Mobile technology has revolutionized the healthcare industry by transforming the ways in which consumers access and manage care. The mobile channel has facilitated a colossal shift in the relationship between clinicians, payers, and patients, as the healthcare industry moves toward a more patient-focused operating model. The mobile channel presents a unique opportunity for healthcare organizations to stay connected to their consumers and deliver their services in innovative ways. With the ubiquity of smartphones and wearable devices, and endless possibilities for personalization, it is the optimal channel for delivering a connected care experience. Yet many organizations struggle to build and maintain effective healthcare mobile apps that meet consumer expectations.
With over 350,000 mobile health apps in the app stores, organizations face significant competition attracting and retaining active users. For healthcare organizations looking to improve their in-app experience and gain a competitive advantage in the market, it is important to prioritize features and capabilities that will improve functionality for your users, anticipate their needs, and empower customer self-sufficiency.
The 12 Innovative Features that Elevate Your Healthcare Mobile App Experience
Modern mobile apps empower your patients to play a more active role in their healthcare journey. Increasing customer self-sufficiency through your mobile app has many benefits including improved patient outcomes, increased customer satisfaction and retention, optimized internal workflows and processes, and reduced organizational operating costs. In this two-part blog series, we will discuss the 12 essential patient-centric features that healthcare organizations need to have to deliver the optimal frictionless patient experience.
Telehealth
Telehealth refers to the delivery of healthcare services and information remotely. It enables providers to connect with patients through video consultations, phone calls, secure messaging, and remote monitoring. Telehealth increases access to care by eliminating geographical barriers and bringing timely medical consultations to patients in remote or underserved areas. It is also a convenient option that allows your patients to receive care from the comfort of their home, saving your patients time and reducing the burden on healthcare facilities. A mobile app with telehealth can support remote triaging and consultations, monitoring of vital signs, chronic disease management, and medication adherence. By incorporating telehealth capabilities into a mobile app, healthcare organizations can extend their reach, improve patient care, and enhance overall healthcare delivery in a way that is convenient (and often preferred) for their patients.
Provider Search
Provider search is a feature that allows users to find and select healthcare providers such as physicians, specialists, or clinics based on specific criteria. It provides and comprehensive and user-friendly directory of healthcare professionals, offering greater choice and personalization of care. Users can refine their search based on various criteria such as location, specialty, languages spoken, accepted insurance, and more. It eliminates the need for manual research and empowers patient engagement by directly involving patients in the selection of their healthcare providers. Giving your patients the option to select providers who meet their unique needs and preferences fosters a sense of ownership over their healthcare decisions, increases retention, and improves care continuity and outcomes.
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Integration
Integration of Electronic Medical Records involves securely connecting your mobile app with your organization’s EMR system which stores all patient health information. It allows the app to securely retrieve and display relevant patient data from the EMR system in real-time. This may include medical history, lab results, medications, allergies, and other relevant data that enhances clinical decision-making and improves patient care. Integrating with an EMR system allows your app to become a central hub for care coordination across multiple settings and providers, ensuring greater care continuity. It also streamlines the documentation process by eliminating the need for manual data entry and administrative redundancies. Patients can access their medical records through the app, empowering them to play a more active role in managing their personal health journey.
Biometric Login
Biometric login refers to the use of unique biological characteristics, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans to authenticate and grant access to a mobile app or digital platform. It provides an additional layer of security compared to traditional username/password authentication and complies with federal privacy regulations such as HIPAA. Unique biological characteristics are difficult to replicate, making it more challenging for unauthorized individuals to gain access to sensitive healthcare information and patient data. It also provides a more frictionless experience for your users by eliminating the need for them to remember complex passwords. With the ease of biometric login, users are more likely to consistently engage with your app, which promotes improved health management. In an emergency medical situation, biometric login provides quick and secure access to critical information to facilitate informed decision-making and potentially saving lives. The combination of security and convenience makes biometric login an essential healthcare mobile app feature.
Facility Locator
A facility locator is a feature that helps users find and locate the nearest hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, diagnostic centers, and urgent care centers. It integrates with the mobile device’s GPS and navigation, providing users with directions to their chosen facility. This simplifies the process of reaching facilities in unfamiliar areas or during times or urgency. The facility locator may also provide important contact information, hours of operation, services offered, or ratings and reviews. This helps users make more informed decisions and helps to manage expectations in advance. Incorporating a facility locator into your app helps your users conveniently and effortlessly access care.
Turnkey Network Connectivity
Turnkey network connectivity refers to a pre-built, ready-to-use network infrastructure that allows seamless integration and communication between different healthcare systems, applications, and databases. It promotes interoperability by enabling the secure, seamless exchange of data in real-time and fosters an efficient, connected healthcare ecosystem. Turnkey network connectivity is also essential for your app’s speed and performance. Apps that can’t effectively retrieve data across internal systems are more likely to have slower load times and experience frequent crashes, which will frustrate your users. By incorporating turnkey network connectivity, healthcare organizations can improve scalability and future-readiness across their apps. Healthcare mobile apps built with turnkey network connectivity can more easily integrate to new systems and technologies allowing for easier expansion and adaptability to stay relevant with digital trends.
Check Out Part 2 in this Series!
In Part 2: The Essential Healthcare Mobile App Features You Can’t Afford to Ignore, we will delve into the next 6 critical features for modern healthcare mobile apps.
Are you ready to build a better healthcare app? For more information on Perficient’s healthcare mobile application expertise, subscribe to our blog or contact us today.
