What Is Healthcare Software, Its Types and Benefits

by Anna Khrupa on Sep 12, 2022

Software plays a critical part in modern healthcare. Technology is fundamentally changing the healthcare sector in how and when medical decisions are made and treatments are given. The industry requires accessible and precise medical data as well as an automated workflow to lessen repetitive administrative tasks. The emphasis is on better health outcomes and improved patient-physician communication.

The lack of communication between various departments, healthcare experts, and patients can be overcome with the help of healthcare software. It reduces the complexity and duration of the medical care process.

What Is Healthcare Software

Healthcare software is any software created for the healthcare sector to improve hospital and equipment management and to help both patients and medical staff monitor health conditions remotely.

Healthcare software should not be confused with medical software. Medical software is represented by a category of tools, used to refine the operational efficiency, profitability, and quality of medical care. It covers medical devices, monitoring and analyzing patients’ medical states to figure out the best treatment possible. Healthcare software focuses on electronic records, automation of visit scheduling, improving patient experience while interacting with a specific hospital or pharmacy, drug delivery, as well as logistics, billing, and accounting processes in hospitals.

Why Is Software Important in Healthcare Industry

Digitalization of the healthcare system means quicker diagnosis and bespoke treatments for patients in many cases. The impact that is made with the digitization and automation of industry is huge in terms of improving people’s lives. First and foremost, software systems in healthcare offer benefits to the community by carrying out most of the needs and operations a hospital organization has. Let’s explore further what is the actual importance of such software in the healthcare industry:

Healthcare software exposes real-time data about what is happening to health, prioritizing and picking out the best clinical outcomes available. Clinical staff focus on the greatest needs first. The doctors are immediately aware of whether the prior patients are delivered to the hospital, what kind of health concerns they have, or what type of additional services they need.
It is critical to have the right technology to support healthcare professionals in providing patients with improved services and outcomes. Software systems help hospitals manage their operations more effectively by automating repetitive manual activities. They assist in controlling various tasks, managing operational expenses, and enhancing hospital administrations by providing rapid access to the data in different departments.
The quality of care is improved by remote monitoring and communication with patients who require continuous supervision in the moment of need. For example, people who have diabetes. Personalized technologies allow receiving a variety of reading obtained from different healthcare professionals.
Doctors get a better understanding of a patient’s needs. Thus, better service is provided. On-call doctors can answer additional questions patients might have after visiting a hospital or while taking specific medications. Care directives can be provided online through email, video call, or chat almost from anywhere.
Due to a digital transformation in healthcare, healthcare experts are not overwhelmed with the piles of paperwork that are generated with every medical case. Patients are not required to fill out a number of forms with every visit to a hospital. Thus, their private information is less exposed. For a doctor, access to a digitized file is faster than it is with an ordinary paper document.
The cost of intervention is reduced by providing treatment for patients remotely. It offers a more efficient and cost-effective workflow for healthcare organizations and more flexible and accessible clinical care for people.

Different Types of Healthcare Software

There are a few common types of healthcare software that have already become widely used among different healthcare providers.

EHR (Electronic Health Records) is an electronic version of a patient’s medical history (problems, progress, laboratory results, medications, etc.) that serves as a central database for a hospital and has no risk of being lost or destroyed over time. Only healthcare providers who are involved in medical care have direct access to the EHR.
Patient portals allow patients to access their data in the EHR. This type of software is not for urgent issues. Instead, it enables better patient engagement by allowing him/her to track healthcare provider visits, laboratory results, and prescriptions, update contact information, complete forms, review medical education articles, or control information related to health conditions 24 hours a day.
Medical diagnosis software is one of the most useful systems. It provides a broad view of someone’s health condition by allowing healthcare providers from different departments to add information about the patient’s health condition to the records in real-time. Due to this, a more precise outcome can be achieved. The system is powered with AI. The diagnostic process is comprehensive and interconnected.
E-prescribing software enables physicians to provide electronically generated prescriptions with the ability to monitor or cancel the previous ones. Prescriptions can be transmitted directly to a pharmacy, which eliminates misunderstandings.
RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) software allows doctors to keep track of patients’ records and monitor his/her health condition regardless of his/her current location. For example, diabetes patients can allow their physicians to monitor the disease and insulin intake while outside of a hospital. Both doctors and patients can be sure the required treatment is provided when needed.
Hospital management software is used to automate repetitive activities in a hospital. The software simplifies the management process by automating routine administrative tasks and managing information related to different aspects of healthcare efficiently. It covers statistics and reports, laboratory management, inventory management, etc.
Medical image analysis assists healthcare providers who work with computerized tomography, magnetic resonance tomography, or ultrasound to visualize the output more accurately.
Healthcare billing software simplifies the accounting of medical bills. Data related to payments and online transactions is efficiently organized and stored in one place. It can be easily accessed by those who are allowed to do that if there is a need. The overall financial condition of the medical organization can be analyzed as well.
LIMS (Lab Information Management System) is used to ensure error-free results and an efficient management process in a laboratory by reducing the number of paper records and potential errors in testing. It enhances traceability and quality and improves the credibility of a lab in general.

What Are the Benefits of Healthcare Software Development

Healthcare software is not only about facilitating interaction between patients and doctors. It beats many challenges and provides various benefits for anyone in need of such services. The following are the benefits for the different groups involved in the healthcare industry or participating in one way or another:

Benefits for Doctors

Reduced paperwork and easier access to healthcare data. Document automation (registration, form filling, etc.) allows healthcare professionals to accumulate time previously spent on paperwork and invest it in direct patient care instead.
An improved way of managing patient data. Healthcare software enables hospitals to integrate and analyze data in such a way to organize patient care efficiently (with additional insight, but without exposing personal data).
Communication with other healthcare experts and pharmacies directly through the software. Software systems have no geographical boundaries. Doctors can cooperate with their colleagues overseas to share their knowledge and find better treatment solutions to medical problems.

Benefits for Patients

Instant connection with healthcare providers. Healthcare platforms offer real-time communication via live chat, emails, or video calling 24/7 even after the practice’s office hours. Appointment scheduling and reminders are also available online.
Easy access to medical data. Patients have their medical data stored in one place, with the ability to download or review any of their records (medical history, reports, treatment recommendations) on their smartphones and computers. Some apps provide educational materials to increase knowledge of the medical care routine.
Improved healthcare quality. Less paperwork means more time on actual medical care. The workflow is improved. Doctors have more time to be engaged in the process of improving the quality of treatment.

Benefits for Healthcare Organizations

Improved business management. Data accuracy, data security, revenue management, and easy payment methods are the key benefits of digitizing hospital management.
Improved patient feedback. Healthcare software is the source of the quality of customer service for the organization. A person who is satisfied with care is more likely to become a loyal patient with higher engagement who will come back to the same place in the future.

How Much Does Healthcare Software Development Cost

Billions of dollars have been invested in the medical digital industry, raising the trend of remote healthcare even more. This means that every year the cost of developing such a medical solution only increases. The final cost of developing one such system can vary from the goals that are set for such a digital system, a set of options and a dozen different additional functions. Every project should be discussed separately with the team of specialists who have expertise in the field of healthcare software development and built and implemented tens and hundreds of new healthcare solutions. Our QArea professionals can help to explain what to expect with this kind of business (implementation, training, and developing and support costs, etc).