Make confident decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and choose a partner that truly understands healthcare.
In an era where healthcare is becoming increasingly digitized, selecting the right healthcare SaaS company is more than a technical choice—it's a strategic investment. Your chosen platform won't just handle appointments or claims—it will shape how care is delivered, how patients engage, and how your teams operate every day.
The challenge? With hundreds of SaaS vendors marketing to healthcare providers, separating buzzwords from real value is hard.
This guide walks you through 10 essential questions to ask any healthcare SaaS provider—helping you vet not just the software, but the people, process, and long-term partnership behind it.
1. Do You Have Deep, Proven Experience in the Healthcare Domain?
Why it matters:
Healthcare isn’t just another vertical. It’s a regulated, high-stakes environment where privacy, accuracy, and reliability aren’t optional—they're life-critical. A generalist tech company can’t match the domain insight a true healthcare SaaS company brings.
Ask:
- Have you built platforms for hospitals, home health agencies, or digital health startups?
- What challenges did you solve in those projects?
- Can you provide case studies or client references?
What to look for:
Familiarity with referral workflows, claim cycles, care transitions, EHR systems, and compliance frameworks like HIPAA and TEFCA.
2. How Do You Ensure HIPAA Compliance and Data Security?
Why it matters:
Healthcare SaaS platforms often manage PHI (Protected Health Information). Without airtight security, your organization risks violations, fines, and reputational damage.
Ask:
- Do you offer a signed BAA (Business Associate Agreement)?
- How is data encrypted—both in transit and at rest?
- What measures are in place for access control, audit logging, and breach response?
What to look for:
A healthcare SaaS company that designs platforms with security-first principles—not as an afterthought. Look for encryption standards (AES-256), role-based access, MFA, and regular compliance audits (SOC 2 Type II or HITRUST).
3. What Interoperability Standards Do You Support?
Why it matters:
Healthcare systems are notoriously siloed. Your SaaS solution must work well with EHRs, lab systems, billing engines, and third-party APIs to deliver a seamless experience for staff and patients.
Ask:
- Do you support FHIR, HL7, and CDA standards?
- Have you integrated with platforms like Epic, Cerner, Allscripts, or Athena?
- Can we pull and push data bi-directionally?
What to look for:
A healthcare SaaS company that builds integration-ready platforms and understands the importance of health information exchange (HIE), TEFCA readiness, and real-time data flow.
4. How Flexible Is the Platform for Our Specific Workflows?
Why it matters:
Every healthcare organization operates differently. A rigid system will force your teams to adapt their processes, which leads to frustration, errors, and underutilization.
Ask:
- Can we configure dashboards, roles, reports, or intake forms?
- How do updates affect custom workflows?
- Is the system modular, or is it an all-or-nothing deployment?
What to look for:
Customization without code dependency. Your healthcare SaaS company should support business rule engines, form builders, and permissions management that don’t require dev intervention.
5. What Kind of Support, Onboarding, and Training Do You Offer?
Why it matters:
A smooth launch and long-term adoption hinge on how well your teams are supported—not just during go-live, but as you grow.
Ask:
- Will we have a dedicated account manager?
- Is onboarding role-specific (e.g., clinicians, admins, IT)?
- What’s your SLA for support tickets or urgent issues?
What to look for:
Tiered support, knowledge base access, ongoing training, and a proactive approach to onboarding success metrics (time to value, utilization benchmarks, etc.).
6. How Frequently Is the Platform Updated, and How Are We Informed?
Why it matters:
Healthcare is constantly evolving—new rules, new tech, new patient expectations. Your platform should evolve too, without disrupting your operations.
Ask:
- What’s your update/release cycle?
- Do you have a staging environment to preview updates?
- Will we receive changelogs or impact assessments?
What to look for:
Transparent, version-controlled updates with rollback options if needed. A healthcare SaaS company that prioritizes change management is one you can rely on.
7. Can You Share Quantifiable Results from Previous Projects?
Why it matters:
You need to see more than nice interfaces—you need to see impact. A platform should lead to measurable improvements in workflow speed, patient experience, billing accuracy, or staff satisfaction.
Ask:
- What ROI metrics have clients achieved using your platform?
- Can you show before-and-after performance comparisons?
- Are there live client environments we can review?
What to look for:
Real-world case studies with numbers—like “Reduced referral processing time by 70%” or “Cut onboarding delays from 5 days to 1 hour.”
8. Is the Platform Scalable as We Grow or Change?
Why it matters:
Your SaaS solution must support future expansion—whether that’s more users, more locations, new service lines, or integration with emerging technologies.
Ask:
- How is your platform architected for scale (e.g., multi-tenant, microservices)?
- Can we add new modules or services later?
- How do costs scale with usage?
What to look for:
A healthcare SaaS company that can grow with you—without massive migrations or reimplementation down the line.
9. How Do You Manage Ongoing Compliance and Risk?
Why it matters:
Regulatory compliance isn’t a one-time task—it requires continuous monitoring and adaptation.
Ask:
- How often do you conduct internal risk assessments?
- What policies are in place for incident response?
- How do you keep clients updated on compliance-related changes?
What to look for:
Proactive updates related to HIPAA, CMS rules, TEFCA requirements, and audit logs that are always accessible.
10. What Is Your Long-Term Partnership Model Post-Go-Live?
Why it matters:
You’re not just buying software—you’re entering a relationship. You want a partner who will support you, listen to feedback, and continue to improve.
Ask:
- Do you have structured check-ins or QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews)?
- How is client feedback collected and implemented?
- Are roadmap priorities shared transparently?
What to look for:
A healthcare SaaS company that doesn’t disappear after implementation. You want a partner that’s invested in your outcomes.
Final Thoughts: Make Informed Decisions with a Trusted Partner Like Cabot
There are many SaaS vendors, but not every one of them qualifies as a true healthcare SaaS company. Choosing the right partner requires due diligence, tough questions, and a clear understanding of your long-term goals.
At Cabot Technology Solutions, we bring over a decade of experience building HIPAA-compliant, scalable, and interoperable healthcare SaaS platforms for organizations across the care continuum. From automating referrals and onboarding to enabling secure data exchange and workflow optimization, we help healthcare providers turn complex problems into elegant, cloud-native solutions.
If you're evaluating SaaS vendors for your next project—start with the questions in this guide. Then talk to a partner like Cabot who has the answers.