How To Develop A Doctor Appointment Booking App Like Zocdoc?

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December 27, 2023

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Zocdoc Case Study
3. Market Research
4. Benefits Of Doctor Appointment App
5. Development Process Of Doctor Appointment App
6. Must have Features In The Doctor Appointment App
7. Doctor Appointment App Cost
8. Technology And Healthcare: A Brief Discussion
9. Collaboration With Silverxis

Introduction

The market size of online doctor consultations is around 23.75 billion USD in 2023. In the same report of Statista, it has been acknowledged that by 2028 this market will touch the milestone of 35.83 billion USD by 2028.

Aren’t statistics enough to amaze you? Aren’t they convincing you to invest in this segment and develop a digital product worth millions of dollars? Well, we understand that it is difficult to materialize the idea and consistently invest in its success. Thus, at SilverXis Inc. we will get you covered.

In this blog post, we will talk about the mobile app development process, particularly in the domain of online doctor appointment bookings. We’ll walk you through the journey of learning all the essential features of the doctor appointment booking app exemplified by ZocDoc.

Zocdoc Case Study

Introduction

ZocDoc is a leading provider of online healthcare that helps in booking appointments, scheduling meetings, searching for doctors, and analyzing other health-related concerns. The healthcare industry giant was invented by Oliver Kharraz, Nick Ganju, and Cyrus Massoumi in 2007 in the city of New York.

Problem

Healthcare services are expected to be hassle-free and immediate, without any unnecessary complications. Paradoxically, it was formerly regarded as the most undesirable and arduous procedure. There are several factors contributing to this issue, including the absence of automation, a high patient volume, and mismanagement, among others. Doesn’t it cause significant concern when the number of appointments exceeds the temperature reading on a thermometer?

Of course, yes. Before the invention of ZocDoc, patients experienced significant delays in securing appointments, scheduling consultations, and accessing other related services.

Solutions

1. ZocDoc allowed the users to search for their desired doctors based on their preferred filter such as geolocation, qualification, insurance, etc.

2. The portal also made it possible for the users to know the real-time availability of the doctors.

3. ZocDoc also considered the human psychology of reading reviews online and thus allowed its patients to inquire well before joining.

4. Telemedicine integration with the ZocDoc mobile app made it easier for patients to take consultations remotely through video calls.

5. The application chose a subscription-based revenue model where doctors were asked to purchase subscriptions for listing.

Market Research

Given the rapid evolution of the healthcare business in conjunction with technology, which will be examined in greater depth, any individual seeking to enter this market mustn’t overlook the necessity of conducting comprehensive market research. To prevent the emergence of chaos, all elements must be pre-defined, pre-determined, and pre-organized. The following points require significant attention:

1. You are required to clearly define the objective of your doctor appointment booking app.

2. Following the objective clarification, the next step is to finalize the target audience that will act as a base for the launch.

3. Further, you are supposed to do competitors’ analysis thoroughly to understand well the opportunities and challenges that will come your way.

4. During competitor’s analysis also try to find the gap where they are not able to serve the audience. Choose that gap and make it your USP (unique selling proposition).

5. Look for the proper business model that is prominent in your particular geography or demography.

Benefits Of Doctor Appointment App

There is a wide range of benefits associated with doctor appointment apps on both ends, viz; patients and doctors. The idea has simplified the process of all the stakeholders making sure the finest quality is maintained and the optimum solution is given. Below are the specific aids related to each one of them:

For Patients

It entitled the patients to share their overall details over the application, thus allowing the doctor to understand the history of health which otherwise would have remained distorted because of lack of effective communication.
Patients can now check for appointments and book their slots at any time of the day. Earlier they were restricted to the timings of the hospitals and the doctors. The mobile app dedicated to this purpose has simplified the process.
Digital calendars are also integrated with the apps, thus making sure the appointment is not missed, as well as not overlapped.
Such applications are also integrated with payment gateways. It makes it easier for the patients to do the transactions for medicines and consultations.

For Doctors

Doctors can use automation tools to simplify their work and focus more on treatment. AI and ML algorithms are quite phenomenal in this.
Appointment management used to be a hectic task before this. With the help of a mobile app, it is possible to schedule appointments in the live sheet that can be accessed even by the patients to plan their visit.
With the help of the booking app, it is likely that fewer or no errors will be witnessed such as overbooking, fewer bookings, overlapping appointments, etc.
The admin panel of the application can also have some ERP functionality that can allow doctors to manage their staff and management.

Development Process Of Doctor Appointment App

Like any other mobile application development process, the doctor appointment app also has to go through the same procedure:

1. Idea generation | UI/UX designing | Development

Front-end
Back-end
Database

2. API integration | Quality Assurance and Testing | Deployment

To understand each of the stages properly and in more detail, read our blog Step-by-step successful app development guide. You will have a clear understanding of how ideas should be formed and made unique, the importance of apt UI/UX, and the right selection of technology stack. Also, you’ll learn where functionality can be enhanced through API integration. Later, you’ll understand the procedure for QA Testing and the final deployment.

Must have Features In The Doctor Appointment App

1. Profile Setup

The implementation of the profile creation feature is essential for the functionality of any interactive application. In this particular scenario, it is necessary to create two interfaces, specifically the doctor’s profile and the patient’s profile. Doctors will submit their credentials, professional background, areas of specialization, geographic location, and availability. Conversely, patients will provide their medical history, age, gender, and other pertinent health-related information. Both sets of data can be employed to enhance the search experience for all parties involved.

2. For Doctors

The search bar should be made available on the application with the best UI possible, and at the same time, multiple filters such as geolocation, doctor’s age or gender, fees, degrees, etc. must be included in it.

3. Symptoms Analyzer

Based on the symptoms a patient can choose which specialist to consult. In many cases, a patient is unaware of his condition. All he can do is feel the pain and rush to the doctor. However, it is quite important to determine the right doctor. This symptom analyzer tool can help patients learn about their health condition and accordingly visit a doctor.

4. Geolocation

The UI of the application should be based on geolocation as it is more convenient for the patients to learn about the doctors who are near them. Geolocation pinning helps to find the best doctors in the desired field through local SEO tools. Also, map integration can be done to provide route functionality.

5. Appointment Reminders

There are many automation tools available to work for appointment scheduling and reminders. Because of the work’s hustle and bustle, people tend to miss their meetings quite often. Hence, proper reminders beforehand will efficiently work for both parties.

6. Telemedicine

Telemedicine features ought to be integrated with your application. In the post-COVID times, it has become rather necessary to avoid visiting hospitals frequently to reduce infection spread. Therefore, if doctors can provide consultation over a video call or phone call, it will be preferable in many cases.

7. Miscellaneous Integrations

To enhance the functionality of the app and make it an end-to-end solutions provider, your doctor appointment booking app should also consist of services like blood tests, pathology tests, full-body checkups, MRIs, X-rays, Ultrasounds, etc. There should either be proper prescription channels for the labs through doctors or through the app itself.

8. Payment Gateway

Like any e-commerce website, the payment gateway is given a profound significance as its simplification determines the conversions most of the time. If patients aren’t able to transact the money seamlessly or if they are not provided with multiple payment options, they are likely to bounce.

9. Crisis Management

During the time of crisis, an emergency aid option should be made available through your mobile app. For example in issues such as chest pain, accidents, severe anxiety attacks, etc., there must be some channels to call an emergency ambulance or take first-aid guidance immediately.

Doctor Appointment App Cost

The app development cost is determined by various factors such as geolocation, scalability, platform selection, app size, app functionalities, and several others. Also, there are various business models such as hourly-based, project-based, dedicated employees, etc. To learn more about it, go through the link.

Technology And Healthcare: A Brief Discussion

There is no denying the fact that technology has taken the world to storm, where topy-turvey effects in most of the domains can be witnessed. All the conventional ways of doing things are being scrapped, and replaced by technology, either through automation, AI, or ML.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are extensively employed within the healthcare sector to collect real-time data via interconnected devices. Subsequently, this data is acquired to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the patient’s health status.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is employed in various applications such as medical image analysis, predictive analysis, and medication discovery. Artificial intelligence (AI)–based data is employed by medical professionals to accurately identify the underlying causes of diseases in individuals.
The utilization of telemedicine had a significant surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for remote consultation and drug provision was significant.
CRISPR-Cas9, a molecular tool, is employed in the therapeutic intervention of genetic disorders. These techniques can identify specific genes, enabling the creation of personalized medication.

In the forthcoming years, many emerging technologies such as robotics, 3D printing, blockchain, and other domains within the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are expected to introduce novel tools into the market. These technologies have the potential to bring about a significant transformation in the healthcare industry, leading to outcomes that are more focused on enhancing efficiency.

Collaboration With Silverxis

Are you already in the healthcare industry? Or perhaps you are planning to enter into it? In either case, we can be of great help to you. SilverXis Inc., a software development company headquartered in Texas (USA), brings 17+ years of experience in the IT segment. It has served its clients across various domains globally.

Get in touch with us now, and we will provide you with a free consultation on mobile app development at large and the doctor appointment booking app in particular.

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