Editorial Policy for StayWell or Krames Consumer Health Library

Digital health content on StayWell Consumer Health Library (also known as SCHL or StayWell Solutions® Online) or Krames (also known as Krames Consumer Health Library [CHL] or Krames CHL) comes from a variety of sources, both internal and third-party licensees.

Our Terms and Conditions policy governs the use of SCHL or Krames CHL and its content. This agreement should be read carefully and completely before using the SCHL or Krames CHL and applying for any services detailed on the website.

Content that is created or commissioned by StayWell/Krames is done independently, with no commercial ties to any product or service, and with no subsidies from any private or government institution.

Freelance authors commissioned by StayWell/Krames are required to review and sign our Conflict of Interest policy to assure StayWell/Krames that they represent no product or service that has the potential of influencing what they write. StayWell/Krames and its licensees do not collect any information that tracks the reading history of individual visitors.

Digital health content management

StayWell and Krames define health content as content that focuses on diseases, conditions, tests, treatments, and procedures. Digital health content has two medical reviews. Digital health content will enter the medical review process every 24 months. Digital health content enters its “first” medical review two (2) months prior to the expiration of the last review date and the medical review process - two medical reviews, a QA process (clinician review), an editorial review, and translation - may take up to six months to complete. Dates of medical reviews are tracked and stored in StayWell/Krames Content Management System (CMS). Certain diseases and conditions that have ongoing medical research and frequent updates to treatment guidelines are medically reviewed more often to remain current with standards of care. 

Please note: Digital health content can be hosted by StayWell/Krames servers, hosted on the client’s servers, or delivered via Web services or manual syndication. Revision of licensed digital health content is permitted with a specific administrative tool obtained by clients to meet their needs, but if revision to licensed health content occurs, the content will not be considered URAC-accredited.

StayWell and Krames commitment is to provide clients and their end users with accurate, timely, and understandable information. We focus on diseases, conditions, tests, and procedures. Our goal is to promote understanding and management of health conditions and wellness. StayWell and Krames are dedicated to developing health communication solutions that are evidence-based, easy to understand and behavioral-change focused.

Digital health content is developed using clinicians - independent contractors or third-party vendors contracted by The StayWell Company, LLC - whose expertise falls in the content area under development. We aim to develop content consistent with evidence-based medicine and nationally accepted guidelines and standards of practice. StayWell and Krames research methods, include, but are not limited to, reviewing journal articles, practice guidelines, and subscription databases; consulting with medical experts; and attending health care association meetings and conferences with both practitioners and end-users of our products. For information on content development, please review our Evidence-Based Health Content Development Policy. Standard operating procedures for health content management consist of, but are not limited to, the following:

Medical Review Triggers  

• Monitoring of peer-reviewed publications

• Announcements of medical advances by federal organizations

• New or updated evidence-based medical guidelines identified by the Digital Content Team

• Client and end-user feedback

• Editorial/Medical review schedule(s)

Medical Review Process

• Digital health content is sourced by the author(s) and medical reviewers when developed, updated, or revised. Our writers use only evidence-based information. 

• Digital health content, including interactive or self-management tools and multimedia content, has two medical reviews. 

• Digital health content will enter the medical review process every 24 months. Digital health content enters its “first” medical review two (2) months prior to the expiration of the last review date and the medical review process - two medical reviews, a QA process (clinician review), an editorial review, and translation - may take up to six months to complete. Dates of medical reviews are tracked and stored in StayWell/Krames CMS. Certain diseases and conditions that have ongoing medical research and frequent updates to treatment guidelines are medically reviewed more often to remain current with standards of care.  

• Content is updated immediately when significant new medical knowledge or change(s) in medical guidelines occur, and when content errors (not spelling or grammar) are identified.

• Two medical reviews are performed on digital health content. At least one of the medical reviewers is an expert or specialist in the area pertaining to the disease, condition, or topic under review.

• Experts or specialists in the area pertaining to the disease, condition, or topic under review usually consist of, but not limited to, the following clinicians: medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, dentists, dietitians, pharmacists, social workers, psychiatrists, advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), or physician assistants (PA).

• Editorial reviews of digital health content occur after the two medical reviews are completed to assess the reading and literacy levels of the health content; to correct misspellings or errors in grammar; and to maintain StayWell/Krames writing and style guides for digital health content.

• StayWell and Krames digital health content - whether existing and being updated or new - is intelligently indexed and mapped to MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) concepts as a common keyword scheme. MeSH is an industry-standard vocabulary maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

Content Management System

• The medical review process for StayWell and Krames digital health content is conducted through a Content Management System (CMS). The CMS allows for electronic content review and tracking.

• It also serves as a mechanism to track and save revisions, sources, updates, and edits made to health content, as well as the date, author, health content reviewer, and editor.

Links

Digital health content in SCHL or Krames CHL may contain links to other websites. Before inclusion (links) in StayWell or Krames digital health content, our medical reviewers or editors visit the linked site to determine if it enhances the information contained in the content. Links are also reviewed during the medical review process (for digital health content) and periodically throughout the year as needed. StayWell and Krames employ a weekly, automatic program - Siteimprove - to detect and report broken links.

Links are displayed via a pop-up window or iframe. Users do not leave SCHL or Krames CHL. Please visit our Advertising and Sponsorship policy and refer to the "Links to Other Internet Sites" section of our Terms and Conditions policy for additional information .

Support for claims of therapeutic benefit

StayWell and Krames digital health content is reviewed by our Digital Content Team and subject matter experts who are independent contractors or third-party vendors employed by The StayWell Company, LLC. Where claims of therapeutic benefit are made and the specific source of the claim is not cited, these claims have been approved by our medical reviewers as being generally accepted medical practice or advice. For additional information, please review the "Use of Information and Resources" section in our Terms and Conditions policy.

Digital health content creation

Medical Reviewers, Authors, and Editors

Most of the editors and authors work as full-time employees at The StayWell Company, LLC, and some work on a free-lance or contractual basis. The editorial staff brings an average of over 10 years of editing experience and ensures that content can be understood by readers with limited knowledge of health and medical issues. For background information on medical reviewers, please review our policy - Digital Health Content Reviewers for StayWell and Krames Consumer Health Library.

Sourcing

Our writers use only evidence-based information. Evidence-based sources come from major physicians' organizations, published research articles and books, mainstream advocacy groups such as the American Heart Association, government agencies, and industry groups (where appropriate). Our digital health content is sourced and dated when edited or updated. For additional information on our editorial policy, please review Evidence-Based Health Content Development Policy for StayWell and Krames Consumer Health Library.

StayWell Solutions Online or Krames CHL content set

SCHL or Krames CHL uses the set of content types or assets listed in the table below. Other SCHL or Krames CHL products may use relevant portions of these assets.

Questions about our policies and general inquiries

Please email us at [email protected] or call 877-330-3796 and select Option #1 for additional information about STAYWELL or KRAMES.

We respond to clients within 24 hours on business days. 

Reviewed and Approved by the Quality Oversight Committee:  Q4 2022

Revised: October 2022