PatchPal

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Inspiration

When I first came to the US as an international student, I struggled to understand the healthcare system. I had insurance coverage through my school, but I had no idea where I could actually use it, what services were covered, or how to even begin finding a doctor or clinic.

Unlike many domestic students who grew up navigating the US healthcare landscape, international students are often left in the dark — overwhelmed by complex insurance terms, provider networks, and a lack of clear, accessible resources. However, through conversations with classmates and friends, I realized that this confusion isn't limited to international students. Even many Americans find health insurance overwhelming, especially when switching plans, moving to a new area, or dealing with unexpected medical needs.

This confusion can lead to missed medical care, unnecessary expenses, and a lot of stress during already difficult times. I wanted to create something that could bridge this information gap, making healthcare navigation easier and more transparent for everyone — whether they are newcomers to the country or lifelong residents.

That’s where the idea for PatchPal was born — a simple, supportive app to connect users to clinics and services based on their insurance, location, and personal healthcare needs, removing the guesswork from a critical part of life.

What it does

PatchPal helps users understand what insurance they have, what it covers, and find clinics or services where they can use it. It aims to make navigating healthcare easier, especially for new international students and others unfamiliar with the US system.

How we built it

We developed PatchPal using a React Native frontend for mobile access and a Node.js + PostgreSQL backend for managing clinics, services, and insurance data. We also implemented search features, parallax UI animations, and location-based filtering to enhance usability.

Challenges we ran into

• Setting up smooth communication between the mobile app and backend server.
• Handling real-time search and ensuring good performance with large clinic datasets.
• Designing a clean UI/UX that remains simple despite the complexity of insurance and healthcare services.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Built a fully functional mobile app with real-time search and dynamic results.
• Integrated a parallax scroll effect to create an engaging user experience.
• Made the platform accessible and beginner-friendly for new users.

What we learned

• Working with mobile navigation and advanced UI animation libraries.
• Structuring backend APIs to handle flexible search queries efficiently.
• The importance of user-centered design when dealing with complex topics like healthcare.

What's next for PatchPal

• Adding insurance card scanning using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to automate insurance detection.
• Expanding our clinic database to include more cities and service types.
• Building multi-language support to help users from different backgrounds navigate the app easily.

Built With

• expocli
• figma
• postgresql
• react-native