What do HealthTech development companies build?

They build the digital health products that run modern care and health businesses: telehealth platforms with secure video and e-prescribing, patient-facing mobile and web apps, clinical and operational tools for providers, remote monitoring and wearable integrations, and health data platforms that store and move protected health information. The work includes the compliance and interoperability layer that makes all of it usable inside a regulated system: HIPAA and PHI security, HL7 v2 and FHIR interoperability, EHR and EMR integration with systems like Epic and Oracle Health, SOC 2 Type II controls, audit logging, and consent management. Some firms build the full product. Others deliver a single integration or a compliance-hardened backend. The right partner depends on the product more than the label.

How much does it cost to build a digital health product?

A focused build, such as a telehealth MVP, a patient app on an existing backend, or a single FHIR integration, costs roughly $60,000 to $150,000. A production digital health product, such as a telehealth platform or a clinical tool with EHR integration, secure video, and full HIPAA controls, costs $150,000 to $500,000 and up. A large multi-system health data platform runs higher. Hourly rates vary: offshore and nearshore firms bill roughly $30 to $65 per hour, US and regulated-healthcare specialists bill $75 to $200 per hour. Compliance work, SOC 2 Type II audits, security testing, and ongoing maintenance are separate and continue after launch.

How do HealthTech companies handle HIPAA and PHI security?

A serious HealthTech partner treats HIPAA compliance and protected health information as the foundation of the build, not an add-on. That means encryption of PHI at rest and in transit, strict role-based access controls, audit logging of every access to patient data, and signed Business Associate Agreements with every vendor that touches PHI. Most credible firms also carry or build toward SOC 2 Type II to prove their controls hold over time. Ask any vendor how it isolates PHI, how it logs and reviews access, how it handles breach response, and whether it will sign a BAA. A firm that treats compliance as paperwork to bolt on at the end has not built a real health product before.

Can a HealthTech company integrate with EHR and EMR systems?

A capable one can, and this integration is often where a digital health product succeeds or fails. Interoperability runs on HL7 v2 and FHIR, and real integration means connecting to EHR and EMR systems such as Epic and Oracle Health, formerly Cerner, and often building SMART on FHIR apps that launch inside the clinician's workflow. A product that cannot exchange data with the systems providers already use stays a silo. Ask a vendor exactly which EHR and EMR systems it has integrated with, whether it has shipped a SMART on FHIR app, and how it handles HL7 v2 feeds versus modern FHIR APIs. Generic API experience is not the same as EHR integration experience.

Does my digital health product need FDA clearance?

It depends on what the product claims to do. If it diagnoses, treats, or drives a clinical decision, it may qualify as Software as a Medical Device under FDA rules, which brings design controls, validation, and a regulatory pathway that reshape the whole build. If it supports administration, wellness, or general information without a clinical claim, it usually does not. The costly mistake is discovering the classification late. Name the intended claim at the start, and ask any HealthTech partner whether it has built Software as a Medical Device before and how it handles design controls and validation. A firm that has shipped regulated clinical software will raise this before you do.

How do I choose a HealthTech development company?

Start with three questions. First, what are you building: a patient-facing app, a telehealth platform, a clinical or operational tool, or a health data platform? Second, how deep does the regulated integration go: light HIPAA controls, or full EHR integration, HL7 and FHIR interoperability, and possible Software as a Medical Device rules? Third, do you need one accountable product team, deep regulated-healthcare depth, or raw capacity? Product-led teams suit patient apps and telehealth. Regulated-healthcare specialists suit deep EHR and clinical integration. Ask every finalist for a live health product it shipped to production, how it handles HIPAA, PHI, and interoperability, whether it will sign a BAA, and how it tests security.

Should a HealthTech vendor carry SOC 2 Type II certification?

Hospital and payer procurement teams will ask for it, so you should too. Ask whether the vendor holds SOC 2 Type II, how its controls are audited over time, and how it would help you reach compliance for your own product. A firm that cannot speak to SOC 2 will struggle to sell your product into serious healthcare buyers.

How should a HealthTech vendor handle security testing and breach response?

Health data is a target, and a breach is a legal and reputational event, not just a technical one. Ask how the vendor runs security and penetration testing, how it handles vulnerability management after launch, and what its breach-response process looks like. A vendor with no clear answer has not run a real health product in production.

Top HealthTech development companies (August 2026 Update)

Riya ThambirajBuyer's GuideApr 22, 2026 · 21 min read

Short answer

HealthTech vendor selection depends on products shipped into real clinical or patient use, HIPAA and PHI security discipline, and HL7/FHIR interoperability depth. RaftLabs qualifies as the accountable single-team builder of patient-facing health products, telehealth through clinical dashboards, starting in the mid five figures at $29-49/hr, 4.9/5 on Clutch across 50+ reviews.

Key Takeaways

HealthTech is not one build. Telehealth, patient apps, clinical tools, and health data platforms are different problems, and a firm strong at one is not automatically strong at the next.
Compliance is the product, not a feature. HIPAA and PHI security, SOC 2 Type II, audit logging, and BAAs must be designed in from day one, so weigh a vendor's regulated-healthcare track record as heavily as its design work.
Interoperability decides reach. HL7 v2 and FHIR, EHR and EMR integration with Epic and Oracle Health, and SMART on FHIR apps are where health products connect or stall, so ask exactly what a vendor has integrated.
Clinical claims raise the bar. If a product diagnoses, treats, or drives a clinical decision, it may be Software as a Medical Device under FDA rules, and that changes the whole build, so name the claim early.
Match the engagement to the risk. A patient-facing app rewards a product team. Deep EHR and clinical integration rewards a regulated-healthcare specialist. Be honest about which one your product is.

According to Grand View Research, the global digital health market was valued at approximately $285 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a 22.3% CAGR through 2030 - a pace that reflects rising demand for telehealth, patient-facing apps, and clinical data platforms across all major markets.

Most teams shopping for a HealthTech partner focus on the app and skip the part that actually decides whether it ships: the regulation. A telehealth platform, a patient app, a clinical tool - each one lives or dies on HIPAA compliance, protected health information security, and interoperability, and those are harder than anyone expects. A vendor that dazzles with a slick patient interface but has no serious plan for encryption, access controls, audit logging, Business Associate Agreements, and SOC 2 Type II will hand you a demo that cannot legally go near a real patient.

The second thing buyers underrate is where a health product has to connect. A patient record, a lab result, or a prescription means nothing if the product cannot exchange data with the systems providers already use. Real interoperability runs on HL7 v2 and FHIR, and it means integrating with EHR and EMR platforms like Epic and Oracle Health, sometimes building SMART on FHIR apps that launch inside the clinician's workflow. A firm that can ship a pretty app but cannot connect it to the health system around it will leave you with an island. And if the product makes any clinical claim, FDA Software as a Medical Device rules can reshape the entire build.

A third trap is quieter: assuming compliance is a phase you handle later. In healthcare it is not. HIPAA and PHI security have to be designed into the data model, the access controls, and the logging from the first sprint, because retrofitting them into a product that already moves patient data is often a rebuild.

The eight HealthTech companies on this list are Boston Engineering, RaftLabs, Cardinal Peak, Bitwise, Blankfactor, Caylent, Chapter247, and CHI Software. RaftLabs is on this list. We wrote our own entry with the same directness we applied to everyone else, and we are honest about where a deeper specialist fits better.

How we evaluated this list

Criterion	What we looked for
Shipped health products in production	At least one live digital health product with real patients or providers, not a demo
HIPAA and PHI security	Real practice in encryption, access controls, audit logging, BAAs, and SOC 2 Type II
Interoperability depth	Evidence of HL7 v2, FHIR, and EHR or EMR integration with systems like Epic and Oracle Health
Regulatory judgment	Awareness of consent management and FDA Software as a Medical Device rules where clinical claims exist
Pricing transparency	Published rates or a clear engagement model communicated on inquiry

No company paid for placement on this list.

1. Boston Engineering

Boston Engineering is a technology and product-development engineering firm headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, whose work spans product design and engineering including medical device development. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is that hardware-and-software product engineering background: for a health product where a device, a sensor, or regulated medical hardware is part of the build, an engineering firm with medical device experience is a credible starting point.

Boston Engineering fits a HealthTech shortlist when the problem is as much about the physical or embedded product as the app around it. Medical device development carries its own design-control and validation discipline, and a firm that has worked in that space understands the rigor a regulated product demands.

The trade-off is that Boston Engineering is a broad product-engineering firm rather than a pure digital-health software studio. For a telehealth platform, a patient app, or an EHR integration that is entirely software, confirm how much of your specific build maps to its experience before committing.

Notable work - Boston Engineering does not publish independently verified HealthTech client references we can cite here; its stated focus includes medical device development within a broader product-engineering practice. Ask for relevant healthcare case studies during scoping.

Pricing signal - Boston Engineering does not publicly disclose rates. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for regulatory, validation, and compliance work where clinical or device claims apply.

What to watch - Boston Engineering is a product-development engineering firm, strongest where hardware or medical device engineering is central. For a purely software digital-health build, confirm the fit on your specific scope.

Best for: Health businesses whose product includes medical device or embedded engineering, not only software
Specialization: Product-development engineering, medical device development
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; request a quote
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

2. RaftLabs

RaftLabs is a product development firm that builds patient-facing and operational health products end to end with one accountable team: healthcare software development across telehealth, patient and provider apps, clinical and operational tools, and health data platforms, plus the HIPAA controls and integration that make them usable in a regulated setting. Founded in 2015, it has shipped software for clients including Vodafone, T-Mobile, Cisco, and Wyndham Hotels. One team owns the whole build, from the data model and PHI security to the app the patient or clinician opens.

RaftLabs sits near the top of this list because most digital health products are a product and workflow problem wrapped in regulation, and shipping a compliant, usable product with one accountable team is where RaftLabs is strongest. Value comes from a telehealth flow or a patient app reaching real users with HIPAA controls, encryption of PHI, access controls, and audit logging built in from day one. We are honest about the boundary: the deepest regulated work - heavy Epic and Oracle Health integration, complex HL7 v2 feeds, and Software as a Medical Device programs with formal design controls - often sits better with a dedicated specialist like Boston Engineering or Cardinal Peak. For the health business that wants a compliant, patient-facing or operational product built, integrated, and owned by one team, RaftLabs is the accountable single-team builder.

Its 4.9/5 rating on Clutch reflects that direct-client model: one team, one account, one line of accountability from PHI security to production. RaftLabs builds for compliance and integration rather than a launch-day demo, and will tell a buyer when a deep specialist or an off-the-shelf tool beats a full custom build.

Notable work - RaftLabs has built data-driven products and integrations across telecom and hospitality, with strengths that carry directly into HealthTech: secure data pipelines, personalization, conversational interfaces, and clean integration into the systems businesses run on. Its loyalty work is the same data-security and personalization muscle a patient-engagement or remote-monitoring product needs.

Pricing signal - RaftLabs operates at $29-$49/hr for most engagements, with fixed-price options for well-defined scopes. A focused telehealth or patient-app build starts in the mid five figures, and a full digital health product with HIPAA controls and integration runs higher. Compliance audits and security testing are scoped separately.

What to watch - RaftLabs is built for shipping patient-facing and operational health products into production by one team. If your build is dominated by deep EHR integration, complex HL7 v2 interoperability, or a formal Software as a Medical Device pathway, a dedicated regulated-healthcare specialist may fit that high-rigor need better.

Best for: Health businesses building patient-facing or operational products shipped into real use with one team
Specialization: Telehealth, patient and provider apps, operational tools, health data platforms, HIPAA controls
Pricing: $29-$49/hr, fixed-price engagements
Clutch: 4.9/5

3. Cardinal Peak

Cardinal Peak is a product-development and engineering-services firm headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, working across audio, video, IoT, and healthcare and medical device markets. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is that connected-device engineering background: for a health product built around a sensor, a wearable, a video pipeline, or a piece of connected medical hardware, an engineering firm with that embedded and device experience is a credible fit.

Cardinal Peak belongs on a HealthTech shortlist when the build spans firmware, connected devices, and the software around them rather than a pure web or mobile app. Its work in medical device markets means it understands the discipline a regulated connected product requires.

The trade-off is that Cardinal Peak is a broad engineering-services firm across several industries rather than a dedicated digital-health software studio. For a telehealth platform or a patient app with no device or media component, confirm how much of your build maps to its core strengths.

Notable work - Cardinal Peak does not publish independently verified HealthTech client references we can cite here; per the company, its markets include healthcare and medical devices alongside audio, video, and IoT. Ask for relevant healthcare case studies during scoping.

Pricing signal - Cardinal Peak does not publicly disclose rates. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for regulatory and validation work where clinical or device claims apply.

What to watch - Cardinal Peak is an engineering-services firm strongest on connected-device, audio, video, and IoT work. For a software-only digital-health build, confirm the fit on your specific scope.

Best for: Health businesses building connected-device, wearable, or media-heavy health products
Specialization: Product-development engineering, audio, video, IoT, medical device
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; request a quote
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

4. Bitwise

Bitwise is a data-engineering and AI-first engineering firm headquartered in Cupertino, California, doing data modernization, ETL migration, and platform work across Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and AWS. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is health data and platform engineering: for a health product whose risk is moving, modeling, and modernizing large volumes of patient and clinical data, a firm centered on data engineering is a strong match.

Among HealthTech developers, Bitwise is the one to shortlist when the build is data-heavy: a health data platform, a warehouse or lakehouse modernization, or an ETL migration that has to hold up under volume. Its cloud-platform partnerships give it a clear home for that data work.

The trade-off is domain and product emphasis. Bitwise leads with data and platform engineering rather than patient-facing product craft or deep regulated-healthcare integration, so confirm healthcare, HIPAA, and interoperability experience on your assigned team.

Notable work - Bitwise's stated partner ecosystem includes Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and AWS, and it builds FulkrumAI, an ETL-migration platform. No specific HealthTech client references are independently verified here; ask for relevant healthcare data work during scoping.

Pricing signal - Bitwise does not publicly disclose rates; engagements are project-based. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for compliance and security work on regulated health data.

What to watch - Bitwise's strength is data and platform engineering at scale. For a small MVP or a lean patient app with little data complexity, the fit is weaker.

Best for: Health businesses building a large, data-intensive health data platform
Specialization: Data engineering, ETL migration, data modernization, cloud platforms
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; project-based, confirm directly
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

5. Blankfactor

Blankfactor is a technology partner headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with global delivery centers, delivering data engineering, full-stack product development, and enterprise AI services for digital transformation. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is that combination: a firm that can build the product and engineer the data behind it is a reasonable fit for a health business that needs both a working application and a data foundation under it.

Among HealthTech developers, Blankfactor is the one to shortlist when the build pairs product engineering with real data and AI work, and you want one partner spanning the full stack from the data layer up.

The trade-off is that Blankfactor is a broad digital-transformation firm rather than a dedicated healthcare specialist. For the deepest EHR and HL7 clinical integration or a formal regulated pathway, verify how much healthcare-specific work your assigned team has done.

Notable work - Blankfactor does not publish independently verified HealthTech client references we can cite here; its stated services span data engineering, full-stack product development, and enterprise AI. Ask for relevant healthcare case studies during scoping.

Pricing signal - Blankfactor does not publicly list rates. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for compliance, security, and validation work on regulated health products.

What to watch - Blankfactor's strength is data engineering, product development, and enterprise AI for digital transformation. For deep, healthcare-specific EHR and interoperability work, confirm the healthcare depth on your team.

Best for: Health businesses wanting product engineering and data or AI work from one partner
Specialization: Data engineering, full-stack product development, enterprise AI, cloud
Pricing: Not publicly listed; request a quote
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

6. Caylent

Caylent is an AWS-native cloud consulting and engineering firm headquartered in Irvine, California, covering migration and modernization, cloud data engineering, DevOps, and cloud-native apps. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is cloud infrastructure and data engineering on AWS: for a health product whose foundation is a scalable, well-architected cloud platform, an AWS Premier Tier Partner is a credible fit.

Among HealthTech developers, Caylent is the one to shortlist when the priority is cloud architecture, modernization, or DevOps on AWS, and you want a partner that lives in that ecosystem rather than a general app shop.

The trade-off is that Caylent is a cloud-engineering specialist rather than a patient-facing product studio or a regulated-healthcare integration house. For a telehealth app, deep EHR integration, or clinical UX work, confirm how much of your build is actually cloud and data engineering.

Notable work - Caylent is an AWS Premier Tier Partner and acquired Trek10 in 2025 and Pronetx in 2026. No specific HealthTech client references are independently verified here; ask for relevant healthcare cloud work during scoping.

Pricing signal - Caylent does not publicly disclose rates; engagements are project or retainer-based. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for compliance and security work on regulated health data.

What to watch - Caylent is an AWS-native cloud and data engineering firm. For very large enterprise health platforms it can architect the cloud layer, but for patient-facing product craft or the deepest clinical integration, confirm the fit on your scope.

Best for: Health businesses that need cloud architecture, modernization, or DevOps on AWS
Specialization: AWS cloud consulting, migration and modernization, cloud data engineering, DevOps
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; project or retainer-based, confirm directly
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

7. Chapter247

Chapter247 is a custom software company with operations in Indore, India and the US, building web, mobile, AI, IoT, and cloud solutions for businesses. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is breadth of custom-build capability at offshore-inflected rates: for a health business that wants a patient app, a web portal, or a connected product built from scratch and does not need a deep regulated-healthcare specialist, a full-stack custom shop is a reasonable option.

Among HealthTech developers, Chapter247 is the one to shortlist when the build is a straightforward custom web or mobile health product and cost efficiency matters more than a heavy compliance pedigree.

The trade-off is that Chapter247 is a general custom software firm rather than a healthcare specialist. On a product where HIPAA, PHI security, and interoperability carry real risk, verify the assigned team's healthcare depth and how it handles BAAs during scoping.

Notable work - Chapter247 does not publish independently verified HealthTech client references we can cite here; its stated work spans web, mobile, AI, IoT, and cloud custom development. Ask for relevant healthcare case studies during scoping.

Pricing signal - Chapter247 does not publicly disclose rates; engagements are project-based. Request a scoped quote, and budget separately for compliance and security work on regulated health data.

What to watch - Chapter247 is a general custom software firm. For deep clinical integration or a formal regulated pathway, confirm healthcare and HIPAA depth first.

Best for: Health businesses building a custom web or mobile product without heavy regulated integration
Specialization: Custom web, mobile, AI, IoT, and cloud development
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; project-based, confirm directly
Clutch: Profile listed; confirm before engaging

8. CHI Software

CHI Software is a software-development company headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, with development centers in the US, Ukraine, and Japan. Its AI and ML unit, founded in 2017 with 80-plus AI engineers, builds ML, computer-vision, NLP, AI assistants, and recommendation systems. Its HealthTech-relevant strength is that AI capability: for a health product where the differentiator is a model, a computer-vision pipeline, or an AI assistant, a firm with a dedicated AI/ML team is a credible fit.

Among HealthTech developers, CHI Software is the one to shortlist when the build is AI-led: clinical decision support, imaging or vision analysis, or a health assistant, and you want an engineering team that has shipped AI features before.

The trade-off is that CHI Software is a broad software and AI firm rather than a dedicated regulated-healthcare specialist. For deep EHR and HL7 integration, HIPAA-heavy platform work, or a formal Software as a Medical Device pathway, verify the assigned team's healthcare depth during scoping.

Notable work - CHI Software does not publish independently verified HealthTech client references we can cite here; per the company, its AI/ML unit builds ML, computer-vision, NLP, AI assistants, and recommendation systems. Ask for relevant healthcare AI case studies during scoping.

Pricing signal - CHI Software does not publicly disclose rates; engagements are project or team-based. Request a scoped quote at scoping, and budget separately for compliance and validation work where clinical claims apply.

What to watch - CHI Software is strongest where AI and ML are the core of the build. For a compliance-heavy integration project with little AI content, confirm the fit on your scope.

Best for: Health businesses building an AI-led product with ML, computer vision, or NLP at its core
Specialization: AI and ML, computer vision, NLP, AI assistants, recommendation systems
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; project or team-based, confirm at scoping
Clutch: Listed on Clutch and Techreviewer; verify current rating before engaging

Side-by-side comparison

Company	Primary strength	Typical engagement	Pricing
Boston Engineering	Medical device and product engineering	Device-centric health product builds	Not disclosed; request a quote
RaftLabs	Patient-facing and operational products shipped into use, one team	End-to-end health product builds	$29-$49/hr
Cardinal Peak	Connected-device, audio, video, and IoT engineering	Device and media-heavy health products	Not disclosed; request a quote
Bitwise	Health data and platform engineering at scale	Large data-intensive health platforms	Not disclosed; project-based
Blankfactor	Product engineering with data and enterprise AI	Full-stack health product and data builds	Not listed; request a quote
Caylent	AWS cloud architecture and data engineering	Cloud platform and modernization work	Not disclosed; project or retainer
Chapter247	Custom web, mobile, and cloud development	Straightforward custom health builds	Not disclosed; project-based
CHI Software	AI and ML, computer vision, NLP	AI-led health product builds	Not disclosed; project or team-based

The question that separates a compliant product from a demo

The most common way health teams get HealthTech wrong is buying a product studio when they needed a regulated-healthcare specialist, or a heavy consultancy when they needed a fast product team. A slick patient app with weak HIPAA controls looks smart and cannot legally touch a patient. A compliance-heavy integration built with no product craft technically works and nobody wants to use it. The label "HealthTech company" flattens two different problems.

Category A is the deep-engineering firms for the hardest technical layer. Boston Engineering and Cardinal Peak bring medical device, embedded, and connected-product engineering, while Bitwise and Blankfactor carry health data and platform engineering at scale. They are the right choice when the hard part sits below the app: the device and its design controls, or the data platform that has to move and model large volumes of clinical data.

Category B is the product, cloud, and application builders. Caylent supplies AWS cloud architecture and modernization, Chapter247 builds straightforward custom web and mobile products, and CHI Software brings AI and ML capability. RaftLabs sits near the front of this group because it builds the product and ships it into real use as one accountable team, with HIPAA controls, PHI security, and integration built in from day one. It is also honest about the boundary: when the build is dominated by deep device engineering, a data-platform problem, or a formal clinical pathway, a Category A specialist is the safer call, and RaftLabs will say so.

Getting the product type and the regulatory depth right matters more than getting the brand right.

"The greatest wealth is health."

Virgil, Roman poet

Virgil's line reads as an old proverb until you watch how much money is now moving to prove it. The global digital health market is about $420 billion in 2026 and growing at roughly 23 percent a year toward about $1.8 trillion by 2033, according to Grand View Research, with telehealth the largest segment at around 60 percent. That growth pulls in every kind of builder, and the ones capturing real value are not the teams with the prettiest app. In a regulated field, the value is a product that is compliant, interoperable, and secure by design, not just a slick app. The rest fund a demo and discover too late that it cannot go near a real patient.

The verdict

Boston Engineering for a health product where medical device or embedded engineering is central. RaftLabs for patient-facing and operational health products built, integrated, and owned by one accountable team, shipped into real use with HIPAA controls from day one. Cardinal Peak for connected-device, wearable, or media-heavy health products. Bitwise for a large, data-intensive health data platform. Blankfactor for product engineering paired with data and enterprise AI. Caylent for cloud architecture, modernization, and DevOps on AWS. Chapter247 for a straightforward custom web or mobile health build. CHI Software for an AI-led product with ML, computer vision, or NLP at its core.

The decision simplifies when you are honest about three things: what you are building, how deep the regulated integration goes, and whether you need one accountable product team, deep regulated-healthcare depth, or raw capacity. A patient app and an EHR-integrated clinical tool are not the same job.

RaftLabs designs and builds patient-facing and operational health products - telehealth, patient apps, clinical tools, and health data platforms - in one team from PHI security to production, with the honesty to point you to a deeper specialist when the regulated integration demands it. 4.9/5 on Clutch. Talk to a founder about your digital health product.

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Frequently asked questions

: They build the digital health products that run modern care and health businesses: telehealth platforms with secure video and e-prescribing, patient-facing mobile and web apps, clinical and operational tools for providers, remote monitoring and wearable integrations, and health data platforms that store and move protected health information. The work includes the compliance and interoperability layer that makes all of it usable inside a regulated system: HIPAA and PHI security, HL7 v2 and FHIR interoperability, EHR and EMR integration with systems like Epic and Oracle Health, SOC 2 Type II controls, audit logging, and consent management. Some firms build the full product. Others deliver a single integration or a compliance-hardened backend. The right partner depends on the product more than the label.
: A focused build, such as a telehealth MVP, a patient app on an existing backend, or a single FHIR integration, costs roughly $60,000 to $150,000. A production digital health product, such as a telehealth platform or a clinical tool with EHR integration, secure video, and full HIPAA controls, costs $150,000 to $500,000 and up. A large multi-system health data platform runs higher. Hourly rates vary: offshore and nearshore firms bill roughly $30 to $65 per hour, US and regulated-healthcare specialists bill $75 to $200 per hour. Compliance work, SOC 2 Type II audits, security testing, and ongoing maintenance are separate and continue after launch.
: A serious HealthTech partner treats HIPAA compliance and protected health information as the foundation of the build, not an add-on. That means encryption of PHI at rest and in transit, strict role-based access controls, audit logging of every access to patient data, and signed Business Associate Agreements with every vendor that touches PHI. Most credible firms also carry or build toward SOC 2 Type II to prove their controls hold over time. Ask any vendor how it isolates PHI, how it logs and reviews access, how it handles breach response, and whether it will sign a BAA. A firm that treats compliance as paperwork to bolt on at the end has not built a real health product before.
: A capable one can, and this integration is often where a digital health product succeeds or fails. Interoperability runs on HL7 v2 and FHIR, and real integration means connecting to EHR and EMR systems such as Epic and Oracle Health, formerly Cerner, and often building SMART on FHIR apps that launch inside the clinician's workflow. A product that cannot exchange data with the systems providers already use stays a silo. Ask a vendor exactly which EHR and EMR systems it has integrated with, whether it has shipped a SMART on FHIR app, and how it handles HL7 v2 feeds versus modern FHIR APIs. Generic API experience is not the same as EHR integration experience.
: It depends on what the product claims to do. If it diagnoses, treats, or drives a clinical decision, it may qualify as Software as a Medical Device under FDA rules, which brings design controls, validation, and a regulatory pathway that reshape the whole build. If it supports administration, wellness, or general information without a clinical claim, it usually does not. The costly mistake is discovering the classification late. Name the intended claim at the start, and ask any HealthTech partner whether it has built Software as a Medical Device before and how it handles design controls and validation. A firm that has shipped regulated clinical software will raise this before you do.
: Start with three questions. First, what are you building: a patient-facing app, a telehealth platform, a clinical or operational tool, or a health data platform? Second, how deep does the regulated integration go: light HIPAA controls, or full EHR integration, HL7 and FHIR interoperability, and possible Software as a Medical Device rules? Third, do you need one accountable product team, deep regulated-healthcare depth, or raw capacity? Product-led teams suit patient apps and telehealth. Regulated-healthcare specialists suit deep EHR and clinical integration. Ask every finalist for a live health product it shipped to production, how it handles HIPAA, PHI, and interoperability, whether it will sign a BAA, and how it tests security.
: Hospital and payer procurement teams will ask for it, so you should too. Ask whether the vendor holds SOC 2 Type II, how its controls are audited over time, and how it would help you reach compliance for your own product. A firm that cannot speak to SOC 2 will struggle to sell your product into serious healthcare buyers.
: Health data is a target, and a breach is a legal and reputational event, not just a technical one. Ask how the vendor runs security and penetration testing, how it handles vulnerability management after launch, and what its breach-response process looks like. A vendor with no clear answer has not run a real health product in production.