Accountability
The standards behind everything The Heather Cutler Foundation publishes — our articles, guides, reports and statements, and how we handle it when something needs correcting.
Our publications are written by the Foundation's authors — directors, volunteers and student researchers — not by one person. Contributors are credited for their work, and the Foundation holds editorial responsibility for everything published under its name.
Every factual claim we publish traces to a verified source — official records, government and agency publications, and published research. Sources are named in plain language on the page. If a figure cannot be verified, we label it clearly or leave it out; we do not publish guesses as facts.
The Foundation is recruiting its Medical Advisory Committee, and clinical review is being built into our process as that committee forms. Material published before review was in place may not have been clinically reviewed. Where a publication has been reviewed, it will say so on the page. The verified-sources standard applies to everything, reviewed or not.
Our content explains conditions, treatments and systems so readers can have better conversations with their own care teams. It is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician who knows your situation. See our medical disclaimer.
Financial or in-kind support does not purchase influence over our findings, report-card grades, policy positions or editorial decisions, and the Foundation does not publish sponsored content or paid placements. Relevant support and potential conflicts are disclosed.
We use AI tools to assist with research and drafting. Every publication is reviewed by a person before it appears, the Foundation takes responsibility for the final text, and AI is never credited as an author.
Grades and ratings in our publications are the Foundation's assessment of the documented policies and programs within a stated scope and assessment period. They are not official government ratings or ratings of individual clinicians or hospitals.
When we get something wrong, we correct it in place and date the correction on the page, so readers can see what changed. Reports and publications carry their assessment dates for the same reason.