How Much Does It Cost to Develop a HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare App?

Healthcare providers struggle to expand patient access while improving affordability and experience through facilities and personalization. They strive to improve clinical results through analytics and HIPAA compliance solutions.

Some problems healthcare industries and medical service providers face are unauthorized access, network vulnerabilities, and data theft. Consequently, the United States enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as a federal law to safeguard personal health data. Medical providers must align their products with HIPAA guidelines to serve the healthcare industry, which is necessary for protecting user data and sensitive information.

The medical industry, which includes medical centers, company health programs, pharmacy chains, well-established hospital chains, and new healthcare service providers, should adhere to HIPAA guidelines. Failure to do so can lead to hefty penalties and a lousy reputation in the healthcare marketplace.

It’s about operating the HIPAA-compliant software to guarantee more satisfactory patient care and services. Nevertheless, healthcare mobile app development can be complicated due to diverse elements and cost-related anticipations. 

Market Overview of HIPAA-Compliant Software

According to reports by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), 30,744 cases of non-compliance with HIPAA were solved by altering their privacy methods and corrective actions. Until February 2024, OCR imposed penalties in 143 cases, resulting in a total amount of $142,528,772 USD.

The market necessity stimulates organizations to boost their services to the virtual world by creating exceptional healthcare applications. HIPAA-compliant healthcare apps are an advantageous prospect that guarantees raised revenues, considering the elevated demand and evolution of the mHealth market.

However, medical app development has its own rules and regulations, hindering the process. Healthcare app development cost plays an essential role in building profitable businesses. For instance, the features and functionalities are dependent on capital investment. 

To clarify HIPAA-compliant healthcare app development cost, let us determine the factors influencing the development process. 

Benefits of HIPAA-Compliant Software Development

The benefits of HIPAA-compliant applications are not limited to safeguarding users against data breaches. It offers remote facilities to patients and doctors, protecting themselves from harmful diseases. To understand the benefits in-depth, let us dive deep with the section below. 

For Doctors

1. Remote Access

Specific remote locations may lack fundamental medical services. But with a healthcare app, doctors can connect with patients and offer prescriptions and other video consultations. Secure authorization for patients’ health documents will also lead to quick diagnosis and treatment of medical ailments.

2. Reduced Costs

Practitioners can save money using healthcare apps that do not require manual labor. They can also offer their services to more patients with less effort, thereby reducing the expenses of rented clinics.

3. Easy to Share

Healthcare applications use intelligent health diagnostic methods to diminish errors that might become fatal to patients. Physicians can execute clinical screenings to guarantee that patients get the medication they need at the correct dosage. The HIPAA-compliant healthcare application also utilizes sensors to map and document key health metrics.

4. Improved Productivity

Doctors can resolve challenges efficiently by using healthcare apps on their devices, such as tablets or mobile phones. Healthcare professionals find it feasible because they can reduce paperwork and access previous medical records. As a result, it elevates outcomes and frees up time for other essential tasks.

For Patients

1. Secure Communication

Patients have the assurance of HIPAA-compliant encryption when using their personal and sensitive information. This means they can operate mHealth applications as a centralized depository for patient medical information while protecting data and all contacts with their healthcare provider.

2. Appointment Scheduling

Sitting down at a clinic for an appointment can be tiring. If you miss it, you must make another appointment months later. Healthcare applications enforce a convenient way for patients to use appointment scheduling applications, as they may make their appointments directly from their phones.

3. Easy to Share

Thanks to the remote healthcare provider equipment, patients and healthcare practitioners can now effortlessly disseminate test outcomes. Patients can upload their medical test results and photographs of signs to communicate with doctors safely.

4. Single Repository

The healthcare app allows patients to gather and preserve their confidential and sensitive health information in one safe location. This process makes it easier for medical personnel to avoid errors and authorizes patients to confirm.

5. Recorded Consultation

Patients can document meetings with doctors virtually, particularly if they have a disability or problem recalling minute details. Patients may also record and maintain audio messages with their doctors using healthcare applications.

Healthcare App Development Cost Breakdown Based on Technical Aspects

For HIPAA-compliant healthcare app development, healthcare providers must consider cost factors like app functionality, platform type, and many more. Evaluating and estimating every factor ensures better decision-making about healthcare app development cost. 

1. Application Functionality

Considering that there are different types of healthcare applications, every application has distinctive features and functionalities that influence the final cost of developing a distinct app, from telehealth apps to fitness and wellbeing trackers. 

For instance, a period tracking app development cost is estimated to be around $25,000, and the cost of building a HIPAA-compliant app starts from $50,000 and can go beyond.

2. Technology Stack

Medical providers and hospitals can choose frameworks for iOS or Android platforms or build apps using Flutter for one code base. The platform needs various technologies, development resources, duration, features, and dexterity for HIPAA-compliant software development.

Accordingly, capital investment will vary based on platforms and technologies. For instance, the end-to-end development process for a native HIPAA-compliant app costs about $450,000, while a hybrid healthcare app requires about $650,000.

3. UI/UX Design

Other factors that influence the app development cost for a HIPPA-compliant healthcare app are the UI/UX designs. From ensuring accessible information to wireframing the app layout, diverse projects need various UI/UX experiences and market analysis.

Keeping the UI/UX in the forefront, let us dive deep into understanding the estimated development cost:

4. Development Team Location

HIPAA-compliant healthcare app developers in the United States will demand more when compared to developers in Asia. Living standards, economic situations, and experience levels influence the healthcare app development cost, which healthcare providers must consider before finalizing the app development agency. 

The table below helps medical providers and pharmacies estimate the cost of building a HIPAA-compliant healthcare app. 

5. Rules and Regulations 

A HIPPA-compliant healthcare app requires measures to ensure that patient data is secured and safe from breaches. Similarly, HIPPA and GDPR regulations establish secure medical systems that ensure all patients are handled professionally. Considering this, healthcare apps require extensive features and the application of intelligent technology to comply with the rules and regulations, thus affecting the comprehensive cost of HIPAA-compliant app development. 

Read More- Healthcare App Development Cost

Cost of Developing a HIPAA-Compliant App Based on Type

1. Wellness App Development Cost

A wellness app is designed to assist individuals in enhancing their physical or mental well-being. Wellness apps are necessary for staying healthy and for individual growth. By offering personalized support and recommendations, wellness apps can help users make healthful alternatives and stick to their ideals.

Essential features for wellness app development that can change the industry are:

• Nutrition plan
• Fitness management 
• Sleep tracker
• Meditation 
• Mental Health tracker
• Push notification
• User login and registration

Businesses can also include AI-powered features to automate the notification process using trackers. The cost of developing a wellness app can vary from $25,000 to $110,000, depending on the implementation of the different features. 

2. Telemedicine App Development Cost

Whether a virtual consultation appointment or a medicine prescription online, telemedicine offers different functionalities to patients and doctors to bridge the gap. Telemedicine can be adopted by healthcare centers and revolutionize their traditional functioning with advanced features like: 

• Patient Registrationn
• Doctor Registration
• Online Consultation
• Admin Dashboard
• User-Login and Registration
• Individual Profiles
• EHR
• Appointment Scheduler

The telemedicine app development cost ranges from $35,000 to $155,000, based on the complexity of the app, project size, and time duration. 

3. Fitness App Development Cost

People are stepping towards downloading fitness apps that can help them track and move towards a healthy lifestyle. Fitness apps allow individuals to track their daily progress and reach their final goal. Fitness businesses can develop an app that offers users functionalities that can change their lifestyle. 

Some of the features businesses must focus on are: 

• Activity Tracker
• User Login 
• Multiple Login Options
• Push Notifications
• Training Video 
• Diet Management

Businesses must remember that fitness app development costs can range from $20,000 to $60,000. 

4. Dieting App Development Cost

Personalization has changed how users perceive fitness applications. Everything from planning the diet to tracking it depends on the fact that different bodies need different plans. A dieting app focuses on providing users with individualism with custom diet plans according to their BMI. 

Essential features that a diet app must include:

• Diet Schedule
• Push Notification 
• Multi-Device Support
• User Login and Registration
• Dashboard Tracker

The fitness app development cost can vary based on features and functionalities from $60,000 to $140,000. 

5. EHR Development Cost

Healthcare centers utilize EHR apps to track users’ sensitive information and data. These apps help them sort the user data with utmost safety and security from potential breaches. However, EHRs require a proper development process and must follow HIPAA compliance to ensure safeguards. 

Necessary features of EHR development:

• Health Status
• Demographics Data Insights
• User Login and registration
• End-to-end encryption 
• Administrative Data

Healthcare app development costs can range from $35,000 to $100,000, depending on the complexity of the HIPAA compliance software. 

6. Healthcare Insurance App Development Cost 

Considering that people need insurance and loans to eliminate the need for agents and offer hassle-free processes, healthcare insurance apps are entering the market. With these apps, people can make loans based on their credit scores and intelligent technologies to give them reasonable amounts. Health insurance companies can build their apps and target the audience with different features like:

• Category Option
• Transaction Notification
• Payment Reminder
• Currency Converter
• In-App Chat
• QR Scanner

Based on the features, the healthcare insurance app development costs around $30,000 to $60,000. 

Read More- Healthcare Insurance App Development

Cost of Building a HIPAA-Compliant App Based On Advanced Features

Features are essential in developing a healthcare app for HIPAA-compliant guidelines, but they also influence capital investment. The more basic features, the less the expenditure. Advanced features are directly proportional to the cost of developing a HIPAA-compliant healthcare app. To understand the spending based on features, let us dive deep for clarity. 

The table below represents the estimated cost of healthcare app features that can assist medical providers in breaking down the capital investment.

Read More- Healthcare App Features

Choosing AppsChopper as Your HIPAA-Compliant App Development Agency

As HIPAA compliance services expand and revolutionize market needs, many establishments invest in HIPAA-compliant app development agencies to ensure they meet patient requirements and establish a secure environment. AppsChopper is a forward-thinking app development agency that presents secure and safe services, simplifies the customer experience, and complies with HIPAA law.

Since established healthcare providers, pharmacies, and medical providers prioritize HIPAA compliance, it is high time to choose a suitable service provider. For more details, contact our experts and get a proper capital investment quotation.