The verdict in three sentences
As soon as a private clinic collects online pre-admission forms, it processes health data and needs certified health data hosting (HDS certification in France, equivalent security-assured hosting elsewhere in the EU). The complete site costs EUR 15,000 to 28,000 excl. tax, compliant hosting EUR 150 to 400 per month against EUR 20 on shared hosting, and the GDPR data protection impact assessment (DPIA) adds EUR 2,000 to 4,000. Plan for 12 weeks and maintenance at EUR 250 per month.
Why pre-admission changes everything
A brochure site presenting departments, practitioners and directions does not process health data. A pre-admission form collecting the reason for admission, medical history, insurance or a scanned prescription does. That data cannot sit on standard shared hosting.
| Site feature | Health data | Hosting required |
|---|---|---|
| Departments and practitioners | No | Standard |
| General contact form | No, if no medical field | Standard |
| Booking via third-party platform | Handled by the platform | Standard on the site side |
| Online pre-admission | Yes | Certified health hosting |
| Upload of prescriptions and reports | Yes | Certified health hosting |
| Patient area with documents | Yes | Certified health hosting |
A common architecture separates the two: the public site on standard hosting, the pre-admission module on certified health infrastructure. This keeps the monthly cost down while staying compliant.
The real cost line by line
| Item | 2026 cost | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Public site (departments, practitioners, news) | EUR 8,000 to 14,000 | 40 to 80 pages, multilingual optional |
| Pre-admission module | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 | Conditional forms, attachments |
| Practitioner calendar connector | EUR 2,000 to 4,500 | Platform or in-house software API |
| Accessibility and testing | EUR 1,000 to 1,500 | Older patients, screen readers |
| Total website | EUR 15,000 to 28,000 | Delivered in 12 weeks |
| GDPR DPIA | EUR 2,000 to 4,000 | Impact assessment, register, notices |
| Certified health hosting | EUR 150 to 400 per month | Depending on managed services and redundancy |
| Shared hosting (for comparison) | EUR 20 per month | Not acceptable for health data |
| Application maintenance | EUR 250 per month | Security, backups, minor changes |
Over 3 years, the hosting gap between certified and shared hosting amounts to EUR 4,700 to 13,700. That is the price of compliance, and it remains small compared with the risk of a regulator's fine or a patient record leak.
The 12-week schedule
| Weeks | Step |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Scoping with management, the DPO and the admissions office |
| 3 to 4 | DPIA, choice of certified host, mock-ups |
| 5 to 8 | Development of the site and pre-admission module |
| 9 to 10 | Calendar connector, security tests, accessibility |
| 11 | Acceptance testing with the admissions office |
| 12 | Go-live, training, monitoring of first pre-admissions |
Mini case study
Isabelle, administrative director of a 120-bed clinic, handles 7,200 scheduled admissions per year. The site costs EUR 24,000, the DPIA EUR 3,000, certified hosting EUR 280 per month and maintenance EUR 250 per month, for EUR 33,360 excl. tax in the first year. If 55% of patients complete pre-admission online and each file saves the admissions desk 12 minutes, the clinic recovers about 790 hours per year, close to half a full-time post at EUR 38,000 fully loaded.
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FAQ
Is certified health hosting mandatory for a simple contact form?
No, as long as it contains no medical field. Once a patient can describe a reason for care or attach a prescription, certified hosting becomes necessary.
Who carries out the DPIA?
The data controller, with its DPO, possibly assisted by the agency and a specialist firm. Budget EUR 2,000 to 4,000 depending on the number of processing operations.
Can we keep our current booking platform?
Yes, the connector displays practitioners' slots on the site. The budget ranges from EUR 2,000 to 4,500 depending on how open the API is.
How long is pre-admission data kept?
The period is set in the DPIA, usually until transfer to the patient record, then automatic deletion on the site within 30 to 90 days.
Does Kolonell work with certified health data hosts?
Yes, we deploy on certified health infrastructure in the EU and provide the technical documentation your DPO needs.
Let's scope your project. Describe your forms, calendar software and GDPR constraints: we will price the site, certified hosting and DPIA over 3 years. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
