As SteadyMD continues to grow, we’ve not only expanded our scope of care but also leveraged data to track outcomes across millions of patients—all while maintaining our focus on high-quality and safe care at scale.
One of the advantages of a nationwide digital health clinic is the ability to track and analyze data across geographies to generate real-time insights. This allows us to drive continuous quality improvements and support our clinicians in delivering safe, effective care. We regularly share and celebrate these outcomes both internally and with our partners-including major healthcare systems, employers, and direct-to-consumer platforms.
Our Commitment to Antibiotic Stewardship
A core focus of our quality efforts is antibiotic stewardship—an international initiative aimed at optimizing patient safety and combating antimicrobial resistance by promoting responsible antibiotic prescribing practices1.
In the United States alone, antibiotic use is estimated to cause over 3 million antimicrobial-resistant infections and 48,000 deaths annually2. Additionally, nearly 23% of antibiotic prescriptions in outpatient settings are considered inappropriate3, with rates reaching up to 30% in physician offices and emergency departments4.
At SteadyMD, we closely monitor our antibiotic prescribing rates for conditions classified as “antibiotic-inappropriate” where antibiotics should not be used5, such as bronchitis, COVID-19, flu, and upper respiratory infections.
SteadyMD vs. Traditional Urgent Care
A 2018 study, which examined inappropriate antibiotic use in similar conditions* found that the percentage of visits where an antibiotic was prescribed was highest in urgent care settings (45.7%), followed by emergency departments (24.6%), medical offices (17%), and retail clinics (14.4%)5. This means that nearly half of patients visiting an urgent care clinic for conditions that shouldn’t require antibiotics still received a prescription.
By comparison, at SteadyMD, we are proud to report that in 2024, only 3.4% of visits for “antibiotic-inappropriate” conditions resulted in an antibiotic prescription — a significantly lower rate than in-person urgent care, a setting most similar to ours. This achievement reflects our strong commitment to responsible prescribing practices.
The Power of Digital Health
Digital health is transforming the way patients access care. By enabling real-time monitoring and feedback loops, we empower our clinicians with data-driven tools to enhance medical decision-making. This ensures we maintain our dedication to quality, safety, and responsible prescribing-helping to shape the future of healthcare delivery.
*viral upper respiratory infection, bronchitis/bronchiolitis, asthma/allergy, influenza, nonsuppurative otitis media, and viral pneumonia5
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, November 20). Antibiotic use and stewardship in the United States, 2024 update: Progress and opportunities. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/hcp/data-research/stewardship-report.html - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2019 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/media/pdfs/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf - Chua, K. P., Fischer, M. A., & Linder, J. A. (2019). Appropriateness of outpatient antibiotic prescribing among privately insured US patients: ICD-10-CM based cross sectional study. bmj, 364.
- Fleming-Dutra KE, Hersh AL, Shapiro DJ, et al. Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010-2011. JAMA. 2016;315(17):1864-1873
- Palms, D. L., Hicks, L. A., Bartoces, M., Hersh, A. L., Zetts, R., Hyun, D. Y., & Fleming-Dutra, K. E. (2018). Comparison of antibiotic prescribing in retail clinics, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and traditional ambulatory care settings in the United States. JAMA internal medicine, 178(9), 1267-1269
Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog post is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.