local pharmacies or e-prescription software to streamline the refill process.

Advanced Features:

• Drug Interaction Checker.
  Alerting users to potential adverse interactions when taking multiple medications. The application should also factor in the user’s data, such as age, weight, and underlying health conditions, to run more nuanced interaction assessments.

Tip: Implement real-time safety checks based on the patient’s medication list and medical history.

• Symptom and Health Tracker.
  Monitoring a user's health, including symptoms, side effects, and vital signs such as blood pressure and blood sugar.

Tip: Apply powerful analytics tools to enable the aggregation and analysis of vast patient data. Also, provide tools for visualizing disease trends and patterns.

• Caregiver Access and Remote Monitoring.
  Medication management apps can notify caregivers or family members via push notifications, email, or text messages, allowing them to monitor adherence remotely.
  Tip: Implement secure role-based access controls, allowing caregivers to monitor adherence and receive notifications.
• Integration with EHR (Electronic Health Records).
  Creates a direct link between the app and electronic health records, enabling the app to pull patient medical data and reflect medication changes.
  Tip: Use standard healthcare data formats (e.g., HL7, FHIR) to ensure seamless data exchange.
  
  
• Emergency Access Feature.
  Provides quick access for emergency responders or healthcare providers to view a user’s pills and meds list, allergies, and health history.
  Tip: Provide a secure and easily accessible way for emergency responders to view a user's medication list, allergies, and health history.
  
  
• Multi-User Support.
  Allows multiple user profiles so families can manage medications for several individuals from a single app.
  Tip: Nevertheless, the app is mainly for family usage, ensure data privacy and security for each user profile.
• Pill identification.
  Identifies pills by shape, color, and imprint code. Some apps use image recognition and machine learning to identify pills from photos.
  Tip: Consider accessibility features for users with visual impairments. This could include voice guidance, larger buttons, and screen reader compatibility.

Additional Features:

• HIPAA Compliance.
  Ensures health data is encrypted and implements role-based access controls to log all data interactions securely.

Tip: Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users and encrypt data both in transit and at rest.

• Language and Accessibility.
  Offers customizable language options, voice commands, and large font sizes to make the app user-friendly for all demographics.

Tip: Adhere to accessibility standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) to make the app usable by people with disabilities.

• Insurance integration.
  Displays coverage details and co-pays for each medication.

Tip: Display insurance coverage details and co-pays in an easy-to-understand format.

• Gamification.
  Rewards users who adhere to their medication.

Tip: Offer a variety of rewards that motivate users, such as personalized badges, discounts, or charitable donations.

• Refill Management System.
  Allows users to request refills and track prescription statuses.

Tip: Establish partnerships with local pharmacies to facilitate seamless refill requests and prescription delivery.

Steps of Medication Tracking System Development

Define the scope

First things first. To define the scope of custom medical software development service, collaborate with a team that includes a product manager, an IT architect, and business analysts. Enroll in detailed meetups with the key stakeholders to understand their needs and incorporate them into the app's functionality. 

Alongside the app, develop a comprehensive one-page website that offers enough information about your healthcare practice and the pill tracker apps. At this point, ensure your idea and scope facilitate healthcare automation and population health management.  

Plan the project 

Prioritize user experience when developing a medication-tracking app when planning the project. Leverage native platforms (iOS/Android), cloud technologies, and intuitive APIs to create a seamless and engaging patient experience. Ensure robust security measures (HIPAA compliance) and seamless integration with existing healthcare systems (EHRs). Build a strong development team to deliver a high-quality and user-centric solution.

Procure tools for design

Streamline development with a robust PM tool that prioritizes customer value. Integrate with leading third-party APIs for accurate drug information. Leverage a cloud-based mobile device lab to accelerate testing and ensure device compatibility.

Execute and track project

Finally, to successfully execute and track your Steps Medication Tracking System Development project, employ an Agile methodology with a focus on iterative development and continuous feedback. This approach allows for flexibility, adaptability to change, and regular evaluation to ensure the system meets the evolving needs of users and stakeholders.

Technologies and Tools for Building a Medication Management App

The front end of medication management app development should prioritize cross-platform capabilities while maintaining native performance. React Native and Flutter are primary choices, offering robust frameworks for building healthcare applications. This tech provides accessibility support and smooth performance across iOS and Android platforms.

Node.js with Express or Django is the best ground for the backend architecture, especially for building secure and scalable APIs. These frameworks offer excellent support for handling concurrent requests and security middleware implementation, which is crucial for healthcare applications. Notably, they integrate well with health-related libraries and services.

Database selection should focus on compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, and FDA medical device requirements and robust data management capabilities. PostgreSQL offers strong relational data management with excellent querying capabilities, while MongoDB provides flexibility for handling varied data structures. Both options support efficient medication inventory tracking and complex scheduling algorithms necessary for medication management.

The medication management system should support barcode and QR code scanning for easy medication identification, prescription photo capture, and OCR capabilities for convenient data entry. The scheduling system must handle complex medication timing patterns while accounting for different time zones and user preferences.

The primary push notification system should be backed by SMS fallbacks to ensure critical medication reminders reach users. The system must support customizable alert schedules and maintain functionality even when offline. This requires sophisticated local data storage and synchronization mechanisms.

Healthcare API integration extends the application's functionality through connections with Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems, pharmacy management platforms, and insurance verification services. These integrations enhance the app's utility while maintaining compliance with healthcare data exchange standards.

Mobile optimization requires an offline-first architecture to ensure functionality without constant internet connectivity. This includes sophisticated cache management, battery usage optimization, and efficient network bandwidth utilization. The backend must handle load balancing, implement strategic database indexing, and manage API response caching for optimal performance.

Best Practices for Developing High-Impact Medication Management Apps

The medication management app development requires a careful balance between user experience, clinical accuracy, and safety features. Let’s break down the best practices for developing high-impact medication management apps:

User-Centered Design

User-centered design (UCD) puts end-users first in development, ensuring technology supports their needs and is easy to use. Even more interesting is that it is crucial to develop ML tools that address clinical needs and integrate with existing workflows. 

To build UCD, opt for:

• User research with diverse groups.
• Accessible interfaces.
• Intuitive medication systems.
• Clear visual schedules.
• Incorporate user feedback.

Safety and Error Prevention

Errors can occur at various stages of medication use, including prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. Weak medication systems and human factors like fatigue, poor environmental conditions, or staff shortages can contribute to these errors.

Note! 

For better app efficiency, zero for Structured Medication Review (SMR) and Automated Medication Review (AMR) are two key approaches to reviewing and optimizing a patient's medication regimen.

To build a safe and error-free app, opt for the following:

• Implementing medication interaction checks.
• Building robust dose verification systems.
• Creating transparent warning systems for potential conflicts.
• Developing fail-safes for data entry errors.
• Including emergency contact features.

Integration Capabilities

Medication management apps hinge on robust integration capabilities since they ensure seamless data flow and enhance functionality. 

To build seamless integration capabilities, opt for the following:

• Connecting with healthcare provider systems.
• Supporting electronic health record (EHR) integration.
• Enabling pharmacy system connectivity.
• Implementing standardized healthcare APIs.
• Supporting data export and sharing features.

Healthcare Provider Communication

A medication management app must bridge the gap between patients and their healthcare providers to maximize its impact. Streamlined communication enhances adherence and enables proactive intervention. This involves:

• Enabling secure messaging systems.
• Supporting telehealth integration.
• Creating automated reporting features.
• Including appointment management tools.
• Facilitating prescription renewal requests.

Performance Optimization

Medication management app development stands for optimization in every corner. Thus, it is obligatory to minimize loading times, ensure efficient data handling, and maintain stability even under varying network conditions.

To optimize performance, you can opt for:

• Ensuring fast app response times
• Implementing efficient data synchronization
• Optimizing battery usage
• Managing offline functionality
• Maintaining app stability

Data Security and Privacy

Apps that handle Protected Health Information (PHI) must comply with HIPAA regulations to protect patient privacy, avoid legal consequences, and maintain trust. To enroll this, you can opt for: 

• Implementing secure data encryption
• Managing secure cloud storage solutions
• Creating robust authentication systems
• Establishing data breach prevention protocols
• Maintaining audit trails for all sensitive operations

Monetization Strategies for Medication Management Apps

Medication management apps can employ various strategies to generate revenue, including:

• Subscription Model.
  Users pay a recurring fee (monthly or annually) to access the app's services and features. This model provides a predictable revenue stream, increases customer loyalty, and allows for upselling opportunities. For example, premium features like detailed health analytics, medication interaction checks, or personalized insights for premium subscribers. Noom, which uses a subscription-based strategy, generates $500 million in revenue.
• Freemium Model.
  Basic features are free, while users pay to access premium or advanced features. This approach helps to reach a broader audience and demonstrate the app's capabilities before prompting users to pay for more unique tools.
• In-App Advertising.
  Running advertisements for various brands and charging them on a pay-per-view or pay-per-click basis. Types of ads include banner ads, interstitial ads, and native ads. Offering an option to turn ads off for a fee can provide additional revenue.
• Partnerships.
  Partner with local pharmacies and take a commission on each sale made through the app. Integrating health insurance providers to deliver medications to insured patients can open another revenue stream.
• Delivery Fees.
  Charging a fee for each delivery can ensure consistent revenue. Different delivery speed options, such as express or scheduled deliveries, allow customers to choose based on their needs and willingness to pay.
• Content Monetization.
  Commercializing the app's content, such as high-quality healthcare videos, blogs, articles, webinars, and podcasts, can generate revenue when users pay to access this content.
• Sponsorship.
  Allowing other brands, such as pharmaceuticals or insurance companies, to offer their products or services to the app's user base.
• Pay-per-Service.
  Users pay for specific services or consultations within the app, providing flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
• Transactions.
  Selling medications online can be highly profitable but also complex due to regulations.

Medication Management App Development Cost

The cost of building a medication management app depends on several factors, including its complexity, features, and the development team's skills. This breakdown provides an overview of potential costs based on different levels of app functionality.

Cost of Basic Medication Management App

Expect to spend between $10,000 and $20,000  for a basic medication management app development with core features like user profiles, scheduling, and reminders. This is a good starting point for users who need a simple and effective medication-tracking tool.

Cost of Mid-Level Medication Management App

Expect to spend between $20,000 and $30,000 to develop a mid-level medication management app with features such as intake logs, valuable insights for users and healthcare professionals, advanced reminders, progress tracking, and detailed data visualization. This provides a more comprehensive solution than essential apps.

Cost Of Advanced Level Medication Management App

Expect to spend between $40,000 and $150,000 on a premium medication management app development with features like wearable device integration, AI-powered analytics, and extensive health data management. These apps are ideal for users with complex healthcare needs.

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

If you're just starting out, consider developing an MVP. This cost-effective approach includes basic scheduling and reminders, typically costing $5,000 to $15,000. It allows you to test your app idea with real users before investing in a full-featured build.

Why Partner with a Medication Management App Development Company?

Building a medication management app requires deep healthcare domain expertise, technical knowledge of medical software regulations, and experience with secure patient data handling. A specialized development company brings proven frameworks for HIPAA compliance, established integrations with electronic health records, and an understanding of clinical workflows. They can help navigate complex requirements around pill prescription handling, dosage tracking, and medical data privacy while accelerating your time to market through battle-tested development processes.

Why Choose Darly Solutions For Medication Management App Development?

Darly Solutions spans years of healthcare software development with expertise in modern mobile technologies. Our team has successfully delivered medication management solutions for pharmacies, hospitals, and healthcare startups. We offer technical implementation support, including HIPAA-compliant cloud infrastructure, secure API development, and native mobile apps. 

With our agile methodology and healthcare-specific quality assurance processes, we help clients launch compliant, user-friendly medication management apps development  40% faster than in-house development.

See all our cases here, and take the next step toward success with Darly Solution's proven expertise. Get in touch to share your project details today!

Wrapping up

The development of medication management applications is a cornerstone of modern healthcare technology advancement. By tackling fundamental challenges such as medication compliance, potential pills and meds conflicts, and prescription coordination, these apps serve as vital tools for patient care improvement.

From personalized notification systems to detailed medication tracking and healthcare provider interfaces, it creates a comprehensive platform for health management and engagement for overall health consciousness and well-being worldwide. 

We can't outstand the substantial healthcare cost savings generation and improvements in patient outcomes.

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