Conflict of Interest policy
Conflicts of interest can arise when individuals who work for, or are engaged on behalf of, an organization engage in activities that interfere with, or appear to supersede, the interests of that organization, its customers, or individuals and entities who may be affected by use of the organization’s offerings or services. UpToDate, Inc. is committed to minimizing conflicts of interest and ensuring public transparency in the provision of reliable, unbiased, evidence-based information to support a variety of diverse decisions made across the healthcare spectrum. UpToDate, Inc. has a policy and procedures in place to manage activities and interests that could impact, or may appear to impact, professional judgment concerning patient welfare or the validity of evidence selection, literature evaluation and interpretation, and content development. Collectively, this policy, and any associated procedures and disclosure documentation, as well as editorial processes help ensure the content of UpToDate Inc.’s offerings and services remain impartial and unbiased.
The continuing medical education/continuing education/continuing professional development (CME/CE/CPD) activities offered via UpToDate do not receive financial or in-kind support from an external organization. Although not all UpToDate products are offered as CME activities, we follow the same definitions and process for identifying and resolving financial relationships with ineligible companies for all products, as outlined in the guidelines of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and other CME/CE/CPD accrediting bodies.
UpToDate, Inc. has several key processes to identify and mitigate conflicts of interest. One is our multilayer editorial process, which includes multiple content reviewers and a requirement for the provision of references to support the clinical content that conforms to UpToDate standards of evidence. Another is to annually collect and review information from contributors on financial relationships within the previous two years with ineligible companies or other organizations that have the potential to bias the content.
Internal contributors (our employees) are not allowed to have any active financial relationships with ineligible companies that are relevant to the content to which they contribute. Any financial relationships within two years of employment are disclosed via a link on content that is eligible for CME/CE/CPD credit. For our external contributors (contractors), all disclosed financial relationships are reviewed. Members of the Conflicts of Interest Committee closely evaluate activities, affiliations, or financial relationships with ineligible companies that may preclude participation as a contributor to our content and determine if the relationships can be mitigated by our editorial process. Disclosures of relevant financial relationships that have been mitigated are displayed via a link on content that is eligible for CME/CE/CPD credit. Individuals whose financial relationships cannot be mitigated or who do not provide their disclosure information may not participate in the editorial process and are removed from the contributor pool. Employees of ineligible companies (or those with an equivalent role) are also not allowed to contribute to the content, regardless of whether there is a direct conflict. In addition, contributors in certain roles are prohibited from engaging in activities with other digital medical information products.
This policy was last reviewed on February 28, 2025.