How to Develop a HIPAA-Compliant App: Best Practices and Key Requirements

The rise of telemedicine apps has revolutionized the healthcare industry. Now, patients can access medical services easily, reducing costs and so much more.

The key benefits behind developing these apps are:

remote consultations,
electronic health record management,
and real-time monitoring.

Patients’ safety and privacy are indispensable components of any modern app. To say nothing of healthcare ones. That’s why developing a HIPAA compliant app is essential.

What Do We Call “HIPAA-Compliant Apps?”

HIPAA-compliant apps are digital health applications that adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) standards in the United States.

These apps are designed to protect sensitive patient information.

These measures include encryption, access control, and data breach monitoring.

How to Develop an App That Meets HIPAA Compliance?

Developing such an app is difficult for two reasons. First of all, you’re responsible for most of the security measures. Secondly, developing a HIPAA compliance app requires a certain set of developing skills. Still, if you follow a certain algorithm, you can streamline the process:

Stage	Description
Choose and implement the HIPAA-as-a-service backend	Select a backend provider offering HIPAA compliance out of the box to ensure regulatory requirements are met and focus on app development without compliance issues.
Separate PHI from other app data	Isolate protected health information (PHI) from non-sensitive data to reduce breach risks and simplify compliance management.
Encrypt throughout	Implement encryption for data to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access (or breaches).
Run audits and tests	Conduct regular security audit testing to identify any vulnerabilities.
Implement a long-term strategy with logging	Establish logging and monitoring strategies to track access and changes to PHI, supporting compliance verification and incident response.

What Are the Main Types of HIPAA-Compliant Apps?

Healthcare apps and websites show up almost every day. Though they may seem to have industry as the only common factor, we can group them into 5 types of HIPAA-compliant apps:

Telemedicine and telehealth apps. These enable remote consultations to receive care from the comfort of their homes.
Electronic health record (EHR) apps. These allow healthcare providers to store and access health records electronically.
Wellness tracking apps. Help users monitor their physical activities, diet, and overall health metrics.
Mental health and therapy apps. Provide virtual counseling and therapy sessions, supporting mental health care.
Medical imaging and diagnostic apps. With these apps, healthcare providers can share and view medical reports.

Key Requirements for HIPAA-Compliant Apps

When we talk about healthcare apps, we should understand that our target audience splits into two big groups. The first group is the patients, who will need to access their records and schedule appointments. And the second group contains healthcare specialists who need to store records and share files with their colleagues.

Such a diverse target audience complicates the developing process. Besides data security and privacy issues, you also need to implement the features that make an app convenient for both parties.

The specific features can also vary depending on the app types we’ve discussed before. We’ve created tables with specific features that should be present in any HIPAA-compliant app.

Admin Side Features

Feature	Description
User management	Manage user accounts, roles, permissions, and access levels based on roles.
Security controls	Oversee encryption, access controls, and authentication methods to ensure compliance.
Audit trails	Access and review audit logs tracking user activities, data changes, and system access.
Compliance monitoring	Monitor adherence to HIPAA regulations, conduct assessments, and implement updates.
Data backup and recovery	Manage regular data backups and reliable recovery procedures in case of data loss.
System maintenance	Oversee software updates, patches, and maintenance tasks to ensure smooth, secure operation.

User-Side Features

Feature	Description
Data security	Access the app through a secure login process with robust authentication methods.
Access to PHI	Securely view health records, lab results, medication lists, and appointment schedules.
Secure communication	Communicate securely with healthcare providers, protecting sensitive information.
Consent management	Provide and manage consent for sharing health information with specific professionals.
Health tracking and monitoring	Track health metrics, monitor progress, and set health goals.
Appointment scheduling	Schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments with healthcare providers.
Medication reminders	Receive notifications or reminders for medication schedules.

Such a number of features also defines the prices for the development.

How Much Does It Cost to Build a HIPAA-Compliant App?

This guide wasn’t created for a cost breakdown. However, if you plan to partner with a team of developers, the price tag will range from $50,000 to $250,000, depending on complexity and security requirements. The cost includes development, compliance, security measures, and ongoing maintenance.

The Bottom Line

The reality is that these days, you can’t launch an app that doesn’t meet HIPAA compliance best practices. That’s why we encourage you to examine the HIPAA Act itself as well. Developing this type of app is a complicated process, but it’s worth the investment. Especially when you realize that your application has helped so many people solve their health problems as quickly as possible.