Unique Approach to Telehealth Design

Webflow is an all-inclusive web design platform that permits users to create responsive websites without requiring any coding skills. It merges the simplicity of drag-and-drop editors with the flexibility of coding to present a straightforward web design experience to users. Webflow is particularly beneficial for small businesses, startups, and freelancers who need to establish professional-looking websites swiftly and resourcefully.

What website types can be created with Webflow?

The possibilities are practically limitless! Webflow lets you create almost any kind of website:

• Corporate websites; 

• Portfolios;

• Blogs for web designers or photographers;

• E-commerce websites for online sales;

• Landing pages that attract customers or business card sites with job information;

• Educational tool. 

Essential features that Webflow offers to users

Webflow offers users several key features, including a drag-and-drop interface, responsive design, CMS integration, animation and interaction, and SEO optimization. Marketing agencies, online stores, and creative companies are the industries that most often use the web flow builder. Let's take a closer look at these features:

1. Thanks to its drag-and-drop interface, Webflow simplifies the process of design creation. With this amazing tool, you can drag and drop elements directly onto the canvas and arrange them in any way that works best for your project - no coding required! But if you want to improve your coding skills, you can add custom code to your designs and be more creative.

2. Websites in Webflow look great on any device - large, small, or full-size. You have the ability to preview how your design looks on different screens to ensure perfect responsiveness across all devices.

3. CMS integration allows users to create and manage dynamic pages, content, collections, and custom fields without coding.

4. Bring your design to life with Webflow's easy-to-use interactions and animations! You get hover, interaction, and animation effects in one place to make any project fun and interactive.

5.  You can add meta titles and descriptions, customize images and content, or create sitemaps to maximize your SEO optimization efforts.

6. With Webflow, you can build and manage an online store connected to platforms like Shopify or Foxy without ever leaving your site.

Regardless of the industry or business, Webflow is a great choice for building customized websites, web applications, and landing pages. Its versatility and integration with other marketing tools make it ideal for companies of all sizes.

What industries most often use this platform?

Webflow is quickly becoming the tool of choice for web designers and developers, startups, small businesses, e-commerce stores, and nonprofits that prioritize design and user experience over development efficiency. A popular choice for those who prioritize design and user experience. It is used by creative agencies, small businesses, and online stores. In addition, the low learning curve makes it extremely affordable and ideal for non-profit organizations or educational institutions looking to promote their cause or educate their audience. In short, Webflow is an incredibly powerful tool with a lot of flexible options for web designers/developers, regardless of the size of the industry.

Create your website with Webflow in 5 steps

We would like to share with you our experience of how we have built a website on Webflow.

Step 1

Ask yourself: "What do you want to do?". Start your project with one of the ready-made Webflow templates or create something completely new.

Step 2

Think about the page structure, add blocks and elements necessary for each page. For example, on the home page, you can add a banner to welcome visitors, write customer reviews, or showcase services and products. On the About page, you can post information about your company, photos and videos of employees, etc.

Step 3

Design a website layout in Webflow with the controls. Move, resize, and change colors on elements to your heart's content. 

Step 4

Fill your website with content. Don't forget about high-quality photos and videos, unique text, and SEO keywords. 

Step 5

Before submitting, you'll want to make sure your website is mistake-free. Webflow has a quick and easy error checker to scan for issues like broken links, misplaced content, etc.

Your website is all set to go live! Webflow gives you the option of using your own domain or their subdomain.

Did you know that our website is built on Webflow?

We took a while to pick a platform for publishing. We carefully weighed the pros and cons of other platforms when choosing to publish on Webflow. Despite other platforms' benefits, Webflow was our choice because of its performance-oriented design and flexibility & customization. It's designed for performance, which translates into faster loading times and a smooth user experience that keeps your audience engaged. Webflow also gives us maximum flexibility to create original websites tailored to each client—from design, layout, functionality & UX - so you get exactly what you need from your website. We are confident that Webflow is the best choice for our clients due its quality features, speed & customizability; it guarantees a high-performing site that gets results!

Summary

To summarize, Webflow is the perfect choice for website development. It offers design flexibility, a user-friendly interface, powerful SEO tools, mobile responsiveness, and fast, secure hosting to help you achieve your business goals. Do you want to create a stunning and professional website that will attract the attention of your audience and help you grow your business? Our team of experts will make it happen in no time with Webflow - without compromising on quality. With our team and powerful tools, we'll help you create the perfect online presence in no time. Contact us today to learn more about how we can build the perfect website for you with Webflow.

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According to Statista, revenue in the global digital health market is showing steady growth by nearly 7% (CAGR 2025-2029). Meaning the current amount of $197.88 bn will reach about $260 bn in 4-5 years. This forecast promises a massive business opportunity – but only for apps that move beyond standard metrics and deliver on real outcomes. 

Download count, for example, isn’t the only important metric. A high install figure is a good sign. But without sustained engagement, proven clinical impact, and a growth strategy – even the most downloaded app will be at risk. To capture lasting success and truly improve patient care, you need to focus on the right key metrics for health apps, effective healthcare app analytics, and thorough healthcare app data tracking from day one.

In this guide, we’re going to explore the most impactful performance indicators that go beyond installs and daily active users. For your convenience, they are split by category: user engagement, retention and churn, acquisition and growth, feature and content engagement, user satisfaction, clinical impact, as well as operational and financial metrics. We’ll also explore mobile medical app performance indicators and health app ROI tracking.

Why Digital Health KPIs Matter

Unlike consumer apps, healthcare products operate in an industry with reliability, regulatory adherence, measurable patient benefits, great UX, and user engagement on top. That’s why here all key performance indicators aren't optional extras. Digital health KPIs are essential tools which turn raw data into actionable guidance.

By quantifying clinical outcomes, user behaviors, and system performance, you can gain the clarity needed to drive efficiency, ensure compliance, and continuously optimize your app’s impact. Without these data-driven patient engagement metrics and targeted healthcare KPIs – even the most innovative digital health solution risks missing the mark on patient safety, real-world value, and commercial success.

Key Healthcare App Success Metrics to Track

Before starting with feature roadmaps or marketing campaigns, it’s critical to establish the metrics that matter most. The right KPI for health app should give a 360-degree view into user behavior, patient outcomes, revenue, and compliance – ensuring your app delivers value at every level. 

Here’s a short list of key metrics for digital health apps and benchmarks to track:

1. User engagement (active users, session interval & duration)
2. Healthcare app churn rate & retention (user retention and churn rate, cohort analysis)
3. User acquisition (downloads & installs, user growth rate, and more)
4. Feature and content (screen flow, feature usage, views per session, heatmap)
5. Feedback (App store ratings & reviews, NPS, in-app feedback, surveys)
6. Clinical impact (patient satisfaction, health outcomes, reduction in ER Visits)
7. Operational and financial metrics (Time-to-Market, LTV, cost-effectiveness, conversion).

1. Clinician and Patient Engagement Metrics

Tracking how – and how often – users interact with your app is the first step toward understanding true product adoption and “stickiness.” Particularly in healthcare, high engagement often correlates with better adherence to care plans and improved outcomes. Here are the core engagement health app performance KPIs to monitor:

Daily Active Users (DAU) & Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Daily Active Users are about unique users who open the app or perform a meaningful action on a given day. In the same way, MAU represents unique users over a 30-day window.

You can use DAU and MAU to gauge overall reach and visibility. These metrics reveal whether users find ongoing value in quick check-ins (e.g., logging blood glucose) or are more involved in tasks (e.g., completing a telehealth visit).

DAU/MAU Ratio (Stickiness)

Stickiness is the percentage of your monthly user base that returns on a daily basis (DAU divided by MAU).

‍A higher ratio (ideally 20% or above) indicates a habit-forming product. This can help spot early signals of lowering engagement and prioritize feature improvements or reengagement campaigns.

Session Duration

Session Duration is the average time a user spends per session – from app open to close.

‍Longer sessions often reflect deeper engagement with core features (e.g., reviewing personalized health reports or completing guided exercises). At the same time, however, excessively long sessions in clinical-monitoring apps could also flag usability hurdles – so context is key.

Session Interval

Session Interval is the average time between two consecutive sessions for the same user.

‍Short intervals (daily or multiple times per day) are desirable for habit-based functions like medication reminders or symptom logging. Longer intervals may signal drop-off or insufficient value delivery between uses.

2. Retention and Churn

Keeping users engaged over time is the hallmark of digital health app success. High initial download and engagement numbers mean little if users disappear after a week or two. The following healthcare app churn rate KPIs can help you understand who’s engaged – and why. 

User Retention Rate

Retention Rate is the percentage of users who continue to use your app after a defined period (e.g., Day 7, Day 30, Day 90).

‍High retention rate shows that your app delivers ongoing value – whether through reminders, insights, or continual clinical support. Tracking multiple time horizons (1-week, 1-month, quarterly) can help you pinpoint exactly when the drop-off happens.

Churn Rate

As the opposite of Retention, Churn Rate is a percentage of users who stop engaging with your app during a given period.

‍A high churn rate can indicate usability issues, a lack of compelling content, or unmet clinical needs. Monitoring churn alongside retention helps you prioritize the most critical UX improvements or bug fixes.

Check out the full impact and reasons for User Retention in healthcare apps. Learn how to reduce churn and keep clinicians & patients engaged with the right strategy.

READ FULL GUIDE

Cohort Analysis

These metrics suggest grouping users by the date they signed up (or by behavior segments) to measure patient engagement in app and track engagement over time.

‍Cohort Analysis gives you a clear view of how changes – like a new onboarding flow or a feature launch – impact user behavior. You can compare, for example, the Week 1 retention of users who already tried a new onboarding flow vs. those who didn’t.

3. User Acquisition & Growth

Growing your user base is the gateway to scale – but in healthcare, quality often matters more than quantity. These key metrics for health apps in acquisition balance volume with value:

Downloads & Installs

Downloads and Installs represent the raw count of app downloads from app stores or direct links, and the number of successful installs.

These numbers serve as a top-of-funnel indicator – how many people you are reaching with marketing and organic visibility. Tracking downloads vs. installs also helps you diagnose technical or onboarding blockers.

User Growth Rate

This is a percentage increase (or decrease) in total active users over a given period (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

User Growth Rate highlights momentum: a steady upward trend is a signal of healthy market demand. Whereas plateaus or declines are a sign of stagnation or competitive pressure.

Extra Healthcare App Business Metrics to Look for:

Cost Per Install (CPI): Total marketing spend divided by the number of new installs – vital for budgeting paid campaigns‍

Organic vs. Paid Ratio: The split between users who find your app through non-paid channels vs. paid channels & ads.‍

Virality & Referrals (K-factor): How many new users each existing user generates through invites or social sharing.‍

Download Source Attribution: Breaks down installs by channel so you can focus on the highest-ROI sources.

4. Feature and Content Engagement

Beyond overall app usage, it’s crucial to understand how users move through the interface and which UI/UX features or content resonate most. These digital health KPIs reveal where you’re delivering value – and where you may need to iterate.

Screen Flow & Feature Usage

Tracks the most common navigation paths users take – e.g., Home → Symptom Log → Insights Dashboard – as well as the frequency of specific feature interactions (telehealth calls, medication reminders, educational modules).

‍Identifies your app’s “power paths” that lead to desired outcomes (completing a care plan, scheduling a follow-up) and highlights dead ends or under-utilized features that may confuse or frustrate users.

‍Average Screen Views per Session

The average number of distinct screens a user visits in a single session.

‍A higher count can signal deep exploration of content – great for education-driven apps – but may also point to navigation complexity. Conversely, very low counts might mean users aren’t discovering key functionality.

Heatmaps and Interaction Density

Visual overlays of user taps, swipes, scrolls, and pauses within your app’s UI, typically generated by analytics platforms.

These maps show “hot” areas of interaction and “cold” zones that are rarely tapped or explored.

“A well-thought-out UX audit can uncover hidden usability issues – buttons that look clickable but aren’t, important features buried out of view, confusing layouts that impact task flow, and many more. We recommend focusing on these friction points early – so that you can optimize the interface for smoother navigation and higher overall engagement from day 1.” – Bogdan Paiuk, Head of Delivery

5. User Satisfaction and Feedback

Measuring how users feel about the app – and acting on their input – is critical for building trust, improving usability, and driving word-of-mouth growth. Key healthcare app success metrics here include:

App Store Ratings & Reviews

The average star rating (out of 5) and written reviews left by users in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or other marketplaces. High ratings and positive reviews boost credibility and visibility in store rankings (Social proof).

Recurring complaints about crashes or confusing features can alert you to issues that need immediate fixes (Early warning). Users often suggest improvements or new ideas in reviews – tapping into this can inform your roadmap (Feature insight).

Net Promoter Score

A simple survey asking users, “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this app to a colleague or friend?” Calculated as the percentage of Promoters (9-10) minus Detractors (0-6). A high NPS correlates with strong word-of-mouth growth and user advocacy.

We recommend comparing NPS across user cohorts (new vs. power users, free vs. paid) to reveal where sentiment is strongest or weakest. Healthcare apps can benchmark NPS against industry averages (often between +20 and +40) to assess competitive positioning.

In-App Feedback & Surveys

Contextual prompts – like pop-up surveys after completing a telehealth visit or finishing a learning module – capture real-time impressions and surface pain points when they’re freshest.

You can effectively use multi-question mini-surveys – or even single-question thumbs-up/down prompts. This can help you capture user sentiment, usability issues, and feature requests.

6. Health Outcomes & Clinical Impact

In digital health, success isn't just about user numbers – it's about measurable improvements in people’s health. These healthcare product KPIs focus on the clinical effectiveness of your app and how well it supports patient well-being, adherence, and satisfaction.

Patient Outcomes

Objective, quantifiable improvements in a user’s health as a result of using your app – such as lowered blood pressure, improved HbA1c levels, reduced anxiety scores, or fewer hospital readmissions. 

These metrics can be tracked through self-reported data, device integrations, or clinician-reported outcomes. They are also key to unlocking reimbursement models and long-term partnerships in the healthcare ecosystem.

Patient Satisfaction

A subjective measure of how users perceive the quality of care, communication, and overall experience they receive through your app. Typically gathered through surveys or questionnaires (e.g., “How satisfied were you with your care today?” on a 1-5 scale).

Patient satisfaction influences retention, adherence, and referrals. In value-based care models, it’s also tied to provider performance and reimbursement. High satisfaction can serve as both a competitive advantage and a sign that your digital workflows are meeting user expectations.

Reduction in ER Visits or Readmissions

The percentage decrease in emergency room visits or hospital readmissions among app users over a defined period.

One of the clearest indicators of clinical and economic impact. Lower use means better preventive care, improved patient self-management, and measurable value to healthcare systems and insurers.

7. Operational and Financial Metrics

Behind every successful healthcare app is a product that’s not only clinically effective but also operationally efficient and financially sustainable. These digital health KPIs help you understand how well your app performs as a business – ensuring you can scale, adapt, and deliver value over the long term.

Time to Market

The total time it takes to design, develop, test, and launch your healthcare app – from concept to release.

The ability to move quickly and safely is more than a competitive advantage. Shorter time to market allows you to validate ideas faster, capture emerging demand, and adapt to regulatory or patient needs in real time – without compromising compliance or quality.

Need to speed up your Time-to-Market?

Get from prototype to production in weeks, not months. We handle UX/UI design, front‑ and back‑end development, and regulatory compliance – so you can focus on strategy and patient impact.

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Cost-Effectiveness

A measure of the value delivered by your app relative to the cost of providing it. This could include cost per successful treatment, cost per engaged user, or overall savings compared to traditional care (e.g., fewer hospital visits or shorter recovery times).

‍Demonstrates that your app can deliver meaningful health outcomes without inflating costs – a key selling point for healthcare providers, insurers, and public health systems. High cost-effectiveness also supports long-term viability and favorable ROI.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of users who take a desired action – such as signing up after a trial, subscribing to a paid plan, or upgrading to a premium service (Converted Users / Total Users in Funnel x 100).

‍Tracks how effectively your onboarding, pricing, and product experience drive users toward key business goals. A low conversion rate could signal unclear value propositions, friction in the sign-up flow, or pricing misalignment with expected value.

Lifetime Value (LTV)

The total expected revenue generated by a user throughout their entire relationship with your app.

‍Helps you forecast revenue, justify acquisition spending, and evaluate business sustainability. A high LTV indicates strong user retention, successful monetization, and a loyal user base – especially important when pitching to investors or partners.

Aligning Healthcare Product KPIs with Business Goals and Stakeholder Needs

Healthcare executives must tie key metrics for health apps to the company’s global mission and current business objectives. Early on, the goal may be proving clinical validity and user fit, while later it shifts to market share, revenue, or profitability – so choosing the right KPI for health app is crucial at every stage.

For example, during launch, a startup may track adoption and pilot outcomes as core health app engagement metrics. Whereas in growth stages, you should emphasize sales, partnerships, or CAC and LTV metrics to align with broader health app performance KPIs.

Aligning expectations is critical in digital health: healthcare app success metrics that impress an investor (e.g., cost savings, patient retention) often take longer to materialize than consumer app metrics. Startups should therefore balance early wins (user sign-ups, engagement) against long-term healthcare product KPIs (improved health outcomes) so leadership and investors stay aligned.Executives should select a balanced mix of KPIs that reflects all stakeholder needs. Track financial and operational measures alongside clinical and patient-centric outcomes. Use both leading and lagging indicators: early adoption or satisfaction (leading) and later-rigor measures like readmission rates or symptom scores (lagging).

Phased Roadmap for Health App Performance KPIs:
Align Metrics to Each Stage of Your Product Lifecycle

1. Define Your Core Goals

Start by listing what success looks like for the product (e.g., improved patient outcomes, rapid user growth, or profitable partnerships). Map each goal to measurable health app engagement metrics. For example, if clinical impact is key – track patient adherence or health scores. If user growth matters – focus on signups and activation. Balance this with stakeholder needs: investors and payers value cost savings and outcome metrics, while clinical providers value safety and patient satisfaction.

2. Set Initial (Leading) Indicators

In the pre-launch phase, establish leading key metrics for digital health apps that show early progress. These may include prototype testing results, clinician feedback, beta user engagement, or approval milestones. Keep the list short (4-10 metrics) and aligned with strategy. Engage stakeholders (clinicians, regulators, patient advocates) in this stage to ensure you’re measuring what truly matters in healthcare.

3. Track Early Launch Metrics

Once live, focus on adoption and early engagement. Here, core health app performance KPIs include active user count, daily/monthly engagement, feature usage, and Net Promoter Score. Collect qualitative feedback to refine the product. Don’t chase revenue too soon; prioritize learning and evolution. Over-emphasizing sales during early testing can “overshadow vital user feedback and insights”.

4. Shift Focus in Scale-Up

When product-market fit is confirmed, it’s time to focus on healthcare product KPIs aimed at growth efficiency and outcomes. Track customer acquisition cost (CAC), monthly recurring revenue (MRR), retention/LTV, and partnership pipelines. Also monitor key clinical or engagement outcomes (e.g., symptom improvement rates, sustained usage) as validation of long-term value. Ensure operational metrics to support scaling.

5. Measure Maturity & Impact

In a mature phase, emphasize profitability and sustained impact. Your KPI dashboard should mix financial health with clinical and patient-experience outcomes. For instance, continue tracking retention rates, multi-metric clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction scores. Also consider strategic measures like market share or the launch of new care modules. At this stage, use healthcare app success metrics that justify ROI to stakeholders: 94% of health startups use multiple outcome metrics (often two engagement, two clinical, one economic) to capture full value.

6. Review, Iterate

Hold quarterly reviews with your leadership team. KPIs should evolve as objectives change. Avoid “copying metrics” from unrelated organizations. Instead, tailor the set as your strategy shifts. Ensure everyone understands each KPI’s role. By phasing your key metrics for digital health apps this way – Pre-Launch, Launch, Scale-Up, Maturity – you can maintain clarity on short-term targets while steadily building long-term healthcare impact.

Conclusion: From Data to Impact

In healthcare app development, the difference between data collection and actionable insight lies in aligning the right KPIs. From user engagement and retention to clinical efficacy, operational efficiency, and financial viability – each metric plays a critical role in validating your product’s performance and guiding future iterations.

By phasing priorities for your healthcare product KPIs – pilot metrics in pre-launch, growth and satisfaction in launch, efficiency and outcomes in scale-up, and ROI and market share in maturity – you create a data roadmap that supports both technical growth and strategic objectives.

Pre-Launch: Set mission-driven KPIs (pilot outcomes, usability tests) and involve stakeholders.

Launch: Measure user growth (installs, DAU/MAU) and early satisfaction; gather user/patient feedback.

Scale-Up: Focus on growth/efficiency (CAC, MRR, partnerships) while tracking real-world outcomes.

Maturity: Focus on ROI and impact (financial returns, sustained clinical improvements, user retention).

Throughout: Align KPIs with the product’s mission and stakeholder needs, adjust metrics as your business evolves.

If your project needs a comprehensive HealthTech audit, we can help you instrument your analytics stack, benchmark against industry standards, and refine your KPI framework – so you focus on what truly drives you forward.

‍Tell us about your challenges, and we’ll help you deliver measurable health improvements and sustainable business growth.

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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.