HIPAA-compliant Application For Enhancing Patient Retention
With the help of NIX, the app passed the HIPAA audit with excellent feedback. High-functioning HIPAA-compliant web and mobile apps have 14k+ app users and 7 hospitals as clients.
Service
Business Domain
Technologies
Swift, Java, Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
Business Overview
The client, one of the leading software providers for hospitals and health systems, contacted NIX to improve an existing mobile application and web platform. Both are intended for hospitals to improve the quality of care and to remain engaged with patients.
Users can keep information about their health in one place, including medications plan and integrated data from users’ activity devices and trackers. It helps to measure patient health remotely. Thus, it improves the hospitals’ approach to care.
Using a web platform, hospitals can distribute medicine news, promote their services, care program information, and get patient statistics via a mobile app. The mobile application allows users to access all the information that hospitals are willing to share — care providers, locations, maps, contact info, etc.
Challenge
Ensure rapid performance and keep up with HIPAA security recommendations
The client contacted NIX after an unsuccessful experience working with an onshore team.
NIX team had to:
Improve the code and the application, both received from the previous team
Revise previously implemented business rules to understand the change to them and the outcome to UX
Keep the applications easy to access and rapid performance
Implement strict security recommendations (HIPAA). There was an audit procedure scheduled for the product to confirm work results
Also, the team worked on tasks to meet HIPAA Compliance requirements:
Both web and mobile applications were affected
Conducted training for a development team about proper working with PHI data
Secured developers' workspace according to HIPAA requirements
Solution
Enhanced web and mobile app functionality complying with HIPAA
The developed application enables interaction between hospitals and patients in the USA. The app includes Ruby on Rails (RoR) admin panel, API built with Sinatra, native iOS and Android mobile applications.
NIX also provided the following:
Rewrite the existing Kotlin app code in Java
Optimize the Java code and enhance its functionality regularly
Medication reminder - medications and dosing schedule
Integration with over 100 different activity devices and apps including Health app, Fitbit, Runkeeper, Nike +, Jawbone Up
Common health indicators tracking - cholesterol, weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, headaches and more
Setting up health goals and monitoring the progress of its achievement
The main features on HIPAA Compliance:
Patient data encryption on client servers
Securing application data on user devices
Securing account data used in external services (e.g., Mixpanel, SurveyMonkey)
Enhancing web and mobile app authentication to meet HIPAA requirements
Optimizing app performance to work with encrypted data
Securing keys for decryption
Outcome
High-functioning HIPAA-compliant web and mobile app
With the help of the NIX team, the app passed the HIPAA audit with excellent feedback. All additional functionalities were built in consideration of HIPAA recommendations. We implemented the client’s requirements, and within half a year after the HIPAA audit, the client received 2 more customers for the product and a significant extension of existing contracts.
Team: 21
Project Manager, 2 Business Analysts, 2 DevOps, 5 Ruby Developers, 3 iOS Developers, 3 Android Developers, 6 QA Engineers
Tech Stack:
Objective-C 2.0, Swift 3.0, Fastlane, Java, Kotlin, Gradle, JavaScript, JQuery, Ruby, Sinatra, RoR
