Updated September 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team
Progression Agency builds healthcare apps and software for practices, clinics, digital health startups and health-adjacent businesses: patient scheduling, telehealth, secure messaging, remote monitoring, wellness and internal clinical tools. We design for patients and clinicians, build with privacy and security at the core, and plan for HIPAA, EHR integration and app-store health policies from the first workshop.
On this page · 10 sections
- What does a healthcare app development company do?
- Healthcare app development services
- HIPAA and healthcare app compliance
- Security we build into healthcare software
- EHR integration and interoperability
- How much does healthcare app development cost?
- Why choose Progression Agency for healthcare apps?
- Must-have features in healthcare apps
- Healthcare app users and what each needs
- Accessibility in healthcare apps
The short answerA healthcare app development company builds medical and health apps that handle sensitive data safely and fit clinical workflows. Whether HIPAA applies depends on who the app serves: apps built for or on behalf of a covered entity such as a provider or health plan handle protected health information and require HIPAA safeguards and a business associate agreement, while many consumer wellness apps fall under the FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule instead. Progression Agency determines which rules apply during discovery and builds accordingly.
This page describes how we approach regulated health software; it is not legal advice. Regulatory descriptions reference HHS, FTC, FDA and ONC guidance as of September 2026, and every project should confirm its obligations with qualified counsel. Cost ranges are planning figures, not quotes.
What does a healthcare app development company do?
It designs and builds medical and health software that is secure, compliant and usable by patients and clinicians: from scheduling and telehealth to monitoring and portals, including integrations with electronic health records and the privacy safeguards the data requires.
Healthcare app development services
Patient scheduling and intake apps
Online booking, reminders, digital intake forms and insurance capture that reduce no-shows and front-desk workload.
Telehealth and virtual care
Video visits, secure messaging and asynchronous check-ins built on HIPAA-eligible video and messaging services.
Remote patient monitoring
Apps that collect readings from connected devices and wearables through Apple HealthKit and Android Health Connect and surface trends to care teams.
Patient portals
Results, records, messaging and bill pay in one place, integrated with your EHR.
Wellness, fitness and mental health apps
Consumer health apps with subscriptions, content and tracking, built with the privacy expectations and store policies that apply to health data.
Clinical and operational tools
Internal apps that streamline documentation, handoffs, inventory and reporting for care teams, often as part of wider custom software.
HIPAA and healthcare app compliance
HIPAA applies when an app creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information for or on behalf of a covered entity, making the developer a business associate. Many direct-to-consumer wellness apps are not covered by HIPAA but are subject to the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule and state health-privacy laws.
| Rule | Applies when | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules | The app handles PHI for a covered entity | HHS |
| FTC Health Breach Notification Rule | Consumer health apps not covered by HIPAA | FTC |
| FDA digital health oversight | Software that functions as a medical device | FDA |
| ONC interoperability and information blocking | EHR data access and exchange | ONC |
| App Store health rules | Apps using HealthKit or health data | Apple |
We identify which rules apply during discovery, recommend legal review where needed, sign business associate agreements when we handle PHI and host on HIPAA-eligible cloud services under the provider’s BAA.
Security we build into healthcare software
- Role-based access with least privilege and multi-factor authentication.
- Encryption in transit and at rest.
- Audit logs of access to health information.
- HIPAA-eligible hosting on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud under a BAA.
- Code review, dependency scanning and penetration testing before launch.
- Incident response and breach notification procedures documented.
EHR integration and interoperability
We integrate with electronic health records using HL7 FHIR APIs and SMART on FHIR app launch where the EHR supports them, and through vendor-specific APIs or integration engines where it does not.
Standards documentation: HL7 FHIR and SMART Health IT.
How much does healthcare app development cost?
As a planning range, a focused healthcare MVP commonly costs roughly $60,000-$150,000, a full-featured patient or telehealth app roughly $150,000-$350,000, and complex platforms with EHR integration and device connectivity more. Compliance, security testing and integrations are the main drivers above a standard app.
| Scope | Typical range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness app MVP | $50,000-$120,000 | 3-5 months |
| Scheduling / intake app | $60,000-$150,000 | 3-6 months |
| Telehealth app | $120,000-$300,000 | 5-9 months |
| Platform with EHR and devices | $250,000+ | 8-14 months |
More detail in app development cost.
Why choose Progression Agency for healthcare apps?
- Compliance classification in discovery, before design begins.
- Security safeguards designed in, not added at the end.
- Accessible, patient-friendly design to WCAG 2.2.
- Experience across mobile, web, backend and integrations under one team.
- Healthcare marketing expertise — see medical marketing and healthcare website design.
- Headquartered in New York City, working with health organizations nationwide.
Must-have features in healthcare apps
Healthcare apps succeed when they save patients and staff time without adding risk. These are the features we are asked for most.
Secure login and identity verification
Multi-factor authentication, biometric sign-in on the device and, where required, identity proofing for new patients.
Appointment scheduling and reminders
Real-time availability from the practice management system, reminders by push, SMS or email, and easy rescheduling to reduce no-shows.
Digital intake and consent
Forms completed before the visit, insurance card capture and e-signature for consents, written straight into the record.
Secure messaging
Encrypted patient-provider messaging with routing to the right team and response-time expectations set clearly.
Video visits
HIPAA-eligible video with waiting rooms, device checks and fallbacks for poor connections.
Results, records and education
Lab results with plain-language context, visit summaries and condition-specific education content.
Payments and billing
Statements, card and wallet payments and payment plans integrated with the billing system.
Device and wearable data
Readings from blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters and wearables with thresholds that alert care teams.
Readings from blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters and wearables with thresholds that alert care teams.
Healthcare app users and what each needs
| User | Needs |
|---|---|
| Patients | Simple booking, clear results, secure messaging, accessibility |
| Caregivers | Proxy access with appropriate permissions |
| Clinicians | Fast documentation, relevant alerts, EHR context |
| Front-desk staff | Fewer calls, complete intake, fewer no-shows |
| Administrators | Reporting, audit logs, user management |
Accessibility in healthcare apps
Patients include older adults and people with disabilities, so accessibility is essential. We design to WCAG 2.2 AA, support screen readers and dynamic text sizes, and test with assistive technology. HHS has also finalized rules on web and mobile accessibility for recipients of federal financial assistance; confirm how they apply to your organization.
| App type | Main integrations |
|---|---|
| Scheduling | Practice management system, calendar, SMS |
| Telehealth | Video service, EHR, payments |
| Remote monitoring | Devices, HealthKit, Health Connect, EHR |
| Patient portal | EHR, billing, identity |
| Wellness | Wearables, content platform, subscriptions |
Planning a healthcare app?
Tell us who it serves and what data it handles. We will map the rules that apply and propose an approach.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a healthcare app development company do?
Does my health app need to be HIPAA compliant?
What is a business associate agreement?
How much does a healthcare app cost?
How long does healthcare app development take?
Can you integrate with our EHR?
What is HL7 FHIR?
Is my health app a medical device?
Which cloud hosting is HIPAA compliant?
Do you build telehealth apps?
Can a healthcare app use Apple HealthKit?
Do you build mental health apps?
How do you secure patient data?
What is the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule?
Do you sign BAAs?
Can you add AI to a healthcare app?
Are your healthcare apps accessible?
Do you work with healthcare startups?
Can you market our healthcare app after launch?
Where is Progression Agency located?
Is healthcare application development different from consumer app development?
What is app development in healthcare?
Planning an app?We design, build, launch and maintain iOS, Android and web apps, with a written scope before any code.
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