8 Tips to Evaluate a Healthcare Software Company

Technology has transformed healthcare services in the recent past. With advances such as AI-based remote patient monitoring, online consultations and easier, more secure and efficient ways to store patient information, the global healthcare software industry is well on its way to touching the $104.1 billion mark by 2030.

In such an obviously competitive environment, how do you, as a healthcare business, choose the right software company to partner with? We’ve got eight tips on how to evaluate a healthcare software company to help narrow down your choices.

Tips to Evaluate a Healthcare Software Company

We’ve broken down the process of evaluating a healthcare software company into eight tips.

1. Check area of expertise
2. Check portfolio
3. Check development process
4. Check information IT infrastructure
5. Check costing
6. Check reviews
7. Decide on an engagement model
8. Ask to sign an NDA

1. Check the area of expertise

The scope of healthcare software development is vast. It includes everything from maintaining digital records, CRM, billing and telehealth to remote monitoring, IoT solutions, medical ecommerce solutions and more. 

You’d want to make sure the healthcare software development company you partner with has expertise in the area of development your organization needs solutions in. 

2. Check portfolio

Any good healthcare software development company will be able to furnish a portfolio to verify their credibility. The portfolio ought to include:

• Details of the types of healthcare software solutions they have developed.
• The clients they have worked with. 
• How many clients they have worked with. 
• The nature and complexity of the various projects they have finished. 
• Any new technologies they are working with (for example, cloud based solutions).

3. Check development process

Pay attention to the development process the healthcare software companies you are aligning with follow. 

Here are some of the aspects you ought to pay attention to. 

• Their approach to understanding your requirements.
• Brainstorming as a part of the planning process.
• Their initial proposal and risk assessment
• If they are willing to work on a prototype. 
• Their approach to UI/UX development. 
• Their QA and testing protocols. 
• What level of support you can expect once the software has been launched.

4. Check Security and IT infrastructure

The healthcare software company you choose to partner with ought to have teams who understand and have certifications that show their compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, PHI and PII. These are essential for data protection.

Your choice of healthcare software development partners must also be able to analyze incoming traffic and protect your applications from cyber attacks such as DDoS.

5. Check costing

The cost of your custom healthcare software development will depend on a number of factors, such as the complexity of the solution you want built, the turnover period you have in mind and the features you want on the application. 

One approach is to give the healthcare software company a budget and ask them to do the best they can within the budget. Alternatively, you could give them a detailed description of the features and functions you want your healthcare software to have, and ask them for a quote. 

Some healthcare providers often feel it is more affordable to hire the services of a software developer rather than partnering with a healthcare software company. 

However, while the services of a developer may be more affordable, keep in mind that you will not have the expertise, efficiency, compliance or quality that an entire team from a custom healthcare software provider brings to the table.

6. Check reviews

Wouldn’t you check reviews online before you buy a new car? Why should choosing a healthcare software partner be any different? 

In fact, we’d suggest you take a whole step further. In addition to reading online reviews, ask the software company to refer you to their previous and current clients. Any good organization will have no qualms with you asking their clients for feedback on aspects like the quality of their work, turnaround times and professional ethics.

7. Decide on an engagement model

Most professional healthcare software companies will give you  a choice of engagement models, depending on the nature of your project. 

• Turnkey Engagement Model

This is the ideal engagement model if you are clear about the scope of your project. In these cases, the software partner gives you a quote for a fixed cost to complete the project. 

• Time and Material Model

This is also called the hourly model, and is ideal for agile projects that require flexibility. These may also include long term projects where the scope of the project is fluid.In these cases, the healthcare software development company will charge you an hourly rate per resource that works on your project. 

• Dedicated Resource Hiring Model

This model involves you hiring employees from the software development partner as dedicated consultants and contributors. These resources work along with your in-house teams on extended projects with unclear deadlines. 

Be sure to choose a healthcare software company that gives you the flexibility to choose the type of engagement that works best for your needs.

8. Ask to sign an NDA

This is of the utmost importance. Not only will the healthcare software company you choose to partner with be privy to your plans, innovations and sensitive data, they may also be working with other healthcare companies simultaneously. 

Therefore, be sure to only partner with a company that is willing to sign an NDA with your organization, ensuring your interests and rights are protected. 

Build Groundbreaking Healthcare Software with CrossAsyst

CrossAsyst has been at the forefront of custom software development as a whole and healthcare software development in particular for over a decade. 

Our HIPAA compliant teams specialize in setting up our customers for success right from the get-go. Uncompromising attention to detail is paid at every step of the development process, right from briefing and ideation to development, testing and post-launch support. 

Our reputation as a top notch custom software development organization is built on our strong work ethics, open communication and focus on delivering healthcare innovations of the highest quality, without compromising on user experience and aesthetics.

Connect with our team today, and leverage our expertise to build groundbreaking solutions for your  healthcare organization.

Summary

With the healthcare software industry well on its way to touching the $104.1 billion mark, it is not surprising that there is a growing demand for custom healthcare software. 

However, choosing a custom healthcare software company to work with cannot be done willy-nilly. In this short read, we look at 8 essential tips to help healthcare organizations choose the correct software partner for their needs.