Editorial Process & Standards

Our mission for health content

At pin.health, we believe that access to accurate, clinically rigorous health information is foundational to living well. Too often, people encounter health content that is vague, commercially motivated, or simply wrong — and the cost can be real.

Our content exists for one purpose: to give you a clear, honest, and evidence-based picture of your health. Whether you are reading about a symptom, exploring a condition, or trying to understand what a blood test result means, our editorial standards ensure that what you read reflects current medical knowledge — reviewed by qualified physicians, not just published for the sake of it.

A note on medical advice. The information on pin.health is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional regarding your personal health situation.

Who writes our content

Our content team includes experienced health writers with backgrounds in science communication, journalism, and clinical practice. Writers who contribute to pin.health are selected for their ability to translate complex medical and scientific information into clear, accurate, and genuinely useful language.

Every article carries a byline identifying the author and, separately, the physician who reviewed it. We believe in transparency about who is behind our content — not as a formality, but because you deserve to know the people responsible for the information you are reading.

Our editorial process

Every piece of content on pin.health follows a structured production and review process before publication. Nothing goes live without completing each stage.

1. Research & drafting
   A health writer researches the topic using peer-reviewed literature, clinical guidelines, and authoritative medical sources. A structured draft is produced with all claims sourced and citations prepared.
   
2. Medical writer & editor review
   A medically-trained editor reviews the draft for clinical accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Citations are verified. Any unsupported or unclear claims are revised or removed at this stage.
   
3. Physician medical review
   A licensed physician with relevant clinical expertise independently reviews the article for medical accuracy. They may amend content, add clinical context, or request revisions before the article advances.
   
4. U.S.-licensed physician sign-off
   A U.S.-licensed physician provides final approval. Their name and credentials appear on the published article. No article publishes without this step.
   
5. Editorial quality check & publication
   A final editorial review ensures formatting, readability, and accuracy before publication. The article is then added to our scheduled review cycle.

Medical review standards

Medical review is not a formality at pin.health. Every physician who reviews our content meets specific qualifications, and their involvement is substantive — not a rubber stamp.

Reviewer qualifications:

• Active, unrestricted medical license in the United States
• MD or DO degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum three years of post-residency clinical experience
• Specialty alignment with the content being reviewed, where applicable
• No financial conflicts of interest that could influence review outcomes

What reviewers are responsible for:

• Verifying all clinical claims against current evidence and accepted guidelines
• Ensuring reference ranges, diagnostic criteria, and condition descriptions reflect current medical standards
• Adding appropriate caveats where evidence is limited, evolving, or contested
• Correcting or removing any content that could mislead or cause harm
• Providing final written approval before an article is published under their name

How we source information

We hold our sources to strict standards. Clinical claims on pin.health are grounded in the highest-quality evidence available. References are cited at the bottom of every article so you can read the underlying research yourself.

Primary	Peer-reviewed research PubMed-indexed journals including NEJM, JAMA, The Lancet, BMJ, and specialty journals. These are our primary and preferred sources for all clinical claims.
Guidelines	Clinical & professional guidelines American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, CDC, NIH, and equivalent bodies.
Institutional	Recognized medical institutions Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard Health — used for contextual reference, not as primary evidence.
Data	Government health data CDC, NIH, FDA, and CMS for statistics, regulatory information, and population-level health data.

We do not cite Wikipedia, general news media, social media, or non-peer-reviewed blogs as evidence for health claims.

What we cover

pin.health publishes four types of health content, each with its own specific editorial standards and required elements.

Symptoms Library

Evidence-based explanations of health symptoms — what they may indicate, when to seek care, and which tests are typically relevant.

Conditions Library

Comprehensive, clinically reviewed overviews of diseases and conditions, including pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management context.

Blood Tests & Biomarker Catalog

Clinical reference pages for each biomarker we test — what it measures, what results mean, and what influences them.

Health Insights Blog

Science-based perspectives on preventive health, longevity, nutrition, and biomarker optimization — grounded in research, not trends.

How we use technology in our editorial work

Our physicians and medical writers are the authors of everything on pin.health. The medical expertise, clinical judgment, and accuracy of every article rests entirely with them.

We use AI tools to support the editorial process — not to replace it. Technology helps our team work more precisely: ensuring consistent plain-language writing, flagging terminology that may be unclear to a general audience, surfacing relevant research, and aligning content with our editorial style. The substance — every clinical claim, every interpretation, every recommendation — is the work of qualified medical professionals.

AI assists with	Always performed by our medical team
Plain-language consistency and readability checks	All clinical claims and medical accuracy
Surfacing relevant research literature during drafting	Interpretation of research findings
Editorial style and terminology alignment	Determining what is clinically appropriate to publish
Structural consistency across content types	Evergreen content reviewed every 24 months; topical content reviewed within 6 months.
Identifying gaps in topic coverage	Every byline, sign-off, and published credential

Every article on pin.health is substantively reviewed and approved by a U.S.-licensed physician. Their name and credentials appear on the article because the content reflects their clinical judgment — and they are accountable for it.

How we keep content current

Medical knowledge evolves. Guidelines change. Studies are updated. Our content should reflect the best available evidence at any given time — not what was accurate when an article was first written.

Every article on pin.health carries a publication date and a last-reviewed date. We maintain a scheduled review cycle for all content and update articles whenever significant changes in evidence or clinical guidelines require it.

Content Type	Review Schedule
Symptoms Library	Reviewed at minimum every 12 months
Conditions Library	Reviewed at minimum every 12 months, or sooner if guidelines change
Biomarkers Catalog	Reviewed every 28 months, or upon any change to reference standards
Health Insights Blog	Evergreen content reviewed every 24 months; topical content reviewed within 6 months.

If you believe you have found an error or outdated information in one of our articles, please contact us. We take these reports seriously and investigate promptly.

What we don’t do

Defining what we won’t publish is as important as defining what we will. Our editorial independence depends on clear limits.

We do not diagnose.	Our content describes conditions and symptoms for educational purposes. It never implies that you do or do not have a condition based on what you read.
We do not prescribe.	We may describe how conditions are typically treated in a clinical context, but we do not recommend specific medications, dosages, or treatment plans for individuals.
We do not use alarmist language.	Content is written to inform, not to frighten. We do not dramatize risk or use language designed to cause health anxiety.
We do not let commercial interests shape editorial content.	Pin Health’s testing services may be referenced contextually where genuinely relevant, but content is never written to drive sign-ups. Editorial decisions are made independently.
We do not publish claims we cannot support.	If robust evidence does not exist for a claim, we say so — or we don’t make the claim.

Reach our editorial team

We welcome questions, corrections, and feedback about our content. If you believe something we have published is inaccurate, outdated, or unclear, please let us know. Our editorial team reviews all submissions.