- Apr 25, 2018
There has been a massive increase in the cost of mHealth app development in the recent times. Until the launch of the app, today companies incur an expense of $425,000 to develop a health app. Out of this expenditure, they spend 47 percent on external outsourcing of development works and 11 percent on internal marketing activities.
Which healthcare companies are mostly outsourcing their app development work?
Pharma companies and mHealth app companies are the ones who mostly outsource their app development. Their 80 percent of budget allocated for external development goes into outsourcing. Companies with higher budget allocations are spending most of it in outsourcing. The more they have money, the more they outsource.
Moreover, these companies not only spends a lot on their outsourcing but also uses a considerable portion of their external budget on marketing campaigns. Furthermore, the marketing channels they use also differ from company to company. Most of the healthcare organizations rely on influencer marketing and social media marketing than the other mediums.
EHR Integration is the Biggest Cost Drivers in Development
About two-thirds of the development budget companies have to spend on including special healthcare functions into the app. This is because of the integration of mHealth app with electronic health records (EHR). For instance, a mobile health app incorporates multiple features such as login, users, accounts, payments, billing, and more. And so to keep a record of all these patient data, app development companies require to integrate HER system into the app. Thus, this enhances the complexities on the part of the developer as he has to abide by data security, privacy, and compliance norms to avoid discrepancies later. As a result of all this, the cost increases along with the time taken to develop a health app.
Moreover, the introduction of latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. are making headlines and it is even more challenging to develop healthcare apps.
Complexities of mHealth App Development Makes the process Time-consuming
One significant factor responsible for the increase in the cost of health app development is the complexities within. Usually, it takes one year to develop an app for 56 percent of companies whereas 84 percent of the players take two years approximately. Moreover, if the player does not have much experience, then it may make the development process lengthier.
Even experienced developers may take more time than the usual while developing a mHealth app. For instance, it takes two to three months for an experienced publisher to make the app in adherence to the American Medicare and Medicaid standards for the healthcare industry.
Conclusion
Therefore, there is no confusion about the fact that that the cost of mHealth app development has gone up over the years. And it won’t be shocking to see it rising further in the future because of technological advancements. However, it is not just the development cost that is increasing. Even the marketing expenses for promoting the app before and after its launch is not the same. Today, marketers are allocating massive budget in an attempt to catch attention and engage more customers with the brand.
