HealthAtoZ.com is an e-health portal designed to provide health news and information to consumers. This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or medical services. HealthAtoZ's editorial staff adheres to the highest standards of journalistic integrity at all times. HealthAtoZ makes no claims of therapeutic benefit, only of reporting on government, and professional society produced guidelines and studies published in peer-review journals.
HealthAtoZ maintains complete editorial independence and does not permit promotional partners to change content, or to introduce biased content into the design of any HealthAtoZ.com section.
HealthAtoZ's editorial staff members must disclose all financial and/or other interests that he or she may have in biotech, drug, medical device or other companies that have a vested interest and/or influence in health care. Disclosures must be made to the appropriate supervisor at hiring or when said interest develops. Supervisors will confer with company officers to decide if there is a conflict of interest. If a conflict of interest is determined, the staff member will be reassigned and/or additional steps will be taken to rectify the situation.
HealthAtoZ's editorial staff maintains independence from all other business aspects. The editorial staff's sole purpose is to produce content and is not held accountable for financial aspects such as advertising, marketing or sales.
HealthAtoZ's editorial staff maintains independence from all other business aspects. The editorial staff's sole purpose is to produce content and they are not held accountable for financial aspects such as advertising, marketing or sales. Under no circumstance is a member of the editorial team to alter or create content on HealthAtoZ.com in order to appease or promote a sponsor or other partner with a financial incentive.
HealthAtoZ's editorial staff's responsibility is to provide objective, accurate, credible and actionable health information. HealthAtoZ writers research and identify all primary sources and quoted, qualified health experts used to create content.
Articles are written objectively, with the sole goal of providing consumers with unbiased health information. Content generated by HealthAtoZ's editorial staff must disclose financial relationships and other interests that could create bias in, or incentive for, sources.
In-House Content
More than 85 percent of our content is produced in-house. Articles are reviewed at a minimum annually for clinical accuracy by on-staff M.D.s and/or sent to off-site medical experts before being posted. All content is also subjected to annual review by our medical advisory board. After clinical review, the editorial director reviews it before sending it to the programming team to be published on HealthAtoZ.com.
Third Party Content
HealthAtoZ provides some content on our site from third parties. HealthAtoZ reviews all third-party content, subjecting it to the same standards for sourcing and clinical accuracy as our own in-house content. If we determine that content does not meet our standards, we request that the author update the content to meet our standards. If the author is unable to do so, and our agreement prevents us from editing the content, we will remove said content from our site until the author does so, or we find a suitable replacement. All third-party content is included in our annual review and must meet our standards during every review.
Third-party content providers are expected to conform to HealthAtoZ's Author Qualifications (listed below) when hiring editors and writers to develop content specifically for HealthAtoZ.com
Content not produced in-house is produced by one of the following content partners:
Drug Interaction Database Licensed from:
Multum
HealthAtoZ Encyclopedia - Articles for the HealthAtoZ Encyclopedia are from the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine published by:
The Gale Group
Licensed News Feed
HealthAtoZ provides news articles to users that are licensed from a credible third party news organization whose policies do not conflict with our own. Licensed articles are archived for 30 days before being deleted from the site. Due to licensing arrangements, these articles are posted "as-is" and HealthAtoZ cannot guarantee that these articles meet the same editorial standards as our in-house developed articles.
Our current news feed provider is Health Day
Author Qualifications
HealthAtoZ.com hires only experienced writers and editors to prepare material for our site. HealthAtoZ also employs freelance writers and editors to develop content. Whether full-time or freelance, all our editors and writers have a minimum of five years of professional health care writing or editing experience.
Credential Disclosure
All interactive services will identify for users when the service is being provided by health professionals. Additionally, the credentials of the health professionals will be displayed/communicated. Individuals providing such services are responsible for maintaining their credentials, including licenses (See Credentialing and Professionalism in this document for additional policies governing professional certification).
Citations
Our editors and reporters obtain their stories from a variety of sources: federal health agencies, professional organizations, peer-reviewed medical journals, medical conferences and interviews with medical experts. Each article includes the source of information, including specific citations from peer-reviewed journals, if referenced.
External Links
HealthAtoZ.com makes external links available for informational use. HealthAtoZ provides these links solely for convenience and not as endorsement of the content of these third party sites or any products or services offered on said sites.
HealthAtoZ is not responsible for the products or services offered or the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site and does not make any representations regarding the cost or quality of products or services offered, or the content or accuracy of the materials on such sites.
HealthAtoZ reviews all externally linked sites quarterly. As such we cannot ensure that all external links are active or remain appropriate. To report an inactive or inappropriate link, send e-mail to: portalsupport@healthatoz.com
Linking Purpose
External links are to be made available for informational use solely for user convenience and not as endorsement of the content of these third party sites or any products or services offered on the sites.
HealthAtoZ is not responsible for the products or services offered or the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site and does not make any representations regarding the cost or quality of products or services offered, or the content or accuracy of the materials on such sites.
HealthAtoZ only accesses all externally linked sites quarterly. As such, HealthAtoZ does not ensure that all external links are active or remain appropriate on a daily basis. An e-mail link will be made available for users to report inactive or inappropriate links (e.g., portalsupport@healthatoz.com). Corrective action is taken to re-activate or delete links reported via the e-mail or review processes.
Linking Approval and Reporting Requirements
Linking to third-party sites is approved on an exception basis. The Editorial Director has the discretion to approve and have such exceptions initiated. However, the Editorial Director must report any new links to the QOC at the next monthly meeting.
Each active link is reviewed on an annual basis. The reason for continuing each link is to be assessed. Additionally, such reviews should subject the site to the same standards for sourcing and clinical accuracy as our own in-house content. The continuation or deletion of links is reported to the QOC.
Linking Disclaimer
A disclaimer will be introduced announcing the movement away from a HAZ Web site each time a user opts to use an external link. Wording such as the following is to be used:
You are now leaving {Portal name} and are being linked to a Web site that is not related to or affiliated with {Portal name}.
Linking to the site you are about to enter is not an endorsement by {Portal name} for anything on that site and {Portal name} is not responsible for the accuracy of its information or accountable for the services it provides.
Reliability and Performance
The goal of HealthAtoZ is to make its services available to users on a 24X7 basis.
Credentialing and Professionalism
All health professional employees and sub-contractors are expected to maintain professional certification.
All employees are expected to maintain high ethical standards and adhere to professional ethical principles appropriate to their profession and state licensure laws.
HAZ will regularly verify information regarding health professionals or others who provide services or information.
Plain Language
All written product material to be used by customers/users will be written using consumer-friendly language. Generally, such material will be produced on a 6th to 8th grade reading level in accessible language. The reader should not need to refer to a medical dictionary; all medical terms should be clearly defined in lay terms.
Effective as of 4/4/07
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