Build vs. buy: 4 considerations for health systems choosing a mobile app

Mobile technology is crucial for health systems to stay competitive, but the many choices and options to build or buy apps can make for a tricky process.

During an executive roundtable sponsored by Gozio Health at Becker's 9th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference, Gozio CEO and founder Joshua Titus discussed the importance of the digital experience in healthcare and described key factors to consider in deciding whether to build or buy a mobile app. 

Three key takeaways were:

  1. Patients want a better digital experience. 

According to Mr. Titus, 90% of patients would consider switching providers if their current provider doesn't deliver a satisfactory digital experience, and 26% would switch to a new provider for a better digital experience. 

"In a survey we conducted, providers believed they were doing well with mobile apps — meanwhile, patients don't know which apps they are supposed to use and feel their experience is disjointed," Mr. Titus said. 

The clear conclusion: Current strategies aren't working.

  1. A single mobile platform is the answer

In working to understand and meet patients' expectations for mobile digital experiences, Mr. Titus cautioned against trying to "retrain" consumers. 

"They already have expectations based on other mobile apps; 89% of patients say it's important to have a single platform to manage their healthcare available on their mobile phone," he said. "Meet them where they are."

     3. There are four factors to consider in deciding whether to build or buy a mobile app.

1. Time to market: Building a mobile app takes 2-3 years, while buying can take weeks or months.

2. Control and functionality: Building gives complete control over all features and every aspect of the design, while buying provides more standard, off-the-shelf features. With both options, content should be managed in the cloud.

When building, responsiveness is dependent on an internal team. When buying, strict service-level agreements guide support.

3. Market fit: When buying, an established company will already have built a platform and launched apps for other healthcare organizations, along with testing the interface, design, features and toolset. When building, an organization must figure out market fit on its own.

4. Cost: Generally speaking, it's about 4-7 times more expensive for hospitals and health systems to build their own mobile app versus buy.

Carefully evaluating these business and patient considerations can help healthcare organizations make the best decision for their mobile apps.

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