There is an important distinction between the two. Healthcare app development is usually the broad term that is used to describe the process of developing different kinds of apps to address a gamut of physical and mental health applications. Health apps though are specifically for consumers only - they could be for weight loss coaching, fitness activity tracking, meditation, menstrual period tracking, etc. These health apps do not have the strict audit process that medical apps are subject to. They dont need to be HIPAA secure apps as less medical sensitive data is shared on these apps. A medical app though can be of two kinds-.patient interactions or mHealth apps and organizational apps. MHealth apps is usually an interaction between healthcare workers and patients. It can assist with diagnostic and treatment support. Telehealth apps or telemedicine apps, also known as virtual consultation apps fall into this category. The data collected through apps are used by medical personnel to track and monitor patients’ health conditions. Not all medical apps need to be patient-facing. There are medical applications being developed that are improving the efficiency of hospital and clinic management as well as medical equipment management. Since medical apps deal with sensitive patient details, privacy and security of data sharing are critical. They have to comply with HIPAA secure apps meeting strict data security requirements. This is why when developing medical apps, technology partners must be HIPAA certified.