We live in the world of mobile app advancements and the increasing intensity of health consciousness. And hence, a Doctor Appointment Booking App Development has become crucial for people's lives. This is because users can connect the doctors with one touch on their mobile screens whenever they need at the time of any health-related issues. So if you are someone who is interested in developing an application that can help in booking doctors’ appointments through smartphones, and not have any idea how much it does costs to develop a doctor booking application, keep reading further.
In order to get started with an On-Demand Doctor App Development process, you must have a clear estimation of the cost to build an On-Demand doctor like Practo. Moreover, the cost factor depends on various things such as the revenue model, must-have app features, technology stack, app development team members, advanced features, type of app, etc. This article will explain important factors in detail so you can kick-start your On-Demand App Development. Let’s jump into the analysis right away:
Business Model for an On-Demand Doctor App Development
The cost of building an On-Demand Doctor Application is eventually reimbursed by the revenue made from the use of it. And hence, while developing such an app, it is important that the business model is defined and all sources of revenue generation are recognized. The top three business models for an On-Demand Doctor App Development are:
Commission-based
This model allows the owner of the application to receive some commission on every transaction that occurs on the app between a doctor and a patient. The app would be a platform through which doctors can reach patients and provide their services to more patients. Hence, a small amount as commission deducts from their fees in the commission-based app.
In-app advertising
In-app ads are one of the most common and widely used business models. Pathology labs or pharmaceutical companies can pay to get their ads to show in your app for the purpose of advertisement. The app would act like a platform through which they can promote their services to the patients and increase their sales.
Featured listing
A platform like this can eventually have huge listings of doctors who are providing their services to the patients. These doctors may have similar experiences, qualifications, and ratings which will make it hard for them to stand-out in the long lists. And hence, the doctors can invest in featuring themselves on top of the lists, so that the patients come across their profiles first.
Must-Have Features to Make an App like Practo
The below-given features are necessary for making a doctor booking application. These features enhance the experience for patients, doctors as well as the admin members. Moreover, these features help in making the application smooth and easy to use.
Patient Panel Features
Sign-up, Login and Sign-Out features
Options to upload documents
Advanced filters to conduct a successful search
Lists of appointment, upcoming and previous
List of prescriptions provided during the consult
Payment transaction history
Push notification alerts via email and messages
Doctor Panel Features:
Status of appointments made by patients
Appointment managing tool
Profile editing options
Patients’ records access and medical history
Total earnings and transaction history
Admin Panel Features:
Tools to manage listings of doctors
Marketing and promotional tools
Tools to generate notifications
Tools to view app analytics in real-time
Channels for communication
Additional Features:
Profiles of Doctors and Patients: The profiles of patients can include their basic information such as their height, age, weight, persistent medical conditions, allergies, etc. On the other hand, the doctors can add their specialization, experience, educational qualifications as well as their ratings in their profiles.
Search bar: This involves a search bar and engine so that the patients can look for doctors and physicians as per their requirements and medical issue, near their location.
Live-Chat and Video-Calling: To connect the doctor and patients in real-time via chat or Video call it uses this feature.
Rating and Reviews of Doctors and Physicians: This involves ratings and reviews of the doctors and physicians. After completion of treatment, patients can add their review that can be read by other patients.
Payment options: This involves an in-built option to make payments through which the patients can make payments and get consultations from the chosen doctors for their health problems.
In-built Appointment booking options: This involves an in-built appointment booking option through which users can book an appointment with the doctor of their choice.
Push notifications: This feature notifies the users regarding appointment reminders, medicines time, etc.
GPS: This involves helping one reach to the doctor’s clinic as soon as possible by using the route provided.
Moreover, a few advanced features that can also impact the overall Cost to build an On-Demand Doctor App like Practo include CMS integration, EHR (Electronic Health Record), Loyalty program, CRM integration, Document scanning and sharing, Real-time analytics, Social sign-up or login, Multi-currency payment, Marketing and promotional tools, In-app camera, etc.
App Development Team Structure for a Doctor App
The cost to develop an app like Practo depends on the size of the team that is involved in the process. And it has to be chosen cautiously based on their skills and abilities. So, who all are required to build a doctor booking application?
App designers – Designers are required for the development of app through UX/UI designs, which should have experience in making similar apps. Graphic designers are also required.
App developers – Developers for iOS and Android platforms as well as back-end developers are required.
App testers – Experts who can test the app and recognize errors and bugs are crucial in the app development process.
Project manager – the Project manager is required to manage the development process with their managerial skills.
Technology Stack Involved to Make an app like Practo
Before crafting On-Demand doctor booking apps, ensuring opting for the correct technology stack. It includes:
Real-time analytics: IBM, Apache Flink, Spark, Cisco, Hadoop.
Payment: Stripe, Braintree, PayPal, or E-wallet.
Push Notifications: push.io, Twilio.
Cloud environment: Azure, Google, and AWS.
Voice, SMS, and Phone verification: Twilio and Nexmo.
Database: HBase, Mail Chimp Integration, MongoDb.
The estimate of the Actual Cost to build a doctor appointment app like Practo
The cost to develop an app like Practo, as discussed above, may vary because of several factors as well as certain constraints applied by the developer. The platform, android or iOS determines the high or low cost of developing the app. iOS platform is more likely to be expensive than android platforms. Moreover, the location or geography of the company that develops the app also plays an important part.
Companies located in:
The USA or Canada costs around $150 to $250 per hour
Western Europeans, Australia or UK costs around $50 to $200 per hour
East Europe costs around $120 to $180 per hour
India costs around $40 to $80 per hour.
The cost to develop a doctor booking app like Practo costs about $20,000 if we consider an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) development. Moreover, the cost can go up to $70,000 on average if we consider the addition of advanced features. However, with the use of advanced features, an app is able to generate higher revenue. This can be beneficial in the future to invest in the advanced features of the app.
And hence, based on several factors, the cost to develop an app like Practo can fluctuate. Also, as per the latest technology trend, a hybrid app can be developed that can be utilized for both iOS as well as Android platforms. It will lead to a reduction in time as well as costs.
Sanjay Kidecha
CMO
by Manav Patel
by Sagar Bagasariya
by Mihir Mistry
by Drashti Pandya
