Healthcare, Page 12 Category

The modern era of digitalization has brought about transformative changes in the healthcare sector. Global spending on healthcare services is on the rise, a bright future awaits this industry for sure! Healthcare service providers are hiring Healthcare App Development Companies and freelance Healthcare App Developers and leveraging advanced technologies to deliver premium-quality services to their patients. Advanced healthcare mobility solutions are helping the users to actively track their basic health statistics like tracking their heart rate, checking their blood glucose/ BMI level, availing online doctor consultation services via the app, appointment booking, etc. Moreover, both patients and practitioners can access electronic Health Records/electronic medical records whenever required.

But, despite the convenience quotient of using digital healthcare services via an app, data security happens to be one of the greatest concerns of the healthcare industry. These medical apps are susceptible to data breaches, hacking, cyber-attacks, etc. which can pose a risk to the sensitive medical data of patients, causing massive losses to medical facilities. Therefore, healthcare organizations should be more vigilant of their software and cyber-security practices. For avoiding theft, misuse, and fraud of the patients’ data, healthcare applications that have patient’s sensitive data have to be HIPAA compliant and strictly adhere to the HIPAA rules and regulations in the US

HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and is issued by federal regulators. This Act mandates a set of safety and privacy standards to protect the confidentiality and availability of medical records and sensitive patient information. Initially, the purpose of introducing this act was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the medical organizations in the U.S. With time, several rules were added to the Act to protect the individually identifiable health information commonly known as Protected Health Information (PHI). These rules influence the functioning and security protocol of healthcare mobile applications.

The entities covered under the HIPAA Act are health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers that use electronic media for transmitting data such as health claims, coordination of benefits, referral authorizations, etc. These entities may comprise small/large organizations, institutions, research centers, individual practitioners, and even government agencies.

Adhering to HIPAA for data privacy is federally mandated for healthcare facilities and other Healthcare IT service providers such as healthcare mobile app development services and mHealth development services. So, let’s understand why HIPAA compliance plays a major role in protecting data privacy in Healthcare Applications.

The importance of capturing data has risen over the years to improve the overall healthcare operations, using advanced technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), RFID technology Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Chatbots, etc. The personal information of patients, their contact details, and medical reports are recorded and saved digitally by several hospital bodies. As such, maintaining data privacy is important to ensure that only the relevant information is shared with the right set of people and at the proper time. This strategy helps providers to build trust amongst the patients.

HIPAA compliant apps abide by strict rules to ensure data security and privacy. These apps are hosted on HIPAA-compliant servers to ensure that all the HIPAA standards are fulfilled correctly. They have to display a link in the privacy policy of the mobile app, while the users download the app. The apps take consent from the patients/users before storing their information. Furthermore, the users are informed about how their data will be used.

Data breaches can lead to disastrous consequences for patients, hospitals as well as healthcare facilities. Fraudulent insurance claims, extortion, or identity thefts are likely, and once this data is hacked/lost, it can be devastating for both patients and medical providers. So, it is essential to secure patient data stored in electronic medical record systems, data concerning the hospital workforce, or other back-office data.

A HIPAA compliant mobile app solution ensures the safety and privacy of healthcare data. The medical app users can access the data only through a secure login procedure. Additionally, two-factor authentications are applied for more security and all data presented in the app can be only accessed using a secure PHI key. Besides, in case the mobile device is lost or stolen, personal user information cannot be accessed easily owing to the advanced security standards and encryption. Data stored on database servers are also encrypted to prevent easy access to healthcare data.

In many large Healthcare Organizations with multiple branches, the medical data needs to be shared with several doctors or concerned authorities. If such hospitals use a mobile app for data transmission, it must be as per HIPAA rules and regulations. Moreover, hospital bodies should audit data from time to time for ensuring that the user data in the app isn’t accessed inappropriately or modified abruptly. Furthermore, in the case of remote monitoring of patients using wearable technology, like IoT or AI; only the required data will be transferred to ensure the security of data. For this reason, the communication networks of the apps possess integrity control mechanisms.

A HIPAA compliant software solution ensures that the amount of sensitive data stored in them has access limitations when the device is carried outside the hospital premises. Additionally, when users delete these apps, any related health data is deleted completely from their device. Remember that HIPAA laws apply only to the apps using PHI i.e. protected health information. Therefore, the data transferred from an app that does not deal with personally identifiable information need not be protected under HIPAA guidelines.

Today, there is a high possibility of sensitive Healthcare data getting fraudulently accessed by hackers. However, if the Healthcare app is HIPAA compliant, it needs to notify affected individuals about the breach of data without unreasonable delay and this notification should not be sent later than 60 days. This policy is mandatory for all apps that are adhering to HIPAA Compliance to abide by data breach notification laws. As per these laws, eligible data breaches are obliged to alert the users or relevant parties.

Some of the data breaches may not cause serious repercussions to medical facilities. In case any disclosure of information, unauthorized access to it, or loss of personal information is bound to cause serious damage, then such breaches are known as eligible data breaches. They can cause financial losses or even damage the reputation of the medical organization. So, the mobile app they employ should be HIPAA compliant and should send prompt notifications to users.

Today, data is the biggest asset for any industry vertical, and healthcare bodies are no exception to it. Today, most hospitals implement diverse innovative digital technologies to deliver improved services to their patients. However, the medical data handled by apps are vulnerable to security and privacy threats. In order to protect this data, these digital healthcare apps must follow the HIPAA guidelines. As per HIPAA compliance, the covered entities need to administer physical, technical as well as administrative safeguards for PHI in place for ensuring privacy, integrity, confidentiality, and security of healthcare data. Therefore, while hiring a Healthcare app Development Company for tailoring an outstanding app for your medical facility, you must necessarily follow the standard HIPAA regulations.

The Healthcare app industry is ever-evolving owing to a sky-high demand for unique apps that elevate the convenience quotient of users and the competitive healthcare app development market that keeps coming up with fresh novel ideas each year. Therefore, healthcare providers need to think about some workable, futuristic, and highly efficient healthcare app ideas to make their solutions popular amongst consumers.

Here are some highly sought-after healthcare app development ideas that will be apt for 2021! Check them out!

IoMT is a host of medical devices, tools, and applications that employ networking technologies including IoT (Internet of Things) for establishing a link with medical IT systems using online computer networks. As such, medical professionals can connect and monitor healthcare devices through the Internet. Sensors are used for gathering patient vitals which are then sent to the IoT apps via the internet. Thereafter, this information flows to the medical experts/staff and a response is sent back to those patients. Such apps link patients to their doctors by transferring healthcare data via a secured network and as such play a crucial role in reducing the pressure on the healthcare system as well as the number of hospital visits for patients.

These AR-infused apps contain a medical thermal imaging camera that produces a thermal image indicating the varying amounts of heat energy that a human body emits. Whenever an anomaly is noticed like a rise in the standard temperature, the app alerts the operators, thermographers, or doctors. Moreover, this thermal imaging camera is employed for monitoring a specific portion of the human body usually for detecting diseases, injury, blood circulation disorders, or high temperatures that cause inflammation. Besides, healthcare facilities, thermal imaging apps can be also put to use in public transit hubs, airports, public roadways, retail stores, offices, etc.

An AR-powered medical diagnoses app allows patients to convey their symptoms more precisely to their practitioners or the concerned healthcare professionals. Such an application can also be connected to an AR-enabled handheld scanner for assisting nurses in locating the veins of a patient effortlessly.

Such an app eliminates the need to use an actual human body while training healthcare professionals on performing surgeries.

The manufacturing of pharmaceutical drugs has always been an expensive as well as a time-intensive process. However, the usage of AI-based algorithms has made it possible to execute years-long processes in just a couple of months. Shorter development cycles and a lesser need for the compounds to be used for lab-testing have helped the pharmaceutical firms to resolve the two major challenges they have been facing since long – time-consuming manufacturing and huge expenses involved.

In the near future, AI-infused applications are expected to play a crucial role in medicine discovery as well. This is because the employment of Artificial Intelligence eases out, speeds up, and enhances the processes of pattern recognition, target selection/validation, compound screening /lead optimization, pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, etc. Such healthcare app ideas promise a bright prospect for app owners.

This app category is quite popular amongst the masses as such apps enable users to access the benefits of gyms as well as personal trainers using their mobile handsets. Employing AI, an app can design fitness and workout sessions without the need for human intervention or interaction. After being digested/passed via several algorithms and paired with anonymized data gathered from individuals across the globe, AI is capable of optimizing regimens concerning nutrition, exercise, fitness, etc. for users as per their personal goals. In fact, personal fitness routines have become more precise with the passage of time owing to ML/AI algorithms.

Such apps organize eating regimes as per the wellness objectives and the current bodily requirements of users. Consumers have to just choose their diet type – vegan or non-vegan – and mention their preferences to the app for receiving the diet arrangement. Some of these apps even provide a suggestion as to which nutritionists the user should consult.

The stress-prone and fast lifestyle of modern-day individuals drive the need for an app that addresses issues pertaining to emotional well-being. Emotional wellness apps prove highly beneficial in fighting depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health woes.

Such an app can even provide the facility of mental health tracking for lonely individuals, elderly people, etc. Usually, chatbots are employed for playing the role of mindfulness coaches, anxiety helpers, mood trackers, and mood-boosting buddies. Some apps use music therapy for uplifting emotional well-being.

Such an application enables users to keep a watch on their body vitals without the help of any external medical consultant/agency. Consumers can conduct certain medical tests at home leveraging the power of robust sensors contained within smartphones. This allows users to regularly monitor their health and act based on the results generated. Such an arrangement not only saves time and expenses but also saves the effort to visit a lab or medical facility for conducting tests. Body vitals like blood sugar, blood pressure, heart/pulse rate, etc. can be monitored through such applications.

Weight management apps come with outstanding features like wearable devices connectivity, calorie/water intake tracker, BMI calculator, customized diet plan from dieticians, workout guidance, interaction with fitness experts through video conferencing, etc.

These apps offer practical help to individuals struggling to get rid of cigarette/alcohol/drug addiction. The users can sign up using nicknames instead of their real names to protect their privacy. The users are provided with a host of meaningful material such as inspirational videos for ditching abusive products, content containing information regarding the health issues caused by various psychotropic and psychoactive drugs, nicotine, alcohol, etc., and information indicating their long-term impact on the health/social life of the addict. The users can also directly connect with experts like psychologists, medical professionals, etc.

Modern customers are often baffled and perturbed by the fact that the prices of medicines greatly differ based on the pharmacy. So, there are apps that assist customers to compare the prices offered by various pharmacies/sites before making a purchase and enable them to hit the best deal. The real-time drug prices from different providers are consolidated at one single platform to guide the customers for making the correct decision and saving money.

Besides, such a platform can be converted into an eCommerce portal that sells and delivers medication at affordable rates.

Aren’t these incredible ideas for healthcare mobile app development? Well, if you are on the lookout for well-experienced and highly proficient healthcare app developers for crafting an amazing medical app with distinct and attractive functionalities, contact Biz4Solutions, a prominent healthcare app development company.