Mobile Apps for Multiple Healthcare Systems
Goals
Universal Health Services (UHS) is one of the nation’s largest providers of hospital and healthcare services. They own multiple healthcare systems, with 400 acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.K. under their umbrella.
They first approached Modea to build an app for Manatee Healthcare, one of their regional healthcare systems. That app would serve as a template to build and launch 16 different apps for UHS-owned healthcare systems across the country.
Healthcare Mobile App Research
Modea did extensive discovery work and a thorough competitive analysis to look at the mobile app landscape and discern the best practices. We examined:
- Surveys and industry research about what consumers expect from healthcare digital experiences.
- Features of apps from out-of-industry comparables such as CitiBank and American Express.
This research led us to determine 4 key things healthcare mobile apps need:
- Simplified pathways: You don’t need to scroll through multiple screens to find the tool you need.
- Streamlined, branded appearance: It’s easy to use and feels like part of the health system brand.
- Strong hierarchy of information: The tools you’re most likely to need are the most prominent.
- Easily understood calls-to-action: Calls-to-action are highlighted and easy to see.
"We created a sleek, simplified design featuring a strong hierarchy of user needs. The main calls-to-action easily surface."
Healthcare Mobile App Design
The Manatee Healthcare mobile app was the first UHS app we designed. We replicated the look for each of the 16 UHS apps, designing each app to carry the branding of the health system it serves.
We created a sleek, simplified design featuring a strong hierarchy of user needs. The main calls-to-action easily surface. For example, the “find a location near me” feature quickly delivers a list of nearby urgent care and clinic locations, so a consumer can easily book an appointment.
Each app allows users of the particular health system it serves to:
- Find the right location based on proximity and a specific condition
- Get directions to any facility in the health system
- Schedule a doctor’s appointment online
- Get access to their medical records
- Access the billing portal
- Save favorite locations for future use
- Take a tutorial and read FAQs
- Rate and review the app
App Development Highlights
We’ve rolled out all 16 apps for UHS, and have improved upon the original app we designed for Manatee Healthcare.
- Incorporation of push promotions shares relevant events and other time-sensitive activities that are marketed by the UHS team to patients.
- Find a location near me quickly delivers a list of nearby urgent care and clinic locations based on the location services and native GPS functionality of the user’s mobile device.
- Increased accessibility allows app to work in landscape mode.
- Using Xamarin allowed for cross-platform development for iOS and Android.
- Find A Provider functionality offers users the ability to:
- Request an appointment with a specific provider and have the provider reach out to the patient with potential appointment dates.
- Immediately schedule an appointment with a provider if the provider has opted in to this feature.
- In-App marketing messaging is available for emergency alerts and important location information.
Awards
W3 Awards
- Mobile Apps - Best Visual Design - Gold
- Mobile Apps - Best Practices - Gold
- Mobile Apps - Best Use of GPS/Location Technology - Gold
eHealthcare Leadership Awards
- Best Native Mobile App - Silver
Davey Awards
- Mobile Apps - Best UX - Silver
Digital Health Awards
- Mobile App - Digital Health - Bronze
