Case Study: How we've created Patient Management Software from scratch

Currently, clinicians, nurses and other healthcare providers across the globe are dedicated to deliver better care to their patients and improve the overall patient experience. Many organizations in the healthcare sector have started to incorporate patient management software into their practices. Having the patient management software in place helps healthcare providers attend to their patients promptly. In addition to that, they can optimize payment procedures, reduce administrative burdens and better manage documentation. According to a recent report, the medical practice management software market is expected to reach 560.8 million U.S. dollars by 2026 across the globe. This means that a lot of healthcare providers will opt for such solutions to streamline their internal processes and improve overall services for their patients across your organization. Here we are going to provide you with information on how we developed patient management software from scratch. Let’s get things under way!

What exactly is patient management software?

A patient management software is also known as clinic management software, medical practice management software or clinical patient management software. All these names of software are automated systems designed specifically to track patient information, speed up billing functions, provide online appointment scheduling options, check patient insurance status, etc. Thanks to the patient management software, healthcare practices and hospitals can improve patient care and other internal processes and significantly reduce costs.

What are the types of patient management software?

Provided below are types of patient management software you need to take into account:

• Desktop-only: this type of software works only on the computer where it was installed and does not require an Internet connection; it isn’t suitable for multi-practice clinics and large healthcare organizations.
• Client-Server: this type of software means that the system is pre-installed on a server so that any user can access it through the network with a simple click.
• Cloud-based: this type of software is accessible through the cloud that is more convenient and cost-efficient for different healthcare organizations.
• Mobile: this type of software is available on mobile devices and allows medical practitioners and their assistants to view relevant data on the go.

Why do you need patient management software?

C-level executives and managers of healthcare organizations always look for ways to improve all aspects of their operations. That’s where patient management software comes into play. Below you can find why you need a patient management system for your business in healthcare:

• The need to automate the payment process and streamline the revenue workflow.
• The need to ease overburdened staff and free them up to work on the bigger picture.
• The need to have quick access to someone’s entire medical history.
• The need to improve scheduling by providing the patients with the ability to book their appointments online with 24/7 access.
• The need to check patient insurance status.
• The need to easily collect and analyze the performance metrics of your healthcare organization.

What’s the idea of the project?

Competition among hospitals, medical groups and provider practices is fierce. That’s why it’s imperative to use the latest technology and software to beat the competition. Not only does it help you achieve higher levels of efficiency, but you can also improve patient care and drive down costs. We, at DDI Development, have vast experience in delivering a plethora of software solutions that meet any business needs. With that in mind, we’ve decided to develop a patient management system that will eliminate paper-based processes and level up your medical practice management. Moreover, the system will help you automate your billing process and boost cash flow.

The development process of the patient management system

Below we have presented information on how the development process went while working on the patient management system. Let’s dig a little deeper:

Team

When creating a patient management system, we had to involve the following specialists:

• 1 Business analyst (BA)
• 1 Project manager (PM)
• 2 UI/UX designers
• 4 Front-end engineers
• 2 Quality assurance engineers (QA)
• 2 Backend engineers
• 1 Android engineer
• 1 iOS engineer

Methodology

To develop a patient management system, we opted for Agile software development methodology taking into account its advantages:

• The client’s needs take priority over the requirements in the development plans.
• We can adapt to the potential project to any changes in the client’s requirements.
• Results are more important than established processes.

Thanks to the agile-driven development, we managed to implement 24 sprints during which the development team completed a project and attained the client’s ultimate goals.

Development Process

At the Discovery phase, a Business Analyst had an interview with the client and stakeholders to clarify the problem that had to be solved with a patient management system. Only by collecting all the critical information about the business processes, potential users, their actions, and so on could we identify key features for the potential patient management solution. Having all that in mind, we were able to define the roles of the users and come up with the following features:

• Scheduling
• Payment processing
• Integration
• Automatic reminders
• Calendar
• Reporting

Based on this information, the Business Analyst created a project specification document that outlines the overall look of the desired product and a functional specification that specifies how the client sees the appearance and capabilities of the upcoming patient management system. Then the Project Manager provided a preliminary estimate to the client and suggested the roadmap for the development process. Once it was confirmed, we divided the planned scope of work (so-called Backlog) into 2-week sprints.

Before each sprint, the whole team of designers, front-end and back-end engineers, QA engineers and Android/iOS engineers reviewed which feature from the backlog they worked on and committed to some result by the end of each sprint. In addition to that, the team also presented the results to the client during demo sessions. When the patient management system was ready and bug-free, we launched it and collected real-world users’ feedback to polish, upgrade and make improvements to meet the client’s expectations.

Project Structure

Below you can find out what technologies our team used when working on the patient management system.

User Roles

In a patient management system, you can find three main types of users: Patient, Doctor and Administrator. However, you can create additional roles and add them to the system.

Let’s get started:

• Patient: a user who can register in the system, schedule an appointment online, receive reminders, pay for services.
• Doctor: a user who is responsible for providing healthcare services, managing work schedule, generating reports, etc.
• Administrator: a user who has visibility to all features and functionality within the patient management system and manages every aspect of the system.

Patient Dashboard

By inputting a login and password, a user can log in to the patient management system and land on the Dashboard page. The menu bar on the left side contains the following options: Profile, Appointments, Payments, Messages and Account Settings. Let’s find more details below:

Profile

With the Profile feature, you can see all the essential information required for the healthcare provider. On this page, you will find the following information: general information, appointment information, insurance benefits, prescription orders, etc. Thanks to this feature, you can view the information in detail by clicking on the link.

Appointments

The Appointments feature allows you to be in the know about your current and completed appointments. All the information is presented in the table that consists of the following columns: ID#, Doctor’s Name, Visit type, Date, Time, Status, Actions. Moreover, you can schedule an appointment by clicking the Schedule an Appointment button.

Payments

Thanks to the Payments feature, a patient can make payments directly in the patient management system. Not only does it speed up the payment process, but it is also more convenient. Here you will find the following table:

• ID#
• Doctor Name
• Procedure
• Type
• Amount
• Status
• Date
• Actions
• Messages

The Messages feature allows patients to send and receive messages within the patient management system. If you need any additional information or in an emergency, this feature enables you to be in touch with your healthcare provider. Not only can you send images or text files, but you can also record a voice message.

Doctor Dashboard

Below is an overview of the key features presented on the Doctor Dashboard. After logging in, you will land on the Dashboard page where there are options such as Appointments, Reminders, Calendar, Patients, Payments, Reports and Account Settings.

Appointments

The Appointments feature allows you to manage your schedule with ease. Patients can view your availability in real time and can choose the option that best suits them. In addition to that, you can create new appointments, edit imported appointments and change or cancel appointments that clients booked.

Reminders

The Reminders feature allows you to avoid any miscommunication. The patient management system reminds both the doctor and the patient and includes a confirmation, changes and cancellations of the appointment. Thanks to this feature that can help you drastically decrease the number of no-shows that may affect your productivity.

Calendar

With the Calendar feature, you can effectively manage your schedule and make any changes on your own. In addition to that, you can integrate it with Google Calendar, Outlook, or anything else that will help you keep everything in one place and make your practice more effective.

Patients

The Patients feature allows you to be in the know about your patients. Thanks to the well-structured table, all the information such as Patient Name, Visit type, Treatment, Phone number and Age are in front of you. In addition to that, you can search for a patient by name or use the filtering option.

Payments

You can reach the Payments feature from the main menu. This feature allows you to set up different payment methods for your patients and manage how they will pay for your services. Thanks to this feature, you can reveal how many patients have been charged and your revenue. All this information is organized in a table that includes the following columns - #, Patient Name, Date, Visit type, Duration, Amount, Status (paid/pending/draft), Actions.

Reports

The Reports feature allows any doctor in the patient management system to gain insight into their practice and get a complete picture. On this page, you can see a number of appointments scheduled, appointments completed, appointments cancelled. In addition to that, you are in the know about your daily and total revenue. Thanks to this data, you can generate a data-informed hypothesis and reiterate it.

Admin Dashboard

Only after logging in as an Administrator can you be redirected to the Dashboard page. On this page, the following options are presented - Dashboard, Profiles, Appointments, Calendar, Payments, Reports and System Settings. Let’s take a closer look at some features that are different and not presented in other modules.

Profiles

With the Profiles feature, you can dynamically control which actions are visible to a patient, doctor or others in the patient management system by associating that information with a profile. Not only does it help you view what category each user within the system represents, but you can also identify the roles and privileges associated with that particular user category.

System Settings

The System Settings page can be reached from the corresponding option in your main menu. Not only can you set up your own preference - rules and restrictions within the patient management system, but you can also leave default settings if they work for you and there is no need to change them.

Key features of patient management software you need to know about

Here we are going to overview some essential features of the patient management software. Let’s take a closer look below:

• Scheduling: Patients can identify available appointments and easily schedule an appointment online while doctors can confirm or cancel them.
• Payment processing: this feature offers a list of payment options and allows users to pay directly in the system.
• Reporting: thanks to this feature, you can extract detailed data on financial performance and patient financial histories that allow you to make data-driven decisions.
• Integration: This feature allows healthcare providers to integrate other solutions such as EHR, EMR, etc. to make your system more effective.
• Reminders: You will receive automated reminders once an appointment is made. This reduces no-shows and improves your healthcare business performance.
• Adaptable Calendar: You can make changes to your schedule and show your clients your availability in real time.

Benefits of patient management software for your business

Following are some of the benefits you can reap after incorporating a patient management system into your practice:

• Smooth workflows: You can keep all the information in one centralized place and access it easily. Not only does it result in improved efficiency, but it also leads to a streamlined workflow for your business in the healthcare sector.
• Automated process management: Only by automating pen-and-paper manual processes can you reduce your administrative cost while keeping patients updated with their appointments.
• Helpful for payments: Healthcare providers can process payments within the system that minimizes delays and reduces the time taken to make payments.
• Boost digital security: Having a highly protected system in place allows healthcare organizations to prevent data breaches and keep important and sensitive information regarding your organization and your patients secure.
• Helps in maintaining reports and analytics: The system provides healthcare providers of all sizes with in-depth insight into the performance of their healthcare business and helps them identify weak spots to improve the quality of their services, accuracy and efficiency.

Bottom line: Want to level up your patient management?

In today’s highly competitive world, keeping patients satisfied is becoming a priority. That’s why it’s imperative for healthcare providers to implement patient management software into their workflow. With patient management software in place, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations can automate administrative tasks, collect information with ease and focus more on patient care. Not only does it help them achieve higher levels of efficiency and improve overall patient experience, but they can also manage internal processes more effectively and improve overall services by making data-driven decisions. We, at DDI Development, are well-versed in developing and implementing healthcare solutions that improve overall operations and simplify patient and practice management. Drop us a line if you want to bring any idea to life.