Three Cost-Saving Hospital Mobile Apps File for IPO

Healthcare providers today are facing unprecedented financial pressure. Controlling healthcare costs has become the top priority for hospital CEOs for the third consecutive year. Among various cost-reduction strategies, many hospitals are turning to branded mobile applications for assistance.

Why not? In 2014, the adoption rate of healthcare apps increased by 89%. It is highly meaningful for patients to connect with providers via mobile phones. But how exactly do these applications help reduce healthcare costs?

Mobile Application Development Platform MobileSmith Recently Introduced Three Applications That Can Help Hospitals Save Costs in a Short Period of Time, as Compiled by VCBeat:

Emergency/Urgent Care App (ER/Urgent Care App)

When an emergency medical situation arises, rather than wasting precious time frantically searching for relevant information, it is preferable to rely on branded emergency response protocols provided by trusted suppliers. For patients, this approach can:

• Monitor and promptly update wait times for emergency/urgent care;
• Locate the nearest emergency medical facility on the map;
• Obtain GPS navigation, working hours, and make an emergency call.

Through such brand applications, healthcare systems can significantly reduce medical transportation costs within users’ affordability thresholds, thereby enabling the provision of more affordable emergency care facilities and services.

Medication Tracking App

Last year, 2,610 hospitals were plagued by readmissions. Non-adherence to prescribed medications and confusion regarding treatment regimens are the primary causes of readmission. The use of mobile applications can empower patients to better manage their health and improve adherence:

• Track medication dosage and dosing intervals;
• Set up and receive timely medication reminders;
• Track appointments, diet, and various health indicators.

Custom medication tracking apps are not only effective cost-control tools but also potential resources for community building. Health tips, interactive galleries, and social media can all keep patients engaged.

Physician Referral/Directory App

This is an excellent tool for both physicians and patients. An instant mobile application provided by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) helps foster physician-patient relationships and streamline appointment scheduling. Users can utilize this app to:

• Search for doctors by name, location, or specialty;
• Request an appointment or contact a doctor;
• Discuss treatment plans, insurance, and billing.

A branded local application is highly beneficial for patients with limited mobility or restricted internet access. An increasing number of patients can receive convenient and efficient care from their mobile service providers via smartphones.

How to Cut Costs in App Development

Despite the immense potential of mobile applications, they are still considered expensive and challenging. A custom-developed native app may take months to complete, yet there is no guarantee of ultimate success.

Many hospitals have found a better alternative: no-code application development platforms, which enable non-programmers to easily test, deploy, and manage various useful applications.

With such a flexible tool, enterprises can reduce local application development costs by up to 70%, enabling rapid verification of application functionality while bringing them closer to patients—after all, the success or failure of mobile technology hinges on its key business metrics. This also provides much-needed relief for CEOs.

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