Ways to start a healthcare software or AI project
Digital Scientists starts most healthcare work small, with a clear first step and a set price. The first conversation is free. Build with Us puts a senior architect on one real piece of work for $10K over two weeks. A Blueprint sets scope, architecture and budget for $25K in 4 weeks, or from $50K in 6 weeks with a working prototype. MVPs run 8 to 16 weeks. NeverAlone began as a 90-day MVP and now supports 30,000 patients across six states. Start with a conversation and we'll tell you which start fits.
Updated
30-minute first conversation
Two weeks of Build with Us
4-week Blueprint
MVP, $75K to $250K
What are the ways to start a healthcare project with Digital Scientists?
There are four general starts, plus a partnership route and a revenue integrity audit. Each one is set in time, priced before it begins and ends with a decision you make on evidence.
The table lists every start we offer today, with the prices we publish. Where a price says "scoped on a call", we set it in writing after the first conversation, before any work begins. Whichever start you pick, you own what we produce: code, documents and accounts.
If you're not sure which row is yours, the next section walks through it, or the 30-minute conversation settles it.
Ways to start, side by side
| Way to start | What you get | Time | Investment | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-minute conversation | A senior person from our Atlanta team, a straight read on fit and a recommended first step. If we're not the right fit, we say so and point you to who is. | 30 minutes | Free | You know the problem but not the right first step. |
| Build with Us | A US-based senior solution architect building in your systems alongside the person who owns the problem, with a short written update every day. Engineering and AI compute included. | Two weeks, then month to month | $10K for the first two weeks, then $20K a month | You have work ready to start: an AI workflow, a hard integration, a module to rebuild or a roadmap that's slipping. |
| Blueprint | User research, scope, architecture, compliance and security requirements, user stories and a milestone-based budget. The 6-week Blueprint adds a functional prototype tested with real users. | 4 or 6 weeks | $25K for 4 weeks, or from $50K for 6 weeks with a working prototype | You're building something new and your board or investors need a scope and a number. |
| MVP | The smallest product that proves the idea with real users, instrumented from day one and built on production foundations. | 8 to 16 weeks | $75K to $250K | The plan is set and you need real users on a real product. |
| Partnership | A call on your roadmap or your client's need, then a structure that fits: dedicated R&D capacity on a monthly commitment, a scoped project, or delivery as a subcontractor or joint pursuit with your firm. | Starts with a 30-minute call | Scoped on the call | You're a health IT company with a roadmap longer than your team, or a consulting firm whose clients ask who builds it. |
| Revenue integrity audit | A diagnostic of 12 to 18 months of claims and remittance data, ending in a ranked opportunity list and a 60 to 90 day pilot plan. | 2 to 4 weeks | Scoped on a call | Your board needs the full picture of revenue leakage. |
These are common starting points, not rules. Many clients combine them or change course, and the first conversation is where we work out the right one. Prices from our published Build with Us, Blueprint and MVP pages. Weeks are weeks of work; a 6-week Blueprint can take up to eight calendar weeks if interviews and reviews take longer to book.
Which start fits us?
Match the start to what you already know. If you know the work and someone owns it, start with Build with Us. If you're building something new and need a scope and a budget, start with a Blueprint. If you need to judge an existing platform or an AI idea first, a Blueprint does that too: it maps what you run and ends in a phased plan.
Still not sure? That's what the first conversation is for. We'd rather point you to the smallest start that answers your real question than sell you a bigger one.
We have a product idea but not the team to build it
A Blueprint, or Build with Us if the first piece is already clear.
Our roadmap is committed and our team is full
Build with Us on one workstream. When the work needs more than one person, the architect and the work carry over to a full team.
Our platform is old and we've outgrown it
A Blueprint. It maps the system, the data and the integrations, and because nobody likes a big-bang rewrite, it ends with a phased plan.
Leadership wants an AI plan
A 6-week Blueprint with a working prototype if you need a business case first. Build with Us if you already know the workflow.
We're a health IT company or consulting firm
A partnership conversation.
From discovery to outcomes. 10 steps, zero gaps.
Most vendors deliver steps 1-4 and wish you luck. We deliver all 10, that’s why we have a One team, concept to scale when others fail 95% of the time.
Phase I
Discover
What should we do?
Data Foundation
Assess & structure your data
Solution Design
Co-design with care teams
Phase II
Experiment
Does it actually work?
Hypothesis & Scope
Define success criteria
Build & Validate
Working software, your data
Phase III
Engineer
Make it real.
Agile Development
Sprints with clinical feedback
Systems Integration
EHR, claims, lab connectivity
Change Management
Training & adoption support
Production Deploy
Phased rollout with monitoring
Phase IV
Optimize
Make it better.
KPI Accountability
Measure outcomes, prove ROI
Continuous Improvement
Ongoing optimization or handoff
Does the Work
Automation & Agents
Shows What’s Happening
Insights & Intelligence
Built Faster
AI-Accelerated Dev
Most projects fail at steps 5-10. We own the complete value chain.
For new digital health products, we often recommend starting with a healthcare MVP, validate workflow fit and outcome signal before committing to a platform build.
What happens in the first conversation?
You talk to a senior person who leads engagements, not a sales team. In 30 minutes we cover the problem, who owns it and what you've tried, then tell you which start fits, or that we're not the right fit and who is.
It starts with the short form at the bottom of this page. We read every submission ourselves and reply within one business day, and you can book a call right after you send it. No prep is needed.
On the call we'll ask what number the work has to move. People don't invest in custom software unless it moves something they care about, so we agree on that first. We'll also ask about the systems involved, because the integration is usually where the time goes.
If there's a fit, we follow up in writing with the start we recommend, what it includes, how long it takes and what it costs. For Build with Us, an architect then runs a readiness check: the first task, the access needed and any security or compliance requirements. We sign a BAA before we touch patient data.
A senior person from our Atlanta team, free
To hear back after you send the form
A recommended start, or a referral if we're not the fit
What do we need to bring?
A problem, a person who owns it and whatever you already have. You don't need a spec to start.
An owner
Someone on your side who knows how the work really runs and can make decisions within a business day.
A sponsor
The person who approved the spend, so decisions don't stall.
What you already have
Specs, a prototype built in an AI tool, a pitch deck, market research or just an idea. The Blueprint pressure-tests all of it.
Access
For Build with Us, access to your systems by day one. For a Blueprint on an existing platform, the codebase and infrastructure.
Data, when the start needs it
The revenue integrity audit works from 12 to 18 months of claims, remittance, write-off and A/R aging exports, handled under a BAA with your CIO involved from day one. Messy data is normal; normalizing it is part of the work.
What does it cost to start small?
$10K. Two weeks of Build with Us is the smallest paid start, and the conversation before it is free.
After the first two weeks you get the work so far and our read on the return. Then you choose: a second two weeks at $10K, once, if you need more time to decide; month to month at $20K with the same architect; or stop. If you stop, you keep the code, the data and the accounts.
A 4-week Blueprint is $25K, and a 6-week Blueprint with a working prototype starts at $50K. Bigger scopes get a custom size, set by the integrations, the number of user types and the interviews it takes. MVPs run $75K to $250K over 8 to 16 weeks. The revenue-cycle assessment and audit are scoped on a call.
Every start is priced before it begins. We don't bill by the hour.
A 30-minute conversation
Build with Us, first two weeks
4-week Blueprint
MVP, 8 to 16 weeks
What if we only need one integration or one fix?
Start there. One integration, one module or one fix is a good first project, and Build with Us is set up for it: two weeks, one architect, production code in your repositories.
Integrations are rarely as small as they look. We've seen a payment integration take four months. So the first two weeks find out what it really takes in your systems, and you get our read on the size before you commit to more. We've connected products to PointClickCare and to GEHRIMED (Netsmart), so we know where the time goes.
One thing we don't do is take over support of a platform someone else built. We support platforms we built, with your team or ours taking first-line questions and Digital Scientists handling L2 and L3. If the fix leads to rebuilding part of your platform, we support the part we built.
A small first project is how you see how we work. If we fix one thing well, we've earned the right to talk about the bigger thing. NeverAlone started that way: a 90-day MVP that grew into a platform we still run.
Where a first step led
NeverAlone · CommuniCare
90-day MVP to 30,000 patients
It began as a tablet that let independent-living seniors reach a care partner by video. It's now a 24/7 virtual care platform across six states, which we still operate.
See the work
Guardian · Vigilant Medical
Prototype to production
A clinician founder's working prototype turned into a national OR monitoring platform, with an ML model at 99.9% accuracy.
See the work
CommuniCare Advantage
60+ systems audited
A technology ecosystem audit and an 11-vendor EHR selection that left the plan with a 25% smaller technology footprint.
See the workTrusted by healthcare leaders.
“I have worked with many technology teams during my career, and Digital Scientists is one of the best. They take the time to understand the customers' needs, deliver innovative solutions, are always professional, and work with your team as a true partner to achieve success.”
Amy Severino
Chief Innovation Officer, NeverAlone
Related services
Blueprint
Scope, architecture and budget in 4 or 6 weeks.
Blueprint →Minimum viable product
Real users on a real product in 8 to 16 weeks.
Minimum viable product →Build with Us
A solution architect who builds, two weeks to start.
Build with Us →Healthcare IT consulting
Systems audits, EHR selection and architecture decisions.
Healthcare IT consulting →Healthcare product development
From first Blueprint to a product in production.
Healthcare product development →Security and PHI
BAAs, access controls and the evidence buyers ask for.
Security and PHI →
Questions buyers ask before they start
What is the cheapest way to start a healthcare project with Digital Scientists?
The first 30-minute conversation is free. The smallest paid start is Build with Us: $10K for two weeks with a senior solution architect, then $20K a month, month to month, if you continue.
Do we have to sign a long contract?
No. Build with Us commits you to two weeks. A Blueprint has a set length and price. Each start ends with a decision, and you can stop there.
Who owns the work if we stop after the first step?
You do. You keep the code, the data and the accounts we set up. A Blueprint is vendor-agnostic, so you can hand it to your own team or another partner.
What's the difference between Build with Us and a Blueprint?
Build with Us starts building on one known piece of work in your systems. A Blueprint answers the big questions first: what to build, the architecture and the budget. If big questions come up during Build with Us, we'll say a Blueprint is the better start.
Will you sign a BAA before the first project?
Yes. We sign a BAA before we touch patient data, including during a Blueprint or audit.
Can you support a platform another vendor built?
We provide ongoing L2 and L3 support only for platforms we built. For a platform someone else built, start with one piece of work or a Blueprint. Once we've built or rebuilt part of it, we support that part.
Talk it over
Tell us what you are trying to do. A senior person from our Atlanta team replies within one business day, and you can book a 30-minute call right after you send this.
- We tell you if we're the right fit, and if we're not, who is.
- Most work starts small, so you see how we work before you commit to more.
- We sign a BAA before we touch patient data.