Statistics reveal that there are 2.87 million apps on the Google Play Store. How many of these are worth your time, especially if you are looking for assistance with healthcare? It’s not easy to find healthcare apps, is it?
You need something that works for your specific condition, is easy to use, and is ideally, free to use, or not very expensive. That’s where we step in. We have scrutinized the healthcare app marketplace from head to toe, and we have for you some of the best options in different categories.
If you are looking to reduce your healthcare costs, as well as save yourself some time and money, these apps will get the job done. As always, we have picked mostly free ones. A couple may have paid features though. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
I) Apps Theo Find Fair Prices
Healthcare Bluebook app
Price: Free
The Healthcare Bluebook as the name suggests finds and lists for you the fair prices in your area by zip code, for medical treatments, vision care, dental procedures, lab tests, medications, X-Rays, and even physician visits in some cases. Prices for healthcare vary greatly from facility to facility. The Bluebook can be invaluable in finding a fair price and comparing it with what you are being offered. Another great feature is that you can also use it as a negotiating tool to get lower prices if you have been overcharged and you have the bill to prove it. The online version (website) of the app also offers the same service. An added benefit of using the web version is some enhanced functionality and Spanish translation. However, the app is convenient enough, even for seniors to use on their own.
Fair Health Cost Lookup
Price – Free
If you prefer Spanish, but in a mobile app instead of a web page, check out Fair Health Cost. This app is essentially a mirror replica of the Healthcare Bluebook. It has all the same functionalities, with a few neat extras. One of these additions is estimating insurance coverage. It also has some amazing guides and tutorials that explain how to understand your coverage and the way you are billed. Talking about information, there’s a treasure trove of useful information about this on fairhealthconsumer.org. We highly recommend that everyone who’s in need of medical care should check this out.
II) Apps for Discounts on Prescription Meds
GoodRx
Price: free
GoodRx is the Google for prescription meds, latest prices for meds, coupons, or assistance with prescriptions near your place of residence. All that you need to do is enter your zip code and the prescription and the app automatically locates the best discounted rates at pharmacies close to your place. When you select one of these, you are automatically provided with the appropriate coupon to encash at the pharmacy. By the way, GoodRx also lists information about Medicare coverage.
However, you need to remember that drug discounts are not covered by insurance. So the chances of any discounted purchase that you make through GoodRx of counting towards your insurance deductible are slim. That said, many of the discounts for common drugs are cheaper than the copay.
Regardless of whether you use the discounts shown on the app or not, having GoodRx means that you can easily lookup for a medication the moment it is prescribed. You can get the latest prices and figure out whether it is affordable or not. You can also use the app to find cheaper, comparable alternatives.
The app also has the latest provider version. This can be used by medical professionals to send out discount coupons to their patients.
Hippo, Blink Health, and others
There are tons of other drug discount apps which claim to help you find the best deal. However, based on our personal experience, no app is ever able to detect the best prices consistently. That’s why we recommend that you try a few and compare the prices. You might even want to visit their developer websites to know which ones work best for you.
There are two apps that we like though. These are Hippo & Blink Health. Both these apps do pretty much what GoodRx does. But they have an additional step. They allow you to place orders online and then pick them up at the nearest pharmacy.
Other similar apps include RetailMeNot Rx Saver, SingleCare, ScriptSave, OneRx, and NeedyMeds’ Drug Discount Card app.
III) Apps for Easy Organization
Apps to store medical records may not seem earth-shattering. They don’t help you save money either, at least directly. But hey, you are not spending on printing the records are they? Besides, it gives you one centralized location to keep track of all your medications and health progress. This may help you avoid unnecessary errors, potential misdiagnoses, or even unwanted testing.
We have a few lined up in this category.
IBlueButton
Price: Free (but includes in-app offers)
In its simplest definition, iBlueButton stores your records if you are a Medicare beneficiary. The idea behind the app stems from the fact that Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to see multiple healthcare providers who may not have a seamless communication channel. Having all your records and details in one place will help you save money.
FollowMyHealth
Price: Free
FollowMyHealth earns the distinction of being one of the easiest apps to set up while organizing medical information. All that you need to do is set up an account, fill in all the information which can get a little tedious depending on the amount of data you are looking to enter. Then, you can pretty much perform all your healthcare related tasks from the app itself. You can order meds, you can contact your medical office, you can access healthcare records anywhere and anytime, you can store them, you can view test results, you can reschedule appointments, and even take notes. The app is available on both Android and Apple. Although the Android version has slightly better reviews.
Apple users have a pretty good option in Health Records, which is Apple’s free app. Apple has been making steady updates to the app to help its users help avoid exorbitant health record acquisition charges.
Facility apps
If you have to repeatedly visit the same hospital system for healthcare needs, you might want to check if the hospital has an app. That said, many large hospital systems still lag behind when it comes to functional mobile apps. Many of them have rudimentary versions that don’t even allow you to store your own records and access them readily. You cannot take notes during appointments, contact your healthcare provide,r or use it to find your way around their large campuses. A case in point is Johns Hopkins Medicine, which uses MyChart.
IV) Apps for Assistance with Out-of-Network Claims
Better
Price: 10 percent commission
Out-of-network health coverage is a legit curveball. Many patients find the area a tough one to navigate due to the complex clauses. Better is an app and service that will review your out-of-network medical expenses and find out what parts of it are covered by your insurance. Regardless of the type of health care visit, Better will process claims on your behalf.
Using it is very easy too. All you need to do is take a quick photograph of the bill and upload it to the app. The staff will do the rest. They will scrutinize it and correct coding errors if any, they will file claims and will follow it up with your insurance company to ensure that you get paid on time and accurately. However, they will charge 10% of the money that you get from the insurance company.
V) Apps for assistance with reviewing medical bills
CoPatient
Price: Subscriptions run from $19.99 to 49.99 per month plus 20-35 percent commission
Did you know that medical bills can be riddled with errors that you might never even notice? CoPatient is a unique app that will review your medical bills for you and find these errors for a small fee. All you need to do is upload the bills and they do the rest. Part of their service also includes negotiating the cost on your behalf in exchange for a nominal commission.
In case you want to go DIY, the next time, you have the option to use some of their tips and guides.
By the way, the Medical Billing Advocates of America has some great resources that show you how to review and find errors in medical bills. They also show you how you can negotiate the bills yourself.
Some New Additions
Each day hundreds of new apps are added with newer, more innovative features. Some of the apps that we have been closely monitoring our ProductHunt, iMedicalApps, or Beta list.
You would also possibly be interested in Generis, a new app that provides you with custom advice based on your DNA. At first, it sounded gimmicky to us. But the app actually connects with 23 and ME and Ancestry.com, to retrieve your DNA information. According to research, many of the secrets associated with our bodies are hardwired into our DNA.
During the pandemic, a lot of our readers wanted our take on apps for doctor consultancies. To that end, we have Teladoc, which connects you to a board-certified doctor at any point of the day. You can teleconsult or hop on a video call with them 24/7.
BetterHelp does the same. But for mental health issues (some mental health ideas). They allow seamless online consultation with therapists and counselors.
MDAcne specializes in dermatologists for acne patients. Leafly offers medical marijuana for a wide range of conditions.
To sum it up
We are thrilled with the positive difference that technology is now making in our lives. We hope that our recommendations for these mobile apps make a difference in your life too. Do you have an app to add to this list? Do write to us.