Healthcare has struggled to keep up with technological advancements transforming other industries. Many healthcare organizations lack the financial and technical resources to streamline outdated processes, update existing IT systems, and create a better healthcare experience that appeals to a younger generation of technology-savvy patients.

Even though the pandemic brought rapid digital transformation to health tech, providers still struggle with increasing patient demands, outdated infrastructure, staffing shortages, and delays in patient care.

Low-code/no-code tools make it easy for healthcare organizations to rapidly build and deploy powerful digital solutions and drive innovation in the healthcare sector.

By leveraging low-code/no-code technology, healthcare organizations can deliver better care, reduce overhead costs, and compete in a tech-driven world.

This article will explore why digital innovation in the healthcare industry is necessary, how to build a HIPPA-compliant application with low-code/no-code tools, and the benefits and various use cases for low-code/no-code technology in healthcare.

Why healthcare orgs can't keep up with the times

Healthcare organizations must continuously strive to modernize their systems and processes to ensure the best outcome for their patients. Yet medical institutions struggle with software adoption due to compliance issues, budgetary constraints, or data interoperability.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed substantial cracks in healthcare's technological foundation.

While advancements and the widespread adoption of telemedicine technology became necessary to limit in-person visits and exposure, many healthcare providers didn't have the infrastructure to implement telemedicine services for larger patient populations.

Beyond the difficulties associated with telehealth, the sudden surge in demand for PPE, including masks, gloves, and gowns, caused shortages and supply chain issues. Healthcare workers needed more efficient tracking and inventory management systems to protect themselves and their patients.

The need for clinicians and researchers to share and collaborate on data also intensified during the pandemic. Healthcare data fragmentation across multiple systems and providers made exchanging and integrating data securely a challenge.

Healthcare low-code/no-code platforms proved their worth during and after the pandemic to address the unique challenges of healthcare IT. With low-code/no-code tools and technology, citizen developers with little to no coding experience can streamline digital transformation in healthcare to enhance operational efficiency, eliminate data silos, and optimize the patient experience.

The importance of digital innovation in healthcare

COVID-19 revealed a healthcare industry in desperate need of a technological revamp. It's no wonder healthcare software development exploded during and immediately following the pandemic.

Healthcare professionals have long struggled to meet the demands of managing an increasing patient load using outdated software.

We’ve already seen the adoption of new technology make a difference in healthcare. For example, blockchain technology can store sensitive patient data in a blockchain ledger. This approach enhances security and ensures that personal data remains with its original owner.

Aside from blockchain, simpler, streamlined applications made with low-code/no-code technology are making major waves in the healthcare industry.

The problem with traditional development is that healthcare is currently facing multiple challenges. If a healthcare solution is needed now, it can take months or longer to develop, test and deploy an application created with traditional programming.

This makes low-code/no-code especially appealing to healthcare providers since it solves problems and alleviates systemic bottlenecks in a fraction of the time, effort, and cost. 

Developing a HIPPA-compliant app with low-code/no-code

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law that requires healthcare providers and any other organizations that handles medical records to take the necessary measures to safeguard PHI, or Personal Health Information, of their patients and/or clients.

Developing a HIPAA-compliant application can seem daunting, but it's entirely doable with the right low-code/no-code development software.

Encryption is usually the biggest hurdle when developing a HIPAA-compliant app. A patient's information must be encrypted to satisfy HIPAA regulations. Ideally, the patient's data should be encrypted at rest and during transfer. But what does this mean, and why does it matter? 

There are two main types of encryption. File encryption protects information “at rest,” i.e., data stored on a device or in the cloud.

Transfer encryption involves encrypting data as it is transmitted from one system to another. If a third party tries to intercept the data, they cannot read or modify its contents.

In the context of HIPAA regulations, many low-code/no-code platforms prioritize at-rest encryption, overlooking or simply skipping at-transfer encryption altogether. So during PHI transfer, this information becomes exposed.

For a HIPAA-compliant app, you need to make sure the platform you're using supports both encryption methods.

Many low-code/no-code platforms cannot offer such advanced functionality, but Blaze's no-code platform makes it easy to build a powerful healthcare app while remaining fully HIPAA compliant.

Blaze offers the following solutions to help your organization comply with HIPPA regulations:

• Encrypt all PHI data in transit and at rest so that unauthorized individuals cannot access the data, ensuring patient confidentiality and privacy.
• Manage user permissions so you can control who has access to what data, spot any unauthorized access, and prevent data breaches, ensuring the privacy and security of your patients' sensitive information.
• Secure your data on a protected infrastructure so you can have peace of mind knowing that your sensitive information is protected from cyber threats.
• Track all user activity and maintain audit trails, which provide an essential record of who has accessed PHI and what actions they have taken so that healthcare organizations can ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and maintain a higher level of security for PHI.

Benefits of low-code/no-code for healthcare

Your healthcare organization can leverage low-code/no-code tools to create applications and workflows without spending hours on intricate, repetitive and time-consuming manual coding processes. Still not convinced? Here are five more benefits of low-code/no-code development for healthcare:

1. Low barrier to entry: Low-code/no-code platforms allow healthcare organizations to create software without coding skills using pre-existing templates, elements, and components in a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. 
2. Faster time to market: This low barrier to entry also allows healthcare organizations to develop solutions in response to a rapidly changing market more quickly than they would through traditional development methods.
3. Cheaper to develop than traditional code: Low-code/no-code platforms slash development costs and the need for technical resources, enabling healthcare organizations to build and deploy applications at a fraction of the cost of traditional development.
4. Improved data management: Many low-code/no-code platforms come pre-loaded with forms, templates, and automated workflows to help streamline data collection, processing, and analysis. These features will allow healthcare organizations to make faster, data-driven decisions that improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency.
5. Reduced errors/redundancies: Low-code/no-code platforms can reduce the risk of errors, redundancies and inconsistencies in healthcare processes by automating tasks and workflows usually done manually or by hand.

Use cases of low-code/no-code in healthcare

There are so many ways to leverage low-code/no-code technology to create a whitelabel solution for your healthcare organization. Check out some examples of innovative healthcare applications you can build with Blaze’s no-code builder below:

• Patient portal: Allow patients to book appointments, access test results, and communicate with their care teams 24 hours a day.
• Data management tool: Track and manage patient data more effectively, generate reports, monitor trends, and identify areas for improvement within the organization.
• Workflow automation: Automate routine administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, and collecting patient feedback.
• Onboarding system: Onboard clinics, patients, and vendors and store their information in one secure location.
• Clinical trials management: Build custom apps to streamline clinical trial management, including participant recruitment and onboarding to data collection and analysis.
• Inventory management: Track the availability and usage of medical supplies, devices, and medications in real-time, reducing waste and keeping inventory stocked.

Create a powerful healthcare app with Blaze today

Creating a HIPAA-compliant, effective, and genuinely helpful healthcare app that improves the lives of your patients isn't easy, but no-code solutions like Blaze make it a lot easier.

Blaze's no-code application builder enables you to create powerful, HIPAA-compliant web applications quickly and securely without prior coding experience. If you’re ready to create your own healthcare app or want to see Blaze in action, request a demo here.