As a consultant focused on helping small and emerging healthcare practices adopt telemedicine capabilities, I‘ve seen firsthand the tremendous benefits software platforms can provide for improving patient care while reducing costs. From my experience, I want to guide entrepreneurs and business owners interested in adding telehealth services by exploring top software ideas tailored for key focus areas.
Telehealth Mobile Apps: Delivering On-Demand Virtual Care
Mobile apps have become mainstream options for on-demand doctor consultations. According to research firm Gartner, 75% of patients are willing to use telehealth options for convenience and easier access. Features like video calls, symptom checkers, health tracking, and medication reminders make mobile apps natural extensions of physician practices.
Benefits include:
- Increased patient panel capacity and revenue
- Reduced appointment no-shows by 40%, per Medical Economics
- Higher patient satisfaction – McKinsey found 93% satisfaction with telehealth vs. 80% for office visits
- Earlier interventions with more frequent virtual touchpoints
Top mobile app use cases I recommend focusing on:
| Use Case | Key Features |
|————-|——————-|
| General Telehealth Visits | Video calls, patient communication portals, prescription functionality |
| Chronic Care Management | Customized health tracking, education resources, automated check-ins |
| Post-Discharge Follow-Ups | Wound imaging, medication management, remote vitals monitoring |
Catering capabilities to specific use cases can maximize ROI on investment.
Chronic Care Management Platforms: Optimizing Self-Care
With the CDC reporting 6 in 10 adults having a chronic disease, remote monitoring platforms provide specialized support. Centralized dashboards track vitals, symptoms, medication adherence and more with data aggregated from connected devices and manual entry.
Key advantages include:
- 33% fewer hospital readmissions for monitored patients per BMC
- Better outcomes – A Heart Rhythm Society study showed 89% of patients had ideal heart rate control compared to only 60% without remote monitoring
- Increased patient engagement from daily self-tracking
Popular chronic condition protocols include CHF, hypertension, COPD and diabetes. Table 1 summarizes top platform criteria for each condition.
Table 1. Leading Protocol Capabilities by Condition
| Condition | Key Monitoring Parameters | Platform Features |
|---|---|---|
| Congestive Heart Failure | Weight trends, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation | Custom symptom journals, medication tracking |
| Hypertension | Blood pressure, heart rate, diet, exercise | Health coaching integrations, automated vitals tracking |
| COPD | Oxygen levels, respiratory function, medication usage | Video coaching, breathing exercise content |
| Diabetes | Blood glucose levels, carbohydrate intake, weight data | Integrations with glucose meters, insulin calculators |
Direct-to-Consumer On Demand Apps: Offering Instant Access
Direct-to-consumer telemedicine apps like Teladoc and Amwell that connect patients with doctors in minutes are exploding. Hitting 7 million visits in 2020, usage is projected to grow over 38% annually through 2025 per Fortune Business Insights.
Benefits of offering on-demand apps include:
- Increased patient convenience with visits from anywhere
- Revenue generation around the clock
- Potential redirection of unnecessary ER/urgent care visits
Ideal for easily diagnosed ailments like:
- Cold and flu
- Respiratory infections
- Skin conditions
- UTI’s
By allowing patients to get virtual care on demand, practices can boostloyalty and retention.
There are clearly many high impact areas for telemedicine software – the possibilities of how technology can transform healthcare continue expanding. I hope this guide provided a useful telehealth overview for healthcare entrepreneurs ready to meet the Industry‘s technology-powered future and please feel free to reach out if you need any help evaluating solutions!
