Clinical Governance Standard
Medical Review Policy & Clinical Standards
Last updated: October 2026 • Lead Reviewer: Dr. Sarah Jenkins, MD, MPH
Mandatory Standard: Every article making therapeutic, biological, or pharmacological assertions must be reviewed by an accredited medical doctor (MD/DO), clinical researcher, or registered specialist prior to publication.
1The Four-Stage Clinical Workflow
- Drafting & Evidence Gathering: Authors assemble peer-reviewed citations from indexed databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Medline).
- Editorial Peer Review: Health editors verify readability, terminology accuracy, and formatting compliance.
- Medical Review: A licensed physician or specialized clinician scrutinizes claims for physiological accuracy, contraindications, and clinical nuance.
- Publication & Annual Re-Verification: Published articles receive an official Medical Review Badge and enter a recurring re-verification queue.
2Qualifications of Our Medical Reviewers
HCD Health medical reviewers must hold active, unencumbered clinical or academic credentials:
- Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) with active board certification.
- PhD in biochemistry, pharmacology, neuroscience, or human physiology from an accredited research institution.
- Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) or licensed physical therapist for specialized metabolic and nutritional topics.
3Physician Independence & Absolute Veto Authority
Medical reviewers act with complete clinical independence. Reviewers receive fixed professional stipends that never correlate with product evaluations, affiliate commissions, or reader conversion rates. If a reviewer flags an assertion as unsubstantiated or potentially misleading, the editorial board must rectify or retract the statement immediately.