Custom Healthcare Software Development: Pros and Cons
Automation has penetrated several industries, and the healthcare sector is no exception. Medical software development is one of the key elements in the health tech domain. Medical healthcare facilities have been working on developing custom healthcare software to boost efficiency and performance.
If you are a medical healthcare facility or a NEMT looking for a custom medical software development solution, this post is for you.
Pros and Cons of Custom Medical Software Development
Like any other technological solution, health tech comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. However, prior to diving into the good and the bad of matter, it is imperative for you to understand what the term custom medical software development entails.
Custom medical or healthcare software development is a process that involves the design, development, and deployment of software for medical facilities. This process is customizable for each domain within the medical facility.
For instance, if you are a NEMT looking for a billing solution to avoid delays and errors in payments, a developer like ISI technology has one of the best solutions for NEMT and for medical billing and can customize it as per your needs. This is a far better option than buying a generic off-the-shelf software solution with functions you might not use and way cheaper than developing your own software from scratch (believe us, we’ve gone through that).
Tailoring health tech software to your needs will not only make your processes faster but also avoid any human errors. That said, let us dive right into the benefits and shortcomings of medical software development.
Advantages of Customized Medical Software Development
Whether you are a healthcare facility or a NEMT owner, investing in custom healthcare software development can benefit you in the following five ways.
Saving Money
Building your own customizable medical software solution is a better and cheaper option. However, it is better to find a solution provider to do the job for you. That way, you will not need to hire an in-house team of developers and save costs associated with recruitment and employees’ benefits. You can outsource the task to a third-party developer with expertise in building health tech solutions. Usually, your vendor will have developers that can do all customization. This is a temporary expense instead of hiring an in-house developer permanently.
This leads to further cost savings because not having a team of employed developers will save you from paying workers’ insurance, worker compensation, taxes, etc. Moreover, an in-house team of developers will require equipment and proper management which is an added expense. Therefore, it is best to get customized medical software from an expert medical industry solution provider.
Instead of subscribing to generic software to use its features, you can get your personal customized medical software. You can use your solution as and when you need it.
Maximum Integration
Custom medical software development allows you to create a solution that integrates into every function and operation within your organization. It is possible to integrate with brokers, clearinghouses, or services like Twillio, Authorize.net, etc. This will enable all departments within your medical or NEMT facility to have a transparent view of each function.
Flexibility
Custom medical health tech software has flexibility and offers modification options as your business grows. You can always add and delete any features as per your requirement. This is way better than shopping for off-the-shelf software in the future to suit your needs.
In case you want to modify the software, you simply have to ask your custom medical software development company to add the features, and you are good to go!
Secure System
Healthcare facilities and NEMT centers tend to store sensitive and personal information about patients and businesses. This kind of valuable data makes your business a target for hackers. A medical software development team will ensure the enforcement of robust security protocols against such threats and create a HIPAA-compliant solution.
Drawbacks of Customized Medical Software Development
Even customized health tech solutions come with shortcomings which are as follows.
Expensive Investment
While cost saving is a long-term benefit of custom medical software development, you will have to cough up money to get your tailor-made solution. The cost may vary based on the size of your organization, multiple locations, features you would like to add, etc.
According to Forbes, hiring an in-house team of eight developers can cost you up to $388,200 in the U.S. On the other hand, outsourcing the task to a NEMT software development company will cost you over $281,400 to develop basic software without complex routing and multi-load features. Plus, it will save you up to 30% of the time required for software development due to the vendor’s experience in the medical field.
You will also have to find out if the software solution provider you choose offers complimentary services such as error debugging, etc. You will have to pay for that service. Therefore, you will have to choose the right development with expertise in software solutions for the medical industry.
Development Can Take Time
Healthcare software development process depends on the complexity and features you need in the software. It might take 6-12 months to develop something more basic, and several years if you need advanced features and use AI.
Final Thoughts
The custom medical software solution has its good and bad aspects. That said, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks by a clear margin. From medical healthcare facilities to the NEMT business, anyone in the medical industry can benefit from a customized health tech solution.
If you are looking for a medical software development provider, ISI technology can help. We have a team of experts with diverse skills. We are the experts in creating tailor-made medical software solutions for the medical industry. Whatever your requirements and the size of your business, we can provide a solution that fits your needs.
Speak to our team of expert developers today. Our team will be able to offer you a solution that suits your need and budget.
One thought on “Custom Healthcare Software Development: Pros and Cons”
Thanks for the blog, its quite interesting.