Get Doctors at Your Doorstep with 10 Amazing Healthcare Mobile Apps
While 75% of U.S adults own a smartphone, and 89% of total mobile media time spent is in apps, one would expect users to avail the best of mobile healthcare today’s digital age has to offer. Yet, they don’t because they are missing out on these 10 Amazing Healthcare mobile apps that bring effective healthcare to a single tap of a mobile app.
- TotallyPregnant: If your wife or a loved one is pregnant, this might be the best gift you can give them. TotallyPregnant trumps all pregnancy mobile apps booming in the healthcare marketplace, with features such as week-by-week pregnancy trackers, diet managers, and even belly selfie functions. This new healthcare app for patients assimilates the best functionalities of almost all pregnancy mobile apps out there while adding powerful location-based technology and the first-ever 3D fetus animation videos. The mobile app has an elegant user interface based on a simple navigation wheel. Other features include informational videos, expert advice forums, personal photo albums, baby gear shopping and a weekly pregnancy tracker. Although free, TotallyPregnant is riddled with links to online stores and in-app purchases of classes like Lamaze and yoga for pregnancy.
- HelpAround: Diabetes is a common ailment. Everyone knows someone or the other who are suffering from this disease and the excruciating struggles one encounters if they run out of glucose tabs or test strips. HelpAround, a crowdsourced safety net for people struggling with Diabetes is one healthcare mobile app for patients that need to be downloaded or recommended. HelpAround connects its users to nearby app users who might be able to offer required supplies or even help with a blood test or an injection. The healthcare also offers community advice and support in its forums. Founded by Yishai Knobel, the former head of Mobile Health at the diabetes tech startup AgaMatrix, and Shlomi Aflalo, former VP R&D at advertising technology startup eXelate. HelpAround is a Tel-Aviv based startup that is a savior in needy times.
- Fitocracy: While the healthcare marketplace offers a plethora of fitness tracking and workout apps, Fitocracy is the go-to healthcare app for patients struggling with obesity and other fitness issues. The credibility of this healthcare mobile app lies in the very tales of its creators who went from being out-of-shape gamers to ripped bodybuilders. One could say they tried the formula on them and turned into Fitocracy that applies a unique training mechanism. Video gamers must be well aware how addictive video games are, the prime reason being the satisfaction every win brings to their minds. Employing the same video game acumen to exercise, Fitocracy allows its users, to log workouts on the site, which earns them points, helping them progress through levels. It also offers a multiplayer aspect that gets you in the Fitocracy community of more than 1 million users who challenge each other to achieve fitness feats.
- Insight Optics: The genesis of this healthcare mobile app came about when its creators came across a staggering statistic that only 50% of the 71 million patients at risk for preventable vision loss get their eyesight examined by an eye specialist. In order to shift these numbers, the creators of Insight Optics created a mobile app that offers the specialized care eyesight patient need from an ophthalmologist. What this mobile telemedicine mobile app really does it that it records and refers retinal exams to local specialists for review. Any smartphone camera is attached to a handheld ophthalmoscope, allowing the app to record high-resolution images of the patient’s retina from their smartphone. The healthcare mobile app then presents the user with a list of ophthalmologists or optometrists readily available within a certain geographical area, allowing patients to get valuable insights into their eye health. The healthcare mobile app also empowers users with information of whether or not they need to go see an eye specialist.
- Medici: After witnessing the impact of mobile apps like Airbnb, Uber, and Amazon in people’s life. Phillips, the founder, and CEO of Medici decided to do the same in healthcare. His company took it upon themselves to make healthcare more accessible for everyone and created two mobile applications, one for patients and one for providers. Medici, healthcare mobile app for patients allows users to with doctors in the Medici network for a fraction of the time and cost of going into a hospital. Once patients or the mobile app users connect with their doctor, they can explain their illness, its symptoms and send pictures. The doctor will order a prescription directly to the patient’s pharmacy or confirm if the patient needs to visit him/her for an exam. Medici helps its users cut out unnecessary and expensive trips to the doctor’s office and make doctors accessible in a HIPPA-compliant online space.
- Digital Pharmacist: If there’s anyone who can understand the mysterious handwriting of a doctor, its the pharmacist. Nearly everyone gets doctor’s medical prescription into medicines via pharmacists. What if this medical genie went digital? What if there was a app for patients that lets users to easily communicate with their pharmacists about different medications, medical articles and make refills and process prescriptions all through the mobile application. Digital Pharmacist serves all of these functions in one mobile app. Their aim is to make medical information more accessible by helping pharmacists go digital. While the app does entail cloud storage and digital solutions for pharmacies, Digital Pharmacist also builds mobile apps for pharmacies. These custom applications can help pharmacists communicate with their customers while making the prescription fill process more convenient for everyone.
- Talkspace: With mental health being taken more seriously, the job prospects for therapists have hiked immensely. While a traditional therapist does save many lives, the other half of them are left out of this comfort, either due to lack of money or lack of time. What if someone struggling with depression or an anxiety disorder could access a therapist on their way back home on a subway. Talkspace does exactly that! The app makes it easier for users to get in contact with a therapist from the convenience of a smartphone. Users can enroll in an online therapy including marriage counseling via messaging a real, licensed therapist as per their convenience. Although the healthcare mobile app requires users to pay a weekly subscription fee to continue having access to the service, the fee is significantly cheaper than traditional therapists. What’s even better is that the users are individually matched to therapists based on their specialties and their needs.
- Doctor On Demand: If you’re in a dearth of time or money and require board-certified physicians for a video consultation, Doctor On Demand is your go-to healthcare mobile app. It offers doctors that can treat non-emergency medical issues such as cold and flu symptoms, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, allergies, sports injuries, back pain, heartburn, as well as many pediatric issues. The app allows you to access doctors that write you a prescription, even travel related and answer all your medical questions. The services offered also include a psychologist and a lactation consultation. Video Visits with doctors for medical issues cost a flat rate of $40 per session. Psychologist Video Visit cost $50 for a 25-minute session and $95 for a 50-minute session. UpSpring Lactation Consultation cost $40 for a 25-minute session and $70 for 50-minute session. In case you’re questioning the credibility of these doctors, Doctor On Demand includes more than 1,400 state-licensed physicians in the U.S.
- Text4Baby: Run by the National Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Coalition, Text4Babyis a free healthcare app for pregnant women and new mothers. All users have to do is enjoy the free pregnancy health-related advice, reminders, and help via free SMS messages. To sign up, you text BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411. Once you’re prompted, you reply back with your due date and ZIP code. Based on your due date, Text4Baby generates messages that are contextually relevant. For example, soon after giving birth, a new mother will receive this message: "It's time for baby's 1-month Dr.'s visit. Your baby had blood tests right after she was born. At this visit, ask your Dr. for the results." You can expect to receive a few messages per week, and you can leave the service at any time. All of the user’s information remains anonymous and did I mention it's free?
- HelloMD: While most healthcare mobile apps on this list bring you the best of physicians at your doorstep, it's hard to find specialists catering to the exact ailment you’re suffering from. HelloMD solves this issue by connecting its users with the right certified doctor or surgeon including neurologist or a radiologist. The fee charged by these vary as they set their own rates. It usually takes 24 hours or less to set up an appointment and then takes place on the online platform via video call. HelloMD also serves as an alternative for users to seek a second opinion. If your health plan does not provide all the telehealth benefits you need and you’re sick of draining your health savings account, HelloMD is your go-to healthcare app for patients.
While these healthcare apps undoubtedly offer a great deal of medical expertise, they aren’t an absolute alternative to in-house medical care. So if you’re suffering from a serious ailment, a hospital visit is most recommended.
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