Nomi Health is a startup on a mission to revolutionize the healthcare system by providing direct healthcare. They aim to lower costs, make billing more transparent and straightforward, reduce the number of parties involved, and simplify decision-making. Being a strong believer in their mission, I decided to create a patient app that aligns with their goals. This project is self-initiated and not affiliated with Nomi Health.
I embarked on this project because I was personally frustrated with my experiences as a patient. After discussing this with friends, it became clear that many others shared similar frustrations.
The goal of the project was to identify the three most common pain points surrounding seeing a doctor and find solutions that address them.
In undertaking this major project, I followed the Design Thinking process: empathizing with users, defining the problem, generating ideas, prototyping, and testing. This involved gaining a thorough understanding of the healthcare landscape and, more specifically, identifying the problems faced by patients from their perspective.
Gaining a deeper understanding of the pain points experienced by patients in the healthcare system.
Identifying leading organizations and innovators in the pharmacy and healthcare industries.
Determining if there is an industry-standard for securely accessing and sharing patient data in healthcare.
Understanding consumer expectations for new and ongoing prescriptions.
My research identified three main pain points in the healthcare industry: finding a doctor, scheduling appointments, and dealing with long wait times in the office. It is worth noting that these are not the only challenges faced by patients and healthcare providers, as there are many other issues that can contribute to a less-than-optimal healthcare experience.
The healthcare industry is currently experiencing a surge in investment, with billions of dollars being poured into healthcare startups. These startups are tackling a wide range of problems, from improving the efficiency of hospitals and medical practices to developing new ways to assess health risks and enhance the telehealth experience.
Despite being somewhat slower to adopt new technologies compared to other industries, it is estimated that 90% of physicians are now using Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. The high adoption rate of EHRs is likely to lead to a more streamlined experience for both patients and providers.
In terms of consumer expectations for prescriptions, my findings showed that people expect pharmacies to offer competitive pricing and fast delivery or in-store pickup options. Same-day delivery within one hour and in-store pickup within 30 minutes are both seen as desirable options.
After conducting initial research and identifying three patient pain points to address, I analyzed the existing solutions offered by competitors in the market. While I found several options for booking appointments and finding doctors, I was surprised to discover a lack of solutions addressing the common issue of lengthy office wait times.
To gain a deeper understanding of patients’ experiences, I conducted interviews with potential users to learn about their challenges in finding a doctor, making appointments, and visiting the doctor.
To organize my thoughts and plan the content structure for the app, I created a sitemap. As I progressed to the wireframing stage, I found it necessary to revise the sitemap a few times as my priorities and ideas evolved.
The new healthcare app aims to improve the patient experience by addressing common complaints and challenges that patients encounter when visiting the doctor’s office. Some of these issues include long wait times to see the doctor, difficulties with communication between the pharmacy, doctor, and patient, and confusing or late insurance coverage and billing processes.
To make the waiting experience more enjoyable, I have implemented a feature that offers free 10-minute massages to patients. Additionally, I have added real-time updates on wait times within the app and through notifications. This means that if the doctor is running behind schedule, patients will receive a notification alerting them to the delay before they arrive at the office.
Another feature of the app is the ability for patients to check in through the app. This process includes insurance verification and an estimate of the cost of the visit. By streamlining these processes, I hope to make the experience of visiting the doctor’s office more efficient and stress-free for patients.
The innovative healthcare app is designed to streamline the patient experience by addressing common pain points when searching for and starting with a new doctor. Some of these pain points include the time-consuming process of finding a new doctor, the repetition and inconvenience of completing new patient paperwork, and long wait times to secure an appointment.
To make the process of finding a new doctor easier and more efficient, the app surfaces relevant information at the top level and allows patients to view more detailed ratings for doctors, including medical expertise, human connection, office staff, and wait time. This helps patients quickly and easily compare different doctors and make an informed decision about which one to choose.
In addition, I streamlined the process of onboarding a new doctor to reduce the burden of paperwork and make it more convenient for patients. Overall, the app aims to improve the patient experience by making it easier to find and connect with the right healthcare provider.
The healthcare app aims to make booking a new patient appointment easier. Currently, this process can be tedious and time-consuming, involving a series of steps such as calling the doctor’s office, navigating an automated telephone system, waiting on hold, discussing insurance coverage, the reason for the visit, setting a date and time, and providing patient information. After the call, patients need to complete additional paperwork prior to their appointment.
To simplify this process, the app guides users through four main steps: selecting the reason for their visit, choosing to see a healthcare provider online or in-person, selecting a date for the appointment, and auto-completing all new patient paperwork. Since the healthcare provider already has the patient’s medical information on file, the patient only needs to review and sign the completed forms digitally. The appointment details are then automatically added to the patient’s calendar. By streamlining this process, the aim is to make it easier and more convenient for patients to book appointments with their healthcare provider.
The new healthcare app aims to improve the patient experience by addressing common complaints and challenges that patients encounter when visiting the doctor’s office, finding a new doctor, and booking an appointment. Since this app is conceptual, I don’t have real-world results to share, but I did share prototypes with users to get their feedback. While the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, more extensive testing with a larger group of users is needed to confirm the effectiveness of the app.
