A public profile is built to be copied.
Search engines index it. AI systems may quote it. Patients share it. Archives can preserve it after the original changes.
That is useful when the information is professional, accurate, and meant to travel. It is dangerous when private or patient information slips in.
Publish the practice, not the physician’s private life
A professional profile may need a business address, office phone, professional email, credentials, biography, and practice links.
It usually does not need:
- A home address
- A personal mobile number
- A personal email used for password recovery
- Family names or children’s details
- Birth date
- Travel schedule
- Copies of identity documents
- Personal calendar links
Use role-based practice contacts where possible. Keep account-recovery information private and separate from public contact fields.
Do not upload patient information casually
Patient privacy risk is not limited to a name or medical-record number. A face, voice, date, unusual procedure, location, or combination of details can identify a person.
Do not upload patient photographs, testimonials, procedure footage, case summaries, messages, or before-and-after media unless you have every required authorization and a clear professional reason to publish it.
HIPAA applies to covered entities and business associates and protects individually identifiable health information. HHS provides an overview of the rule and cautions that regulated entities must meet all applicable requirements. See the HHS Privacy Rule summary.
Even when HIPAA does not apply to a particular person or platform, privacy, confidentiality, contract, licensing, advertising, and state-law obligations may still apply.
Treat the AI writer as an external draft tool
Do not paste patient notes, internal incident details, credentialing documents, or confidential employer material into a profile-writing assistant.
Before using an AI feature, know:
- What data is sent
- Which vendor receives it
- How long it is retained
- Whether it is used for model training
- Who can delete it
- Whether a business associate agreement exists when one is required
If those answers are unclear, do not enter sensitive information.
Keep access narrow
Practice accounts should use:
- Individual logins, not one shared password
- Multi-factor authentication when available
- Role-based permissions
- Prompt removal of former staff
- An activity history for material edits
- A documented owner for each physician profile
The physician should know who can edit public claims under the physician’s name.
Separate marketing from health-search data
A health directory can collect sensitive signals even when it does not collect medical records. A search for an oncologist, a condition, or a procedure may reveal health interests.
Do not send those searches to advertising pixels or use them for retargeting. The FTC and HHS have warned that tracking technologies can disclose sensitive health information and create legal risk even outside traditional clinical records. See the joint FTC-HHS tracking warning.
Use a pre-publication checklist
Before publishing any field or media, ask:
- Is it accurate?
- Is it necessary?
- Is it professional rather than private?
- Do I have the right and authorization to publish it?
- Would I be comfortable if it were copied outside this platform?
If one answer is no, stop.
Guide.md should make professional information easier to find. It should not make private information easier to lose.
CTA: Review every public contact field and every uploaded image before you add more content.
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