Over the past three years, the healthcare app development sector has experienced an unprecedented surge, largely fueled by advancements in digital technologies and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The onset of the global health crisis underscored the need for remote, on-demand healthcare services, giving birth to an explosion of telehealth and remote monitoring applications. From 2020 to 2023, the healthcare app development market evolved at an accelerated pace, experiencing technological innovations, regulatory changes, and new consumer expectations in rapid succession.

The State Of Healthcare App Development

The COVID-19 pandemic was a key driver in this transformation. With lockdowns and social distancing measures restricting face-to-face medical consultations, patients and healthcare providers rapidly adopted digital platforms. Telemedicine apps became crucial for remote diagnoses, consultations, and follow-up appointments, providing a lifeline to medical services for millions of people worldwide. Similarly, mental health apps saw a significant increase in usage, as the pandemic took a toll on global mental health.

Additionally, there was an increased interest in fitness and wellness apps, as people sought to maintain their physical and mental well-being while confined to their homes. Overall, the pandemic has not only driven the rapid growth of the healthcare app market but also reshaped the future trajectory of healthcare, making digital health an integral part of medical care delivery. It’s clear that healthcare app development will continue to be a dynamic, high-growth sector as we move beyond the pandemic era.

Indeed, it’s crucial to have quantifiable data to understand the growth and impact of healthcare app development over the last three years. So, here are some key statistics and trends:

• The global digital health market, which includes healthcare apps, was valued at $96.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $295.4 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 15.1% during this period.
• Telemedicine Apps: The telemedicine market size was valued at $49.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $396.76 billion by 2027. This shows a tremendous growth of telemedicine apps due to the pandemic.
• Mental Health Apps: With the increased stress and anxiety levels due to COVID-19, the global mental health apps market witnessed a spike, projected to reach $3.9 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 17.6% from 2021 to 2027.
• Fitness and Wellness Apps: In 2020, health and fitness app downloads grew by 30% according to App Annie. The pandemic led to an increased awareness of health and fitness, making these apps more popular than ever.
• Remote Patient Monitoring: The number of patients monitored remotely rose by 44% in 2020 according to Berg Insight. The pandemic has underscored the importance of monitoring patients outside of traditional healthcare settings.

These statistics highlight the massive shift towards digital healthcare solutions in recent years, a trend which is poised to continue beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top 15 Healthcare and Medical App Ideas 

1. Telemedicine Apps

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine apps have gained widespread popularity. They connect patients with healthcare professionals digitally, allowing for remote consultations, prescription renewals, and follow-ups.

Telemedicine apps, such as Amwell, bring medical care right into your living room. Amwell connects users with board-certified doctors 24/7, allowing them to get immediate medical attention without having to leave home. Standout features include real-time video consultations, immediate appointments, and specialty care access.

2. Mental Health Apps

Mental health awareness is on the rise, making apps that offer therapy sessions, stress management techniques, and mindfulness practices an ideal venture for healthcare startups. Headspace is a mental health app providing mindfulness and meditation sessions. Its standout features include sessions tailored for stress, sleep, focus, and anxiety, and it also provides “SOS” sessions for crisis situations.

3. Fitness Tracking Apps

These applications provide personalized diet plans, track calorie intake, and offer healthy recipes, assisting users in maintaining a balanced diet. An app like MyFitnessPal not only tracks physical activity but also integrates with over 50 other fitness apps and devices to provide a comprehensive view of your health. Its standout features include personalized workout plans, an extensive food database, and a supportive user community.

4. Diet and Nutrition Apps

These applications provide personalized diet plans, track calorie intake, and offer healthy recipes, assisting users in maintaining a balanced diet. Noom uses psychology-based approaches to help users make healthier food choices. Standout features include personalized meal planning, one-on-one coaching, and easy food logging.

5. Medication Reminder Apps

Non-adherence to medication can lead to serious health complications. Apps that send reminders to take medicine on time can be a game-changer in healthcare management. An app like Medisafe sends users reminders to take their medications on time. It also provides information about each medicine, tracks doctor appointments, and monitors health measurements like blood pressure and weight.

6. Chronic Disease Management Apps

Apps specifically designed to monitor and manage chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma can help patients manage their health better. MySugr is an app dedicated to simplifying life for people with diabetes. Its standout features include automatic blood sugar logging, insulin bolus calculator, and integration with other diabetes monitoring devices.

7. Women’s Health Apps

Apps focusing on women’s health, including menstrual cycle tracking, fertility predictions, and pregnancy guidance, are increasingly sought after. Clue provides cycle tracking and predictions for your menstrual cycle, fertility window, and PMS. Standout features include reminders for your period or contraceptive, integration with health apps, and an educational content database on female health.

8. Elder Care Apps

These apps provide features such as medication reminders, emergency contact services, and health checkup schedules, aimed at ensuring the well-being of the elderly.

CareZone makes it simpler to take care of aging parents. Features like a shared calendar, medication reminders, a place to store important health information, and the ability to coordinate with other caregivers make it a standout choice.

9. Healthcare Provider Directory Apps

An app that lists healthcare providers, rates them based on user feedback, and offers appointment booking features would be an invaluable resource for patients.

Zocdoc allows users to find and book doctors based on specialty, location, and insurance. Standout features include real patient reviews, in-app appointment booking, and reminders for check-ups and follow-ups.

10. Medical Learning Apps

These can be a treasure trove of information for medical students and professionals, offering access to study materials, journals, case studies, and interactive content.

Medscape is a leading resource for medical students and professionals. Standout features include access to medical news, drug information, medical calculators, continuing medical education (CME) activities, and a community of healthcare professionals.

11. Health Insurance Apps

Making health insurance plans, claims, and processes easily accessible via an app can significantly simplify healthcare finance management. An app like Oscar Health brings transparency to health insurance. Standout features include digital healthcare ID, doctor on-call feature, and easy tracking of deductible and out-of-pocket maximums.

12. EHR (Electronic Health Records) Apps

Digitizing patients’ health records can streamline healthcare services, enabling easy access to records for both patients and doctors.

MyChart offers patients personalized and secure online access to their medical records. Standout features include secure messaging with your care team, appointment scheduling, and access to test results.

13. Health and Wellness Gaming Apps

Combining gaming with health and fitness can result in engaging apps that motivate users to stay active and healthy. Zombies, Run! makes fitness fun by turning your run into a zombie survival mission. Standout features include an immersive audio experience, personalized training plans, and the ability to track your runs.

14. Personal Health Assistant Apps

These apps can analyze health data and provide personalized health tips, risk assessments, and lifestyle recommendations. Ada is a personal health assistant app that uses AI to help users understand and manage their health. Standout features include an AI-powered symptom checker, detailed health reports, and the option to share reports with healthcare professionals.

15. Sleep Tracker Apps

A quality sleep tracker can help users understand their sleep patterns, identify issues, and improve their sleep hygiene. SleepScore uses patented sonar technology to measure the quality and quantity of your sleep. Standout features include a comprehensive sleep analysis, personalized insights and tips, and product recommendations based on your sleep patterns.

How an App Development Team from Savvycom will look like

Creating a successful application (app) development team requires assembling individuals with a diverse set of skills. Depending on the complexity and size of the project, teams can vary significantly in size and structure. However, here is a general breakdown of the key roles involved in an app development team:

1. Product Manager: This person oversees the entire project, setting the vision, strategy, and goals for the product. They prioritize feature development based on market research, user feedback, and business needs. They also coordinate with all members of the team to ensure everyone is working toward the same objectives.
2. Project Manager: Unlike the product manager who focuses on the product’s success, the project manager focuses on the process. They create the project schedule, manage resources, mitigate risks, handle communication between team members, and ensure the project stays on track and within budget.
3. UX/UI Designers: These professionals are responsible for the app’s design and interface. The UX (User Experience) designer researches and creates the app’s structure and flow to ensure a seamless user experience, while the UI (User Interface) designer focuses on the app’s look and feel. They design the graphical elements to make the app aesthetically pleasing and intuitive to use.
4. Mobile App Developers: These are the people who will actually build the app. You will need iOS developers if you’re building an app for Apple devices and Android developers for Android devices. If you’re developing for both platforms, consider hiring developers who specialize in cross-platform development frameworks like React Native, Flutter, or Xamarin.
5. Backend Developers: While the mobile developers focus on the app that users interact with, backend developers work on the server-side technologies that power the app, such as databases and server logic. They ensure that the data exchange between the server and the user-side application is fast, secure, and functional.
6. QA/Testers: Quality Assurance professionals and testers ensure that the app is functioning as intended. They test the app for bugs, glitches, and any other issues that could negatively affect the user experience. They work closely with developers to identify and resolve these issues.
7. DevOps Engineer: DevOps engineers are responsible for managing the app’s deployment and ongoing updates. They make sure the process is smooth and without any downtime that could disrupt users. They also work on system improvements and optimizations.
8. Data Analysts: They analyze user data to measure the performance of the app. They generate insights from this data to help improve the app and make data-driven decisions.
9. Security Experts: These professionals ensure that the application is secure and that user data is protected. They work on preventing hacking attempts, data breaches, and other security threats.

Why is security so important in healthcare apps?

Healthcare apps often deal with sensitive patient information, including personal identifiers, medical histories, and payment details. This data is highly sensitive, and unauthorized access can lead to serious consequences, including identity theft and other forms of fraud. Thus, healthcare apps must adhere to rigorous security standards to protect patient data.

What is HIPAA and why is it important for healthcare apps?

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a law in the United States that sets standards for the privacy and security of health information. It is crucial for healthcare apps to be HIPAA-compliant if they handle protected health information (PHI) of U.S. patients to avoid heavy fines and legal consequences.

What are some common features of healthcare apps?

Features can vary widely depending on the type of healthcare app, but they might include appointment scheduling, medication reminders, telemedicine consultations, health information sharing, patient portals, secure messaging, e-prescriptions, medical records storage, health tracking, and integration with wearable devices.

How can healthcare apps improve patient engagement?

Healthcare apps can enhance patient engagement by making healthcare more accessible and convenient. Patients can use these apps to schedule appointments, communicate with their doctors, manage their medications, track their health progress, and access educational resources. This increased involvement can lead to better health outcomes and patient satisfaction.

What is telemedicine and how is it integrated into healthcare apps?

Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services using technology. It allows patients to consult with healthcare professionals via video call, audio call, or chat within the app, reducing the need for in-person visits. This can be particularly beneficial for patients in remote areas, those with mobility issues, or during public health crises like a pandemic.

How is AI used in healthcare apps?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in various ways within healthcare apps. For instance, AI can power chatbots that answer patient queries, predictive algorithms that alert to potential health risks, image recognition systems for diagnostic purposes, or personal health assistant features.

How long does it take to develop a healthcare app?

The development timeline for a healthcare app can vary based on the complexity of the app, the number of features, the experience of the development team, and other factors. Generally, it can take anywhere from a few months to over a year.

What is the cost of developing a healthcare app?

The cost of app development depends on several factors, including the complexity and scope of the app, the rates of the developers, the technology used, and more. It could range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.