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Digital Health Education Content Authors and Reviewers Policy
Our Commitment
WebMD Ignite is committed to ensuring that our digital education content upholds high standards of medical review and clinical accuracy. Our patient education is grounded in the most recent evidence-based medicine available, ensuring relevance, accuracy, and reliability. Digital health education content is developed and sourced using current guidelines from government agencies, medical and health care organizations.
Our Quality Management Accreditation Council meets bi-annually. This council guides decisions to ensure compliance with accreditation standards, dedicates staff to quality improvement projects, monitors progress toward performance indicators and goals, and oversees improvement activities.
The clinical education content is developed by a multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians, writers, editors, and independent contractors. The development of content involves a minimum of two clinical reviewers, at least one of whom is a specialist in the area under consideration. This ensures that each piece of content is not only accurate but also relevant to the latest medical guidelines. Furthermore, each reviewer’s credentials are verified at regular intervals—typically every one to two years—to confirm they remain in good standing.
Our Clinical Review Board
Our Clinical Review Board is a group of clinician experts who contribute to the accuracy of our digital health content. The group includes physicians, nurses, dietitians, physical therapists, physician assistants, and other licensed health care professionals.
Please review our Digital Health Education Content Management Policy and Digital Health Education Content Development and Sourcing Policy.
WebMD Ignite verifies the credentials of medical reviewers to ensure they have an active, unencumbered clinical license. If a medical reviewer does not have a current professional license, they will not perform clinical review duties until the active, unencumbered licensure is verified. After hire, WebMD Ignite verifies licensure regularly based on expiration dates to ensure there is no interruption.
CLINICAL REVIEW BOARD |
|
|---|---|
| Name | Area of Expertise |
| Anderson, Michelle DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP | Behavioral Health, Family Medicine |
| Brennan, Dan MD | Pediatrics |
| Campbell, Janet | Obstetrics |
| Ciccone, Jennifer MSN, ANCC, AANP, BSN, RN | Adult Medicine, Gerontological, Hematology, Oncology, Cardiology, Pain |
| Dempsey-Walls, Susan MN, BSN, RN | Adult Oncology, Hematology |
| Dozier, Tennille BSN, RN, RDMS | Maternal Fetal Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Post Operative, Medical Sonography |
| Erstad, Shannon PT | Anesthesia, Orthopedics, Physical Therapy |
| Fairfield, Chad MSN, MSHI, RN | Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Home Health, Nephrology |
| Fetterman, Anne BSN, RN | Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Urology |
| Finke, Amy BSN, RN | Pediatrics, Surgery |
| Fraser, Marianne MSN, RN | Chronic Illness, Health Maintenance, Prevention, Gerontology, Drug Dependence, Behavioral Health, Hospice |
| Karlin, Ron MD, FAAEM | Emergency Medicine |
| Koson, Terri DNP, RN, ACNP-BC | Gerontology, Long Term Care, Rehabilitation, Hematology, Oncology, Cardiology, Critical Care, Adult Medicine |
| Nakashima, Daniel DO | Internal Medicine |
| Nissl, Jan RN | Emergency Medicine |
| Novick, Tara | Adult Medicine |
| Oswald, Elizabeth PT, DPT | Physical Therapy, Exercise Science, Sports Medicine |
| Pearson, Morgan, MS, RDN | Nutrition |
| Poulson, Brittany MDA, RDN, CD, CDE | Dietetics, Nutrition, Diabetes |
| Ratini, Melinda DO | Family Medicine, Gerontology |
| Rayside, Pamela, RN | Emergency Medicine, ICU, Orthopedics |
| Sather, Rita RN | General Surgery, Ambulatory Care, GI Lab, Critical Care |
| Seltman, Whitney A., OD | Optometry |
| Schilling, Chelsey BSN, RN | Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology, Transplant, Emergency Medicine |
| Southard, Chris MSN, BSN, RN | Care Management, Pulmonology, Asthma, Allergy |
| Tayrien, Callie RN, MSN, CCRN | Critical Care, Medical Imaging, Surgery, Trauma |
| Turley, Kenny PA-C | Orthopedics, General Surgery |
| VeriMed Health Network | VeriMed Health Network is an independent consulting group of physicians across multiple specialties and subspecialties who help ensure the clinical accuracy of our content. |
| Wendt, Christy RD | Dietetics, Nutrition, Diabetes, Weight Management |
| Wilken, Caitlin, PT, DPT | Physical Therapy |
| Zercher, Robyn FNP, BSN, RN | Prevention, Health and Wellness, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Emergency Medicine, Interventional Radiology, General Surgery, Women’s Health |
Our Clinical Content Team, Research Team, Editorial and Translation Teams, and Multimedia Team
Clinical Content Team
Clinical Team |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Title | Credentials |
| Gotwals, Jessica | Clinical Content Coordinator | MPH, BSN, RN |
| Holtz, Riley | Clinical Content Coordinator | BS, RN |
| Nakashima, Hannah | Clinical Content Coordinator | BSN, RN |
| Pierce-Smith, Daphne | Clinical Content Coordinator | MSN, RN |
| Trevino, Heather Marie Sidow | Clinical Content Coordinator | BSN, RNC |
| Turley, Sr., Raymond Kent | Clinical Content Coordinator | MSN, BSN, RN |
| Wojcik, Stacey Elizabeth | Clinical Content Coordinator | MBA, BSN, RN |
Clinical Research
Research Team |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Title | Credentials |
| Beauregard, Julie | Clinical Research | MLIS, Health Sciences Librarian |
Editorial and Translation Teams |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Title | Credentials |
| Caronna, Amanda | Managing Editor | BA |
| Corrigan, Patricia | Content Specialist | BA |
| Day, Lisa | Content Specialist | BS |
| Ellig, Eileen | Senior Editor | BJ (Bachelor’s of Journalism) |
| Edmond, Markita | Content Manager II | BA |
| Hanington, Lauren | Content Specialist | BA |
| King, Zak | Team Lead, Project Management | BA, MFA |
| Kupfer, Melissa | Senior Designer | BFA |
| Lupella, Alex | Content Manager | BA |
| Paul, Ruth | Content Specialist | BA, MA |
| Powers, Ryan | Content Manager | BS, MFA |
| Records, Tara | Director, Integration & Translation | BS, LPM Project Management |
| Schlaak, Jaclyn | Editorial Director | BA |
| Shultz, Jaclyn | Content Specialist | BS |
| Visomirski, Stacey | Content Specialist | BA |
| Woolsey, Kristie | Translation Technical Manager | |
| Wright, Joseph | Creative Director | BFA |
Multimedia Team |
|||
| Name | Title | Credentials | Additional Credentials |
| Beaudoin, Carrie | Director, Multimedia Production | MA | |
| Carter, Mitch | Patient Education Post-Production Manager | BS | |
| Knox, Andrew | Senior Motion Graphics Specialist | MFA | |
| Lucuski, Cristina | Client Content Manager | BA | |
| Morgan, Ellie | Data Visualization Manager | BS, MSc | |
| Murray, Emma | Manager, Content Solutions | BS, MPH | |
| Nabozny, JoAnne | Manager, Content Solutions | BS | |
| Opdahl, Ellie | Senior Medical Illustrator and Asset Management Specialist | MA | CMI, AMI Member |
| Ostreicher, Sarah | Motion Graphics Specialist | BS | |
| Perry, Rob | Technical Manager of Video Production | BS | |
| Richmond, Dorian | Patient Education Video Editor | BS | |
| Ricketts, Lee | Clinical Patient Education Video Producer | BA | |
| Thompson, Tziporah | Senior Medical and Surgical Illustrator | MA | CMI, AMI Member |
| Valentine, Fran | Senior Multimedia Producer | BA | |
| Ware, Kanika | Clinical Patient Education Video Producer | BA | |
| Wu, Derek | Manager, Medical Illustration and Animation | MS | CMI, AMI Member |
| Yang, Ya-Chi | Senior Motion Graphics Specialist | MFA | |
| Zimmerman, Samantha | Creative Manager | BA | AMI Member |
Reviewed, Revised and Approved by the Quality Management Accreditation Council: July 2026
Digital Health Education Content Management Policy
WebMD Ignite’s commitment is to provide clients and their end users with accurate, timely, and easy-to-understand information. We focus on diseases, conditions, tests, and procedures. Our goal is to promote understanding and management of health conditions and wellness. WebMD Ignite is dedicated to developing health communication solutions that are evidence-based, easy to understand, and focused on improving health outcomes.
The purpose of this document is to define the processes and responsibilities involved in the creation, review, and maintenance of clinical education content across WebMD Ignite platforms and the content management system (CMS). This policy ensures that all content is developed in line with current medical guidelines, accurately reflects evidence-based practices, and maintains the highest quality standards. This document also outlines how third-party content is integrated into WebMD Ignite products, the process for verifying the credentials of medical reviewers, and the systems in place for updating content regularly.
Content in WebMD Ignite’s digital health education content sites comes from a variety of sources, both internal and third-party licensees.
The Terms and Condition policy governs the use of the digital health education sites and its content. The agreement should be read carefully and completely before using the digital health education sites and applying for any services detailed on the website.
Content created or commissioned by WebMD Ignite is done independently, with no commercial ties to any product or service, including advertising, and with no subsidies from any private or government institution.
Digital health education content is clinically reviewed regularly to maintain accuracy and relevance. The ongoing monitoring and updating of content are central to maintaining its quality. Real-time monitoring of the medical landscape allows for timely content revision when significant updates or new guidelines emerge. Certain diseases and conditions that have ongoing medical research and frequent updates to treatment guidelines are medically reviewed more often based on national expert guideline releases, to remain current with standards of care. This includes the continuous monitoring of peer-reviewed journals, national expert panels, government agency guideline updates, and feedback from health care clients. When urgent updates are required, such as following a major clinical advancement that impacts patient education, an off-cycle, rapid update process is initiated.
Standard operating procedures for health content management consist of, but are not limited to:
Medical Review Triggers
- Monitoring of peer-reviewed publications
- Announcements by federal organizations or expert associations about medical advances or guideline changes or rapidly evolving medical information (e.g., pandemics)
- New or updated evidence-based medical guidelines identified by the WebMD Ignite Content Team
- Client and end-user feedback
- 24-month content review schedules
Medical Review
A rigorous medical review is designed to confirm the accuracy of the medical information and to ensure that it reflects the most current clinical best practices. Medical reviewers rely on the latest clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed literature, and standards of care, and clinical subject matter expert opinions. All content is reviewed on a 24 month cycle. In addition, all topics are monitored for significant guideline or evidence updates that may warrant earlier revisions. Content areas with evolving evidence are monitored in real time to ensure important changes in guidance are evaluated and addressed as needed. This ensures that content remains both accurate and relevant.
- Digital health education content is sourced by the author(s) and medical reviewers when developed, updated, or revised. Our writers use only evidence-based sources.
- Digital health education content, including interactive or self-management tools and multimedia content, undergoes two medical reviews.
- Digital health education content enters the medical review process every 24 months. Content enters its “first” medical review a few months prior to the expiration of the previous review date. The full two medical review process includes additional reviews: an editorial review, and translation. The clinician QA review is one of the two medical reviews. All of these check points may take several months to complete. Medical review dates are tracked and stored in WebMD Ignite’s CMS.
- Certain diseases and conditions that have ongoing medical research and frequent updates to treatment guidelines undergo additional medical review to remain current with standards of care.
- Where claims of therapeutic benefit are made and a specific source is not cited, these claims have been approved by our medical reviewers as being generally accepted medical practice or advice.
- Content is updated on an off-cycle basis when significant new medical knowledge or changes in medical guidelines occur, and when content errors (not spelling or grammar) are identified.
- During the 24-month medical review, at least one medical reviewer has clinical experience or expertise in the topic under review.
- Experts or specialists in the area pertaining to the disease, condition, or topic under review typically include licensed clinicians, such as physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals.
- For information on content development, including medical reviewers, authors, editors, and evidence-based information sourcing, please review our Digital Health Education Content Development and Sourcing Policy.
Editorial Review and Quality Assurance
Once medical reviews are completed, all content undergoes an editorial and quality assurance review. This step when requested ensures that content is polished for readability, corrected for spelling and grammar errors, and assessed for adherence to organizational writing and style standards. The editorial review also ensures that the content is accessible to a wide audience, including those with limited health literacy, making it easier for all users to understand and apply the information to their health care decisions.
Content Indexing for Search and Findability
As part of the content development process, all health content is indexed with health concepts that are part of our enterprise taxonomy. Each taxonomy concept has relevant medical codes, such as ICD-10, CPT, and MeSH, and keywords to help clients search for and find the right content. Content is also tagged with demographic metadata, including ages and sex assigned at birth.
Content Management System (CMS)
The medical, editorial, and QA review process for digital health education content is conducted through a CMS. The CMS allows for electronic content review and provides transparency and accountability by tracking all revisions, sources, updates, and edits made to health content, along with the date, author, content reviewer, and editor.
Third-Party Content Integration
Third-party content integration is another key aspect of this process. Content sourced from external vendors, such as drug databases is also subject to a stringent review process as internally generated materials. WebMD’s third-party vendors develop and assess content for editorial and clinical accuracy to ensure that all information is evidence-based and accurate.
Links
Digital health education sites may occasionally contain links to other health expert websites. Before including links in WebMD Ignite digital health education content, our medical reviewers or editors visit the linked site to determine whether it enhances the information contained in the content. Links are also reviewed during the medical review process and periodically as needed. WebMD Ignite uses an automated program, Siteimprove, to detect and report broken links on a weekly basis.
A pop-up window alerts the reader that they are being redirected, although users remain within the site environment. Please visit the Terms and Conditions policy for additional information and refer to the "Links to Other Internet Sites" section.
Hosting
Digital health education content can be hosted by WebMD Ignite servers, hosted on client servers, or delivered via web services or manual syndication. Revision of licensed digital health education content is permitted using a specific administrative tool provided to clients; however, if revisions are made by clients, the content will not be considered URAC accredited.
WebMD Ignite and its licensees do not collect information that tracks the reading history of individual visitors.
Digital Health Education Content Authors and Reviewers
WebMD Ignite has editors and authors who work as full-time employees, while others work on a freelance or contractual basis. The editorial staff brings extensive editing experience to ensure that content is understandable to readers with limited health and medical knowledge. For background information on medical reviewers, please review our policy—Digital Health Education Content Authors and Reviewers.
Accreditation Council Review
Our Quality Management Accreditation Council receives bi-annual reports on:
- Clinical updates made to accommodate new medical practices and knowledge or related to perceived medical inaccuracy.
- Client feedback.
- Quality management components, including accessibility.
General Inquiries or Feedback about our Health Content
To contact us, please email the Ignite Support Team at comments@webmd.net or call 1-800-706-9646 (Select option #1) between the hours of: 8am-5pm CST.
A response acknowledging client or consumer feedback emails will be sent within 24 hours on business days.
Reviewed, Revised and Approved by the Quality Management Accreditation Council: July 2026
