Custom Telehealth Software vs. Off-the-Shelf Solutions: Pros & Cons

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions it had brought telehealth in mainstream healthcare delivery. Even though it has now become a popular means to receive healthcare in a virtual or digital healthcare environment, the adoption rate indicates it has been the point of traction since 2015.

For instance, between 2015-2019 the telehealth software development saw a rise in its adoption in healthcare practices by a staggering 44% as reported by GlobalMed. However, it took a global pandemic to see the true potential of telehealth platforms and it has been on the rise ever since.

Despite a high satisfaction rate of almost 96% in mental healthcare and 55% in general, there are still some gaps left behind by telehealth platforms to be the go-to choice to receive healthcare. That is the reason why many healthcare providers are still searching for their right telehealth software.

In this hunt, they are often given two choices as custom software vs off-the-shelf telehealth software and this is where the confusion actually starts. Which one to choose and move ahead with?

Well, to choose the right telehealth software solutions, it is important to know the organization’s needs. To help you make the right choice and simplify both options, here is a brief telehealth software comparison between custom telehealth software and off-the-shelf telehealth software.

So, let’s understand both of these and have a look at the advantages of custom telehealth software and other telehealth software features that can revolutionize your healthcare practice. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Custom Telehealth Software – A Tailored Fit

As the subheading reads, custom telehealth software is a tailored fit for healthcare practices’ unique virtual care delivery needs. Here are some of the telehealth software features that help them achieve this:

1. Customizations and Scalability: The major advantage custom telehealth software has over off-the-shelf telehealth software is that it can be customized to meet the specific needs and requirements of the healthcare practice. For instance, it can be customized as per the clinical workflows while establishing grounds for branding. Along with that, custom functionalities also give you the choice to develop the software the way you want. The story doesn’t end here, custom telehealth software is also highly customizable where it can be scaled as the telehealth program grows by integrating all the necessary integrations.

2. Security and Compliance: One of the major advantages of custom telehealth software is that it can be developed by adhering to security measures and compliance with HIPAA. Along with that, other security measures that a custom telehealth software provides are granular access controls and other data protection features that help you in building a secure telehealth platform.

3. Integration with Existing Systems: Unlike off-the-shelf telehealth software, custom telehealth software benefits healthcare organizations by providing easy integration options with other healthcare systems like electronic health records (EHR), etc. This empowers real-time transfer of data, completely eliminating the chances of data silos and creating a virtual healthcare ecosystem with improved care coordination capabilities.

Off-the-Shelf Telehealth Solutions – Quick & Easy Set-up

Though custom telehealth software offers exclusive benefits, there are gaps that off-the-shelf fills that some healthcare providers might find useful. Here are some of the advantages that you get when choosing an off-the-shelf telehealth software solution:

1. Cost Effectiveness: The major advantage of off-the-shelf telehealth software is that it typically comes with a significantly lower upfront set-up cost. Along with that, the subscription model of payment, which many healthcare telehealth software development companies have adopted, is extremely beneficial for smaller healthcare organizations.

2. Rapid Deployment: Another advantage of these software solutions comes in the form of minimal set-up time. Since these software solutions are readily available, they can easily be implemented into a healthcare system in no time. This way, it becomes a very feasible option for healthcare organizations that need a quick and fast implementation of telehealth in their healthcare practice.

3. Pre-built Features and Functionality: Pre-built features and functionality of the off-the-shelf telehealth software are one of the core distinguishing features between custom software vs off-the-shelf software. Similarly, these off-the-shelf telehealth software solutions come with generic pre-defined features and functionalities. These features are sufficient for the basic needs of a healthcare practice, but they are limited to offering video conferencing, appointment scheduling, etc.

The Drawbacks of Off-the-Shelf Telehealth Solutions

Off-the-shelf telehealth software solutions are the best choice for a quick set-up of telehealth services. However, despite the quick set-up time, pre-defined features, and rapid deployment, there are still some of the major drawbacks of off-the-shelf telehealth solutions. Here are a brief overview of the drawbacks of off-the-shelf telehealth software solutions:

1. Lack of Customization: Being built for quick set-up and deployment, off-the-shelf software solutions are not suitable for adapting to a specific workflow. For example, if a healthcare practice has a defined workflow with off-the-shelf software solutions that fail to align, then the practice has to change its workflow, creating a lot of problems in care delivery. Furthermore, the lack of customization options also limits the software’s ability to integrate with existing systems or even add some additional features to the software. This way for a large healthcare practice, off-the-shelf software becomes a problem rather than a solution.

2. Security and Compliance Concerns: There are a lot of security risks with respect to the data privacy policies and vendor practices with regard to the data. Here, there can be many leaks in the process, which can potentially put the patient’s PHI at risk. Furthermore, the limited control over data security measures you have, apart from the compliances, can create a lot of threats, putting both the data and your practice at risk.

3. Scalability Issues: It is natural for any practice to grow with time. Furthermore, given the increasing popularity of telehealth programs, your software needs to be able to handle a large flow of patients and data flow. This is again where off-the-shelf software solutions fail since they have very limited scalability options, which might accommodate the growing needs of your practice in the near future.

Custom Telehealth Software – A Long-term Investment

Custom healthcare solutions are often said to be seen as a long-term investment, where they come in handy as the practice grows and flourishes with time. But how can custom telehealth software be a long-term investment? Well, let’s find that out below:

1. Return On Investment (ROI): Return on investment is usually calculated in terms of money or revenue. However, custom telehealth software takes it a step further from that. For instance, despite its higher development costs, it can deliver long-term cost-saving options where you can save significantly in customization, feature adding, scalability, and subscription models. Apart from that, the non-monetary ROI that its problems are improved efficiency of healthcare providers, reduced medical errors, and better patient engagement. This leads to better healthcare practices, which directly improves patient satisfaction levels along with their health outcomes.

2. Future-proofing Your Telehealth Programs: Custom telehealth software comes with customization and scalability features that enable your healthcare practices to easily adapt to evolving technologies and future innovations. This way, custom telehealth software solutions offer you enough flexibility to allow you to add new features and functionalities whenever you require to adapt to changing needs.

3. Building a Competitive Advantage: These telehealth software developments are uniquely tailored to meet your healthcare practice needs. Here, depending on your offerings and needs, it can help your virtual care offerings to differentiate from your competitors. For instance, you can create a more user-friendly interface with engaging features, which will not only help you create your separate identity but also build loyalty among patients.

Choosing the Right Path – Tailoring Your Decision

Clearly custom telehealth software solutions have an edge over off-the-shelf telehealth software. However, since you have patients to treat and offer unique prepositions to offer better care, here are some factors that should be your guiding light to make the right decision.

The first and foremost thing in this is your budget. Custom telehealth software development can be a costly affair compared to off-the-shelf telehealth software. Apart from that, technical expertise of the developers, desired functionalities you want in your telehealth software, scalability needs and security concerns are some of the factors that must be in your check box before making a decision with your custom telehealth software.

Apart from the cost of custom telehealth software, understand what value it adds to your practice moving ahead with your practice. One of the best practices you can implement while making a decision is to consult a custom telehealth software development company like Thinkitive to seek their expert advice and assess your own needs as well.

Frequently Asked Questions