Digital Health Software Solutions: Top tech stacks and pitfalls

Thanks to the digital health software solutions, the healthcare quality can be enhanced. Let Adamo discuss about these solutions in detail.  

In today’s digital era, many industries are gradually transforming digitally. Healthcare sectors are also among them. Thanks to the digital health software solutions, the healthcare quality can be enhanced. To develop a successful digital health software, it’s essential to select technologies that offer robust security, scalability, and flexible integration with current healthcare systems.  

The development process must comply with different regulations and ensure patient data protection and operational efficiency optimization. So, what tech stacks should you use for the software development and challenges you have to face? Let Adamo Software discuss them in detail.  

Through this blog post, besides the software stacks and obstacles, you will also find key factors influencing digital health software development costs. In addition, the development stages and cost breakdown are also analyzed. All information has been thoroughly researched and updated to the latest trends. So, let’s read our post and find you some useful information! 

I. Technology stacks to consider for Digital Health Software Solutions  

A digital health platform’s tech stack must be customized to meet the distinct needs of healthcare applications. Let’s explore some technology stacks you may want to consider for your digital health software solutions with Adamo Software! 

1. Backend development 

Backend plays an essential role in processing data, identifying users, and managing background tasks. Backend helps to ensure that your software works properly so that users can interact with the frontend easily. When developing the backend for your digital health software solutions, you may want to choose some program languages like Node.js, Python (Django, Flask), Java (Spring Boot), and .NET so that your software and databases can communicate with each other.  

Besides programming language, your digital health software solutions cannot lack frameworks. They are toolkits and libraries that provide structure and tools to support programmers in developing backend applications. Some popular frameworks include Django, Spring, Express.js, etc. By choosing suitable programming languages and framework, you can ensure business efficiency and scalability of the system.  

2. Database 

Digital health software solutions need databases to store, organize, manage, and analyze healthcare data effectively. The database is managed by a system designed for data retrieval and manipulation. You may want to use PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Firebase for structured data management. Whereas noSQL databases, such as MongoDB, are suitable for managing unstructured data and ensuring scalability. 

3. Frontend development 

Frontend development is one of the most important parts of your digital health software solutions development. This helps your software have an intuitive and friendly interface that optimizes user experience. Framework is the foundation for developing software consistently, efficiently and accurately. You can use React.js, Angular and Vue.js. frameworks for your frontend development.  

4. Cloud computing 

Cloud computing is also essential for developing digital health software solutions. Healthcare facilities can use cloud computing services in many forms, such as electronic medical records, remote medical examination, patient portals, remote monitoring that collect patient data from various sources. Some recommended cloud computing technologies include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).  

5. Big data analysis 

Big data analysis has become an indispensable part of the digital health software solutions development. It allows medical professionals to leverage data for better healthcare. Big data and analytics enable personalized treatment plans through analysis of comprehensive patient data. Technologies like Apache Hadoop, Spark, and ELK Stack help process huge volumes of data efficiently. 

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) 

AI and ML are crucial technologies for digital health software. AI helps the healthcare industry in analyzing medical images, predict pathology, and automate the medical record management process. Machine learning algorithms allow users to find medical data insights that are simply inaccessible through traditional methods. When developing your digital health software solution, you may want to use TensorFlow, PyTorch và Scikit-learn to build learning machine models to support healthcare.  

7. Security and compliance 

Security is always on the top priorities when you develop your digital health software solutions. Your software must comply with standards such as HIPAA (US), GDPR (Europe), and HL7/FHIR. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is one of the laws that the system must adhere to.  

This law establishes rules for access, authentication, storage, audit, and conversion of electronic health records. The information protected under HIPAA includes information about the patient’s health care status, providing health care services to an individual, and payment information. Data encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and intrusion detection systems are some security methods you need to follow.  

8. IoT integration 

IoT refers to a network of smart devices and technologies that facilitate communication between devices and the cloud and other devices. A typical IoT system operates through the collection and exchange of data in real time.  

For your development of digital health software solutions, IoT integration helps to connect medical devices, such as heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, and health monitoring sensors. Protocols like MQTT, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and platforms like Google Cloud IoT, AWS IoT support secure connectivity and data transmission. 

9. Telemedicine and remote monitoring 

Telemedicine and remote monitoring platforms help connect doctors and patients through video calls, chatbots, and electronic medical records. You can integrate your software with WebRTC, Twilio, Zoom API. Besides, EMR/ EHR also need to be integrated to optimize remote treatment workflows.  

In general, by choosing suitable tech stacks, you can develop sustainable digital health solutions that meet market needs and ensure compliance with information security standards.  

II. Challenges in implementing Digital Health Platforms  

When implementing digital health software solutions, you may want to face many issues. Let’s explore some challenges in developing the digital health platform with Adamo Software! 

1. Data security and privacy 

When you develop your digital health software solutions, you must consider data security and privacy. Without strong security, patient medical data is vulnerable to unauthorized access and information leakage. 

Digital health platforms must strictly protect patient data. While securing data is essential, accessibility for doctors, patients, and organizations is vital for effective care. Thus, balancing between security and efficient data access is a challenge for software developers.  

3. Interoperability issues 

When developing your digital health software solutions, you must concentrate on the interoperability issues. Digital health platforms need to be able to integrate with various systems such as EMR/EHR, IoT devices, insurance, and hospital management. However, differences in data formats, communication protocols, and technical standards can cause inconsistencies, making it difficult to synchronize and share data across healthcare organizations. 

3. Digital device 

Not all patients and healthcare facilities have access to technology. Disparities in internet infrastructure, technology skills, and affordability can limit the adoption of digital health platforms, especially in rural areas or developing countries. This requires solutions that are flexible and adaptable to a wide range of users.  

4. High implementation and maintenance costs 

It is extremely complex to develop digital health software solutions. Due to this complexity, the implementation and maintenance costs are also high. Building and operating a digital health platform requires significant financial resources, from software development, cloud infrastructure investment, AI integration, to regular maintenance and upgrades. This will cause difficulty for small medical centers or those in developing countries in accessing the technology due to high costs.  

5. Scalability and system performance  

As the number of users and data volumes increase, healthcare platforms need to ensure high performance without compromising data access speed. Scaling the system while maintaining stability and real-time responsiveness is a major challenge for digital health software solutions development.  

6. Resistance to change 

Healthcare staff and patients may find it difficult to adapt to digital systems, especially if they are used to traditional ways of working. May find it difficult to adapt to digital systems, especially if they are used to traditional ways of treatment. Some doctors may be concerned about the accuracy of AI systems, while older patients may have difficulty using mobile apps. Education and awareness of the benefits of technology are essential to driving digital transformation in healthcare. 

7. Compliance with clinical validation and safety standards 

If you are going to integrate AI for your digital health software solutions, you may want to take clinical trials before they can be put into use. This process can take years to obtain certification from agencies such as the FDA (US) or CE (Europe), slowing down the implementation process. 

In general, implementing a digital health platform comes with many challenges, from data security, interoperability, to cost and scalability. To be successful, businesses need the right strategy, combining modern technology with flexible solutions to ensure safety, efficiency and wide accessibility. 

Read more: Digital health platform development: A comprehensive guide

III. Key factors influencing digital health software development costs  

The cost of developing digital health software solutions is influenced by many factors. Let’s explore some outstanding ones with Adamo Software! 

1. Software complexity 

The software’s level of complexity has a huge influence on the software development costs. A simple system that only includes basic functions such as appointment scheduling, patient record management, and notification sending will cost less. However, when the software requires advanced features such as AI-assisted diagnosis, data integration from different sources, or Big Data analysis, the cost will increase significantly. Building complex algorithms and ensuring the system operates accurately in a medical environment is a challenge that requires a large investment of resources. 

Besides, the software complexity depends on the customization requirements of each healthcare organization. If the healthcare facilities only require available digital health software solutions, the development cost will be significantly lower than building a completely new custom solution. The cost will be higher if your software requires AI-integrated electronic health record (EHR/EMR) management system integration, a health consultation chatbot, or remote patient monitoring support.  

2. Development team expertise 

Development team expertise is also among the factors that affect your development of digital health software solutions. The higher the level of the experts, the higher fees you will have to pay. Experts with experience in the digital healthcare field are able to ensure that the product meets quality standards and complies with legal regulations such as HIPAA (USA) or GDPR (Europe). An experienced team will help you speed up the development process and minimize security risks and technical errors during operation.  

Labor costs are also affected by the geographic location of the development team. Companies in the US and Europe often have higher salaries than those in other countries. To optimize costs, some businesses choose to outsource to software companies in Southeast Asia, India or Eastern Europe, where costs are lower, but quality is still guaranteed. 

3. Project scope and features 

The project scope is one of the factors that determine the cost of developing digital healthcare software solutions. A small project with basic functions such as patient management, online appointment booking will cost less than a complex system with many advanced features.  

Expanding software functionality also significantly increases development costs. If a business requires the integration of multiple technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), or multi-platform support (web, mobile, desktop), development time and resources also increase. In addition, features such as multi-language support, user authorization systems, and flexible scalability also need to be considered when calculating costs.  

4. Technology stack 

Choosing technology stacks has a direct influence on the development costs of your digital health software solutions. Development platforms such as programming languages, databases, frameworks, and cloud services need to be carefully selected to ensure system performance, security, and scalability. If complex or proprietary technology is used, businesses may have to spend more on software licenses and highly specialized personnel. 

Besides, you also need to consider the cost of maintaining and upgrading technology. Some new technologies may help optimize initial costs but require complex maintenance. Conversely, popular technologies such as Java, Python, or .NET may have higher implementation costs but are easier to scale and maintain in the long term. 

5. Time-to-market 

Digital healthcare software solutions development time also affects the overall development cost. If a company needs to deploy quickly to meet market demand or partner requirements, they may need to invest more in human resources, development tools, and optimization processes to shorten the time. Simultaneously, if the time is too long, the cost of the project also increases. Therefore, you will need a specific plan to balance the speed of implementation and ensure product quality. 

IV. Breakdown of development stages and costs 

Each stage of healthcare software development contributes to the final cost of the project. Let Adamo Software discuss some stages and cost breakdown in detail. 

1. Digital health software solutions development stages 

Before exploring the breakdown of development costs, you may want to learn the digital health software solution development stages. Below are some main steps. 

• Requirement gathering and analysis 

Requirement gathering and analysis play an important role in identifying the scale and goal of the digital health software solutions. You may want to identify the functional requirements, non-functional requirements, and create requirements specification documents. Careful analysis at this stage helps avoid major changes during the development process, optimizing time and cost. 

• UX/ UI design 

An intuitive and easy-to-use interface may determine the success of your digital health software solutions. This stage aims to create the best user experience, helping doctors and patients easily operate the system. Good UI/UX design makes software accessible, reduces training time, and improves usability. You must analyze user needs and behaviors to build appropriate interfaces. Wireframes and prototypes are created to test usability before programming. Users test the interface to provide feedback to improve the experience.  

• Software development and coding 

Software development and coding are the main programming phases of your digital health software solution development. Backend programming, frontend programming, and API and external system integration are three obligatory things to do in this step.  

• Testing and quality assurance 

The testing phase helps detect and fix errors before deploying the software, ensuring the system operates stably and securely. This phase plays a decisive role in product quality and helps minimize errors after deployment. 

• Deployment and maintenance 

Once testing is complete, the software will be deployed to real users. Regular maintenance helps digital medical software operate stably, safely and meet the development needs of the healthcare system in the future.  

2. Regional cost comparison   

The cost of developing digital health software solutions varies significantly across regions of the world. Factors such as developer salaries, operating costs, and the cost of living in each country directly affect the total cost of development. For example, the cost of medical software development in the US can range from $100,000 to $500,000 or more.  

Whereas these numbers are from 50,000 – 200,000 USD for some countries in Eastern Europe like Poland, Ukraine or Romania. Asia is the region with the most competitive software development costs, which range from 30,000 to 150,000 USD. Depending on budget and quality requirements, businesses can choose the right area to cooperate in developing digital medical software, thereby optimizing costs while still ensuring efficiency. 

3. Cost estimation models  

Effective cost management of the digital health software solutions development requires accurate estimation models. Let Adamo Software discuss some popular ones.  

• Fixed price  

The fixed price model is a cost estimating method in which the total budget is determined at the beginning and does not change throughout the software development process. This model is suitable for projects with clear requirements, a predetermined scope of work, and little room for change during implementation. 

• Time-and-material model 

The time-and-material model charges based on the development team’s time and resources used throughout the project. Instead of a fixed price, the client pays based on the actual hours worked by programmers, designers, QAs, and other professionals.  

• Agile development model 

Agile is a method of developing software in small, incremental stages, with continuous feedback from customers to improve the product over time. Instead of building a complete software from scratch, the development team works in short cycles (Sprints), testing and adjusting based on real-world feedback. 

In general, each model has its advantages and disadvantages. Thus, you may want to choose the model you will use depending on the project scope, budget, desired level of flexibility, and the business’s ability to control costs.  

V. Contact with Adamo Software for affordable Digital Health Software Solutions 

Are you looking for a partner that can help with your digital health software solutions? As one of Vietnam’s leading technology companies, Adamo Software can support you with this. Here’s how we can help.  

• Providing customized solutions  

Adamo Software has experience in developing diverse medical software systems such as EMR/EHR, patient portal, clinic management platform, telemedicine, and many other health applications. We understand that each medical organization has its own requirements, so the solutions are flexibly designed to suit each operating model. 

• Adopting advanced technologies 

We use modern technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain and IoT to optimize healthcare processes, ensure accuracy and security of patient data. In addition, the system can be easily integrated with other medical platforms such as EMR/EHR, health insurance, and IoT medical devices. 

• Ensuring compliance with healthcare standards 

Adamo Software is committed to complying with strict healthcare security standards and regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, HL7, DICOM. We ensure that patient data is securely protected and complies with legal requirements. 

• Supporting for long-term deployment, maintenance, and upgrade 

In addition to healthcare software development, Adamo Software also provides deployment, training, maintenance and system upgrade services. We ensure that the software always operates stably, meeting the long-term development needs of medical businesses.  

Still hesitating whether to choose Adamo Software? Let’s contact us for more detailed information.