Key facts
| Who it suits | Single-doctor clinics, small multi-doctor practices, diagnostic and physio centres, dental and skin clinics |
|---|---|
| First Build | Appointments, reminders, patient contact list, billing and payment follow-ups |
| Typical range | ₹1.7L–₹2.5L with WhatsApp reminders |
| Timeline | 3–4 weeks for a first version |
| Out of scope | Diagnosis, prescriptions logic, clinical advice and regulatory sign-off |
What is in scope, and what is not?
This guide covers the running of the front desk and the back office of a practice. It does not cover medical judgement. We do not build software that diagnoses, recommends treatment or replaces a clinician's decision.
Medical-record rules in India, including consent, retention, data protection and any digital-health standards that apply to you, are set by law and by your professional bodies. Whether a tool meets them is your decision, taken with the right advisers. A compliance review is a separate piece of work, and we will not claim our software is certified or compliant.
Where does the front desk lose time?
Appointments come by phone calls, walk-ins and WhatsApp. The receptionist writes them in a diary or a sheet, and the doctor learns who is waiting by looking out of the door. Reminders are sent by hand, if at all, and no-shows leave gaps in the day.
- Double bookings and unclear slot lengths for different visit types.
- No-shows, because reminders depend on someone having a free minute.
- Billing notes on paper, with pending balances remembered rather than listed.
- Follow-up visits that the doctor asked for, but nobody scheduled.
- Contact details scattered over phones, so a second branch starts from scratch.
What would a first Build contain?
- A day view for each doctor or room, with slot lengths per visit type.
- Booking by the front desk, and optionally a simple booking page for patients.
- WhatsApp or SMS reminders before the visit, and a rebook link after a miss.
- A basic patient list: name, phone, visit dates and notes your staff choose to keep.
- Billing: items, discounts, payments received, and a list of pending balances to follow up.
- A follow-up list: patients the doctor marked for review, with due dates.
- A daily summary for the owner: visits, collections, no-shows.
Roles are usually doctor, reception and owner. Access is limited by role, and data is held in your cloud account.
What should a clinic not build first?
Do not start with a full electronic medical record, prescription writing, lab integrations or insurance claims. These carry clinical and regulatory weight, and ready-made products exist for them. Do not add an AI chatbot that answers symptom questions. Do not collect health details you do not need for scheduling and billing.
If you already use a medical-record product, the new tool should sit around it, covering appointments and follow-ups, and leave the records where they are.
What does it cost in INR?
| Scope | What it covers | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build: front desk | Appointments, reminders, patient list, billing, follow-up list | ₹1.7L–₹2.5L | 3–4 weeks |
| Build: with patient booking | Adds online booking, payment link and richer reports | ₹1.5L–3.5L | 3–4 weeks |
| Platform | Several branches, central reports, accounting export and role-based access | ₹3.5L–8L | 5–8 weeks, then phases |
WhatsApp and SMS charges are paid to the provider; check current provider pricing. See the WhatsApp automation guide for how reminders work.
How do you decide between a ready-made clinic app and a custom one?
Ready-made clinic software is often the right answer, especially if you want records, prescriptions and billing in one product. Custom becomes worth considering when your front desk follows a pattern the product cannot handle, such as packages of sessions, multi-branch scheduling or a follow-up process unique to your practice. Our low-code versus custom guide goes through this choice, and how we build shows the process if you go custom.
Frequently asked questions
Can you build prescriptions or medical records?
Not in a first build. Those carry clinical and regulatory requirements, so you should weigh a purpose-built product.
Is the software compliant with Indian health-data rules?
We do not claim that. A compliance review is separate, and the decision is yours.
Can patients book online?
Yes, as a simple booking page, with slot rules you set.
Where is patient data stored?
In your own cloud account, with role-based access. You choose what is stored.
Can it work for a physio or dental chain?
Yes, for scheduling, packages and billing follow-ups. Treatment records are a different scope.
How long does a first version take?
About 3–4 weeks: a written scope in the first days, a clickable prototype in week one, then live previews while it is built and a handover with training for your front desk.
Can it handle several doctors sharing a room?
Yes. Slots can be set per doctor and per room, with a clash check, so two visits are never booked into the same room at the same time.