RULES AND BEST PRACTICES

1. De-identify the patient by removing all of the patient’s identity, such as name, birth date, surgery date, etc., that might be displayed in the picture, x-ray, or the post. Blur out the patient’s face if necessary.  This is legally critical for meeting the HIPAA laws to protect patient’s privacy.
2. Discussion of off-label usage is strictly prohibited.
3. Avoid making any hyperbolic or misleading statements in the case description that are extraneous to the case in question, including sarcastic or humorous statements that may be misinterpreted.
4. Avoid any misleading or factually untrue statements being made about the product in the case in question.
5. Avoid any obscenity/vulgarity in your post or comments.
6. Avoid any conflict of interest in commenting or posting a case.
7. Refrain from identifying the name of a surgeon or any health care provider who has been previously involved in the diagnosis and/or performance of the surgery.
8. For revision cases, do not post or discuss a revised device that was used off-label.
9. Make no product or outcome claims, including, but not limited to, potential longevity of the implant, device characteristics or properties, and projected patient outcomes.

Best practices for revision posting:

1. Determine whether a traumatic event has occurred.
2. Confirm that the revision case is not involved in pending or filed litigation.
3. Determine whether the patient’s previous case was a primary case or a revision case.
4.  Determine and state the length of time since the previous surgery.
5. Determine and state the length of time since the implant failure event.