Healthgrades provides complete, objective and meaningful health information across digital platforms to help people choose the right doctor, right hospital and right care. Millions of people come to Healthgrades to compare providers, review hospital quality, make appointments with clinical providers, prepare for their healthcare appointments, and research our comprehensive health and wellness information.
Healthgrades is the long-standing leader in making information on hospitals and providers more accessible and transparent. Our hospital performance ratings, clinical outcomes, and patient safety data provide an objective view of quality in America’s hospitals. Combined with our in-depth provider profiles, personalized decision tools, and credible health content, you can research, select and connect with a provider or hospital that fits your specific healthcare needs.
Our Right Care Centers provide condition, treatment and wellness content to help keep you in your best health. Whether you’re researching a specific symptom, condition or procedure, or you’re simply seeking information on staying healthy, you’ll find the information you need at Healthgrades.
The Healthgrades Editorial Policy is guided by five pillars of editorial integrity in all content we produce and publish. Those five pillars are: accuracy, objectivity, timeliness, transparency and privacy.
The condition, treatment and wellness content published on Healthgrades is developed according to a rigorous editorial process that includes extensive review by medical professionals. Our content, however, is not intended to provide medical care. For specific medical advice, diagnoses and treatment, always consult your doctor. All information on Healthgrades is for educational purposes only.
All condition, treatment and wellness content is medically reviewed by at least one medical professional. Our content is backed by evidence from sources, such as articles in peer-reviewed journals, government health and medical organizations, objective health organizations, and groups of medical specialists. The name and credentials of the medical reviewer are printed at the end of each article.
Healthgrades also collects data and other information regarding hospitals, doctors, and other providers of healthcare services from a variety of industry-recognized sources. We use proprietary processes and algorithms to select, compile and adjust the data to generate our hospital ratings. White papers, available on Healthgrades.com, offer transparency into our rating methodology.
Our mission is to provide the most objective and accurate health information that is both practical and relevant for a wide variety of health topics. It is important to use the information for educational purposes only, not as health or medical advice. You should always talk with your healthcare professional to discuss any questions you have about your medical condition or treatment.
Our condition, treatment and wellness content is medically reviewed once every two years. Updates occur as required by medical advances. The most recent review date is posted at the end of each article.
We update Healthgrades hospital ratings and awards annually. We update doctor and provider information nearly daily. Doctors and other healthcare providers can also update their profiles to provide the latest information about their areas of expertise, conditions treated, and procedures performed.
Healthgrades is committed to transparency in all of our content: editorial, sponsored, user-generated, and provider-generated. We accomplish this by:
- Publishing the sources of our editorial content
- Clearly labeling sponsored, user-generated, and provider-generated content
- Displaying the number of responses to our provider reviews
- Disclosing our hospital ratings methodology through published white papers
About Licensed Content
When Healthgrades licenses editorial content from third-parties for publication on our site, our staff reviews the third-party’s editorial practices to ensure consistency with Healthgrades editorial policies and standards. All licensed content is labeled as originating from the third-party.
About Third-party Advertisers
Healthgrades.com and Healthgrades mobile products are free offerings supported by advertisements. All advertisements are clearly marked with the word “Advertisement” or “AD.”
Additionally, we clearly identify all content that is provided by third-party advertisers. Content provided by third-party advertisers is not subject to the Healthgrades Editorial Policy. The Healthgrades editorial staff does not control, influence or endorse this content. The language used to identify content created by a third-party advertiser includes:
- From Our Sponsor
- From Our Partner
- From Our Advertiser
- Sponsored
- Advertisement
Certain content packages may be editorially managed by the Healthgrades staff, and funded by third-party advertisers. In these cases, the following attribution will appear at the top of the page: This content is created by the Healthgrades and brought to you by an advertising sponsor.
You can click on the link to view this complete explanation of the editorial independence from advertising partners:
This content is created or selected by the Healthgrades editorial team and is funded by an advertising partner. The content is subject to the Healthgrades medical review process for accuracy, timeliness and objectivity. The content is not edited or otherwise influenced by the advertisers appearing on this page, except with the possible suggestion of the broad topic area. For more information, read the Healthgrades Advertising Policy.
Find more information about the Healthgrades Advertising Policy.
About User-Generated Content
Throughout Healthgrades, users are encouraged to add their voices to our content by:
- Posting Health Stories
- Taking a nine-question survey about providers (including an open-text comment question, sometimes referred to as a review)
- Writing provider reviews about the care received
- Providing additional content about experiences with healthcare professionals
Each of these opportunities allows our users to share their personal opinions in the form of real-life health experiences and personal stories. Content supplied by users is not governed by this Editorial Policy, but all user content is reviewed for compliance with our business and privacy rules. Content that does not meet our business and privacy rules will not be posted to Healthgrades. We do not edit or medically review user-generated content for medical accuracy. All patient reviews are attributed to the individual author, when available. You can flag inappropriate reviews by clicking on the link at the bottom of each post.
Examples of user-generated content that will not be posted to Healthgrades include:
- Hateful or vulgar language
- Comments not related to the health experience or quality of care received
- Illegal, controversial or objectionable activities
- Content that discriminates against, ridicules or disparages an individual or group on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or any other status that the Healthgrades editorial team deems inappropriate
- Marketing material that directly advertises a service or a product
- Personal information including but not limited to phone number, address, and email address
- Personal website links or mentions
- Mentions or endorsements of specific brands including pharmaceuticals
- Content that mentions another patient or potential patient by full name
- Pictures that you do not have the rights to use or distribute; or inappropriate pictures or videos
- Content that is deemed unproductive, off-topic or inappropriate by Healthgrades in its sole discretion
- Content that is deemed obscene or graphic by Healthgrades in its sole discretion
About Provider-Generated Content
Healthgrades allows medical providers with a registered Healthgrades account to upload content to the Healthgrades website and mobile products. This content can be in the form of “About Me” videos, articles, slideshows, and calendared-events. All provider-generated content is clearly attributed to the contributor. Additionally, the Healthgrades editorial staff may solicit content from provider contributors and publish it throughout the Healthgrades digital platforms. Provider-generated content is not reviewed by the Healthgrades editorial staff for accuracy. Provider-generated content should not be construed as medical advice. For specific medical advice, diagnoses and treatment, always consult your doctor.
Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. has developed a privacy policy for the benefit of the users of its website and mobile products, to demonstrate our serious commitment to protecting privacy. Find more information about the Healthgrades Privacy Policy.
Healthgrades may update this Editorial Policy from time to time in its sole discretion.
Last Updated: November 22, 2022