Сustom Healthcare CRM Development: Key Features and Cost

We’ve touched on CRM software for enterprises and tourism before, but now let’s explore its role in healthcare.

 

Patients expect easy access, personalized care, and secure health data. They’re more informed and selective, pushing healthcare providers to adapt.

 

With technology transforming healthcare, managing patient data efficiently is crucial. A robust CRM helps providers streamline care, improve communication, and control costs while keeping patient needs at the center.

 

Here’s how we’ll break it down in this article:

 

• What is healthcare crm and why it matters
  
• Key features of a robust healthcare crm
  
• How healthcare crms improve patient care & engagement
  
• Custom vs. off-the-shelf healthcare crm solutions
  

 

The Definition of Healthcare CRM Software

Generally, CRM software keeps the customers’ and business data in order. A CRM system designed for the healthcare industry helps engage, acquire, and retain patients and improve care across the patient lifecycle. Besides hospitals, this software can be used by companies that deal with pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, or health insurance.

 

A healthcare CRM system, also called HCRM or medical CRM, integrates a consumer’s social, behavioral, clinical, and financial details into a holistic profile. For this purpose, it weaves together electronic health records (EHRs), patients’ interactions with the organization’s web page and call center, provider credentialing, and even indirect sources like web traffic and subscription opt-ins. 

 

An HCRM can be built and customized to be integrated with existing EHRs, EMRs (electronic medical records), appointment calendars, radiology information systems, and other databases and care-delivery tools, as well as a Quality Management System (QMS).

 

API integrations with a content management system (CMS) and marketing automation platform (MAP) facilitate the creation of personalized customer experiences in a scalable way.

 

The software should also integrate easily with medical billing, accounting, human resources management (HRM), and other back-office systems. All of this reduces duplicate record keeping.

HCRM products include a unique mix of features, often more than one hundred, but primarily, they address the following areas.

The Benefits of Building Custom Healthcare CRM

 

Patients

Healthcare CRM software helps ensure that patients have access to the correct information and services in a timely manner. For example, a patient can schedule a blood test online and have it performed at a medical center on the same day.

 

The sample will be analyzed immediately, and the patient will receive the results in a secure email. After exchanging emails with the doctor, an electronic prescription would be mailed to the pharmacy so that a local one-day delivery post can deliver the medication the next day.

 

This can be done within 24 hours, minimizing the patient’s anxiety and expenses and freeing up the medical team to deliver better care to more patients.

 

Consolidating information from various databases, partner applications, and services, HCRM systems permit healthcare providers to view each patient's complete medical history, appointments, insurance, preferences, and social determinants of health.

 

For instance, in-home providers can assess detailed information to identify factors that might cause patients to need medical care. These insights help orchestrate reminders or targeted campaigns around relevant services. Nearly real-time updates to electronic medical profiles speed up patient service. 

 

Analysis of patient feedback, complaints, and other gathered data help healthcare providers evaluate the quality of their services and take appropriate and timely actions to improve them.

 

For example, some organizations use medical CRM tools to collect, via email, patients’ feedback before and after surgery and after recovery. Similarly, health insurance companies collect feedback from numerous clinics to generate valuable reports.

 

Doctors and staff

Clinical care is increasingly complex. Healthcare teams need to act decisively to deliver coordinated care. HCRM tools help make crucial patient information from various groups, devices, and systems updates nearly real-time when and where needed. They also ease the administrative workload with automated messaging that frees up the staff to better serve patients at the office.

 

A custom medical CRM system can also take care of doctors’ schedules, for example, by finding the most suitable appointment slots, sending notifications, building routes for house calls, rescheduling appointments, and more.

 

Business

Medical CRM systems automate billing, resource management, customer service, and other internal processes and foster easy and secure communication and data exchange for the staff.

 

They help synchronize healthcare management with providers and third parties like pharmacies or insurance agencies, monitor the sales pipeline, improve operational time and overall performance, and optimize expenses.

 

Real-time dashboards and reports give healthcare organizations an instant overview of their operations and performance and insights into patient data. They help streamline daily tasks to increase employee efficiency and customer satisfaction. Improving patient satisfaction quickly based on a close examination of patients’ feedback is another competitive advantage.

 

Cloud-based healthcare CRM solutions seamlessly record, transmit, and store patient data coming from an increasing number of medical devices, applications, etc. They are equally suitable for small and large healthcare organizations and provide for low maintenance costs.

 

HCRM systems can parse through the wealth of customer information to deliver actionable intelligence. The CRM-supported understanding of patient demographics promotes the adoption of high-value patients and prospects. Marketers can develop more intelligent strategies for acquiring, engaging, and retaining customers, lowering customer acquisition costs.

 

Key Features of Healthcare CRM Software

 

Patient management

Healthcare CRM software helps medical staff handle appointments, documents, prescriptions, and other patient-related activities at any time from anywhere.

 

A calendar can automate appointment reminders, track appointments, and no-shows, and help reschedule if needed. Automated patient information management eliminates the need for patients to fill out forms each time.

 

Integrating critical back-office systems ensures consistency across patient records and promotes the timely filing of claims and invoices. Healthcare CRM systems can generate bills, track payments, and send automatic reminders for late payments. 

 

The ability to generate and maintain detailed patient profiles allows healthcare providers to maintain a panoramic view of each patient, craft personalized customer journeys, and access powerful analytics and real-time reporting.

 

Read Also: How to Implement Telehealth for Chronic Care Management

 

Team management

The best CRM solutions can help make team management fast and straightforward — even from a smartphone. A task management tool helps assign work quickly, and integrating with an HRM module facilitates managing employees’ vacations, sick days, etc., and payroll.

 

Medication management

Some tools facilitate the management of medicines, such as sending electronic prescriptions to the pharmacy. Many patients also expect doctors to send reminders about their medication schedules. Some HCRM systems have a function that can do this automatically.

 

Communications

Healthcare CRM software facilitates secure and industry-compliant communication with current and potential patients through their preferred channels. For example, the software can send out automated messages based on predetermined rules, such as:

 

• appointment reminders
• post-appointment feedback surveys
• post-discharge and follow-up emails with health tips and relevant healthcare service suggestions
• discounts on prenatal yoga classes and advice to new moms
• birthday cards
• annual screening reminders
• welcome emails to first-time visitors of your website

 

Medical CRM solutions may come with a chatbot to respond to patients’ concerns 24/7. They also provide strategic insights for creating targeted content.

 

HCRM tools also facilitate sending tailored direct mail messages to patients and physicians. Such campaigns can include regular service communications, screening reminders, referral communications, nurse recruitment mailers, and more.

 

Fast and efficient communication between providers, healthcare staff, and teams is essential. Sometimes, medical personnel use their mobile phones and messengers like Skype and WhatsApp for professional communication, which is not secure.

 

A medical CRM can serve as a safe, centralized hub for transparent record-keeping synchronized across touchpoints. It would protect patients’ health information through data encryption, multi-level authentication, digital signatures, etc., and support the storage and transfers of patient data in GDPR or HIPAA-compliant ways.

Marketing

Modern CRM tools help plan, implement, and review marketing campaigns across multiple channels: email, direct mail, SMS, and social media. But today’s healthcare marketers need real-time or near real-time data from a comprehensive robust platform that includes and integrates healthcare CRM, EHR, CMS, MAP, call centers, and a content rationalization system (CRS).

 

Many specialized CRM solutions allow the segmenting of patients based on demographics, psychographics, high-risk health issues, etc. They pinpoint consumers who are likely to need a health system’s services at a procedure level.

 

This helps marketers create targeted marketing campaigns, and physicians precisely target groups of patients that are likely to be profitable. The availability of detailed patient profiles and integration with Facebook and other social networks facilitates sending newsletters with personalized health tips, educational event alerts, or discounts on appropriate medical treatments.  

 

Cutting-edge tools with integrated email templates help distribute tailored, engaging emails and manage deals more easily. They track marketing progress throughout the campaign lifecycle, provide real-time performance information, and deliver insights into success and failures.

 

Reports on marketing campaigns and outreach efforts that attribute leads, conversions, and revenue to tactics, campaigns, and even their specific aspects make it easier for health systems to measure their campaigns’ effectiveness and Return on Investment.

 

 

 

Dashboards and reporting

The growth rate for data in the healthcare industry is one of the fastest in the industry. On a modern healthcare platform, various healthcare data flows seamlessly across applications, devices, teams, and points of care.

 

Medical CRM software parses this data to create all types of customized reports and provide a 360-degree view of the consumers. The analysis can produce valuable insights to drive the healthcare organization’s administrative, marketing, and outreach efforts. For example, an open issues report may organize patients’ complaints or malfunctioning equipment.

 

Referrals management

Healthcare CRM software helps streamline and track relationships and coordinate care across specialties, departments, and facilities.

 

For example, if it detects that a patient whom a general practitioner referred to a specialist hasn’t arranged an appointment, it will notify the healthcare facility. They will contact the patient and resume the interrupted care.

 

There are also tools for monitoring trends, case and payer mixes, and the overall impact of a healthcare organization’s referral and outbound communication activities.

 

Recruiting management

Healthcare CRM tools also assist hospitals and specialty practices with recruiting physicians and nurses.

 

There are tools for communications, management of outreach campaigns with response tracking automated follow-up, and analytics. Response data and trends may help organizations refine their recruitment approach and stimulate interest.

 

These tools assist in tracking and managing physician relations or liaison outreach activities and help tie changes in physician loyalty directly to physician relations/liaison actions. This empowers health systems to measure the impact of their outreach efforts and adjust their growth strategies accordingly.

Main Steps to Create a Custom Healthcare CRM

Now let’s look at the step-by-step pipeline of custom healthcare CRM development:

Step #1 Choose a reliable technology partner

Pay close attention to the vendor’s expertise in the healthcare sphere, ask for their portfolio, and read feedback from customers on authoritative sources like Clutch and GoodFirms. With the right full-cycle development team, you can be sure that they’ll take care of the following steps.

 

Step #2 Conduct a product discovery

At this stage, specialists investigate your product concept, target audience, and intended market. Also, they discuss your business goals, design a proper roadmap, and tune up a streamlined development process.  

 

Step #3 Design UI and UX

The design of a healthcare CRM system both for the patients and the doctors is based on user-friendly principles. During the UI/UX design, the design team maps the user journey and makes sure navigation is clear. 

 

Step #4 Develop a product’s functionality

Here, tech gurus write the features from scratch, integrate third-party services, and implement security measures.

 

Step #5 Quality assurance

QA specialists conduct precise product quality tests to spot and fix possible issues at the earliest stage.

 

Step #6 Release the MVP

Then, the team launches your MVP to test the idea with minimal losses and add new modules and functionality as the product grows.

 

Step #7 Gather feedback and improve

Finally, your tech partner conducts various updates and maintenance work based on your users’ feedback. 

The Cost of Building a Healthcare CRM System

To calculate the healthcare CRM development cost, first you need to consider top influencing factors that make up the overall cost of product development. The most important of them are the following:

 

• The number of modules
• Product complexity
• App development type (native, hybrid, or web app)
• The technology stack (tools, languages, frameworks, libraries, etc.)
• Cooperation model (in-house, outsource, or freelance)
• The development team size
• The development team location

 

Since one of the most influential cost factors is functionality included into your medical CRM, let’s take the most necessary modules and the time required to implement them.

And now let’s consider one more essential factor that impacts the total healthcare CRM cost - the company’s development rates. These rates vary from country to country. So, below we compare the minimum and maximum rates of the following countries:

 

Concerning the team size, here is the number of specialists you may need to develop a medical CRM:

 

• 2-3 Backend developers
• 2 Frontend developers
• 1 UI/UX designer
• 1 QA engineer
• 1 Project manager

 

We shared an approximate estimation of CRM development with a basic feature set. If you want to calculate the exact cost of your future customer relationship management system, please don’t hesitate to contact our team and discuss your project in detail.

 

Challenges of Medical CRM Development

CRM development, especially in the healthcare sector, involves some challenges. Thus, to be forewarned and forearmed when building a CRM system, you will want to pay close attention to the following challenges.

 

Handling data security concerns

Medical facilities store large quantities of valuable data about management, patients, and finances. Implementing a CRM system into already existing healthcare infrastructure can potentially disorganize your data.

 

It’s important to choose a reliable CRM system and a professional technical team to implement it all safely and securely. A unified cloud-based customer relationship management system and experienced development team are vital to an easy and smooth transition of data.

 

Poor CRM product fit

CRM product fit is vital to its successful implementation. Sometimes there might be inconsistencies in the product fit. Here are some examples:

 

• The product isn’t flexible enough to allow for deeper customizations to fit with the organization's growing needs.

 

• The product isn’t keeping pace with current CRM trends, such as global, social, and mobile.

 

• The product isn’t intuitive or user-friendly, thereby hindering user adoption.

 

The solution is to conduct adequate due diligence at the product selection stage to ensure the CRM system fits not only the current business needs but also the organization's further evolving needs.

 

Ensuring infrastructure streamlined performance and scalability

It’s vital to ensure that your CRM is scalable enough to cope with the growth plans of the healthcare institution. The CRM infrastructure has to be fully equipped to cover business needs.

 

Any disruptions in the CRM performance or scalability can negatively impact customer experience. You need to ensure that your platform can deal with high-load tasks and data, scale with the business needs, and cope easily with possible crashes. 

 

 

 

Onix’s Experience in Medical CRM Development

Onix is a leading development company with hands-on experience in designing and developing robust healthcare products. Over the past 20 years of working with the healthcare sector, we have provided the following services: health monitoring solutions, medical CRM development, healthcare mobile app development, medical data management, and patient care management solutions. 

 

At Onix, we've had the privilege of partnering with healthcare organizations to develop tailored Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that not only streamline operations but also enhance satisfaction among patients and providers. Let's delve into a couple of our notable projects in this domain.

 

Custom CRM for a Health Insurance Company

We collaborated with a California-based health insurance firm aiming to digitize their lead and customer management processes. Recognizing that off-the-shelf solutions like Salesforce were too cumbersome and costly for their needs, they sought a custom-built CRM. Our team developed a web application that:

 

• Simplified Account Creation: Allowed potential customers to sign up online or have their information entered manually by insurance agents.
• Enhanced Task Management: Enabled agents to schedule, assign, and track interactions, ensuring no lead was overlooked.
• Ensured Compliance: Built the system to be HIPAA-compliant, safeguarding protected health information (PHI).

This solution empowered the company's agents to serve customers more effectively, leading to improved satisfaction and operational efficiency.

 

Healthcare Provider (HCP) Portal Development

In another project, we assisted a medical billing solutions provider in creating a portal for their healthcare provider network. Facing challenges like delays in processing claims and an overwhelmed support team, they needed a solution to handle increased demand. Our team delivered a web-based portal that:

 

• Streamlined Processes: Allowed healthcare providers to self-serve operational needs, such as referring cases, checking claim statuses, and viewing payment information.
• Integrated Support Features: Included notifications, automated verification, and an admin dashboard for the support team.

The result was a significant reduction in inbound inquiries and faster processing times, enhancing both provider satisfaction and operational efficiency.

 

Onix’s Own CRM: Hydra – Streamlining Internal Operations

At Onix, we believe in practicing what we preach. To optimize our internal workflows, enhance communication, and manage client relationships efficiently, we developed our own custom CRM—Hydra. This system was built from the ground up to meet our specific needs, proving firsthand the power of a tailored CRM solution.

Key Features of Hydra

 

• Centralized Client & Project Management

 Hydra serves as a unified hub where our teams can access client details, project statuses, and communication history in real time.

 

• Automated Task Tracking & Workflows

The system ensures smooth project execution by automating task assignments, tracking deadlines, and integrating with our internal tools.

 

• Advanced Reporting & Analytics

With built-in dashboards, managers gain deep insights into team performance, project progress, and customer interactions, allowing data-driven decision-making.

 

• Seamless Communication & Integration

Hydra integrates seamlessly with other software we use, ensuring a smooth data flow across various departments, from sales and project management to finance.

By implementing Hydra, we’ve significantly improved our internal processes:

 

• 30% Faster Client Response Time – With all client data accessible in one place, our teams can respond quickly to inquiries and updates.
• 20% Increase in Operational Efficiency – Automation has reduced manual tasks, freeing up time for strategic work.
• Better Collaboration Across Teams – With all departments connected through a single CRM, project handovers and updates happen seamlessly.

 

By focusing on these aspects, healthcare organizations can enhance both patient and provider experiences, leading to better outcomes and satisfaction.
If you’re considering a medical CRM project and looking for a reliable tech partner, we’d be glad to build a dedicated development team. 

 

Final Thoughts

If you are an IT entrepreneur, it’s reasonable to invest in your own software product. If you are a healthcare organization, you can choose from a vast selection of healthcare CRM software in the market.

 

However, as each company is unique, it may be challenging to find a solution that meets your specific needs. A custom-built system can address these needs, as well as help avoid unnecessary expenses associated with unused modules of ready-made solutions.

 

If you have questions or need any help with realizing your project, please don’t hesitate to contact Onix’s experts!

 

FAQ

 

1. What is a Healthcare CRM, and why is it important?

A Healthcare CRM is a specialized system designed to manage interactions between healthcare providers and patients. It integrates various data sources—such as electronic health records (EHRs), appointment histories, and communication logs—to create comprehensive patient profiles. This holistic view enables personalized care, improves patient satisfaction, and enhances operational efficiency.

 

2. What are the key features of a robust Healthcare CRM?

Essential features of an effective healthcare CRM include:

 

• Centralized Patient Data Management: Consolidates patient information into a single, secure database for easy access and updates.
• Appointment Scheduling and Reminders: Facilitates online booking and sends automated reminders to reduce no-show rates.
• Communication Tools: Supports secure messaging between patients and providers, enhancing engagement.
• Analytics and Reporting: Provides insights into patient demographics, treatment outcomes, and operational performance.
• Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly connects with existing systems like EHRs and billing software to ensure data consistency.

3. How does a Healthcare CRM improve patient engagement?

By offering personalized communication, tailored care plans, and proactive health reminders, a healthcare CRM fosters stronger relationships between patients and providers. This leads to increased patient satisfaction and loyalty.

 

4. What factors influence the cost of developing a custom Healthcare CRM?

Several elements affect the development cost:

 

• Scope and Complexity: The number and intricacy of features required.
• Technology Stack: Choice of programming languages, frameworks, and third-party integrations.
• Compliance Requirements: Ensuring adherence to regulations like HIPAA may increase costs.
• Development Team Location: Rates vary depending on the geographical location of the development team.
• Timeline: Accelerated schedules can lead to higher expenses.

5. Can a custom Healthcare CRM integrate with existing systems?

Yes, a well-designed CRM can integrate with existing systems such as EHRs, billing platforms, and laboratory information systems. This integration ensures seamless data flow and reduces administrative burdens.

 

6. How long does it take to develop a custom Healthcare CRM?

The development timeline varies based on the project's complexity and scope. Typically, it can range from several months to over a year, encompassing stages like requirement analysis, design, development, testing, and deployment.