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Social Media Without Regret
Social media can show a community who your practice really is. It can also expose a patient, end a career or turn a physician into an influencer for products they shouldn't promote. Here are the professional guardrails and a simple plan.
Start here: the questions this brief answers
Tap a question for the short answer, then jump to the evidence.
Social media is a window into your practice, so treat it like one. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics says physicians must not post identifiable patient information, should consider separating personal and professional content, should keep patient boundaries online and should monitor their own presence. In 2024 the AMA added guidance on paid promotion: publicly disclose any financial interests related to your social media content, and make sure health information is accurate based on professional judgment. HHS has settled with practices that disclosed patient information while replying online. Post about your team, your community and useful local health information. Never post patients without written authorization, never argue with reviewers, and disclose every paid relationship.
“Social media won't build your practice by itself, but it can show your community who you are when you're not in the exam room. Post like your patients are reading, because they are.”
What does the AMA say about physicians on social media?
Don't post identifiable patient information, consider separating personal and professional accounts, keep patient boundaries, and monitor your online presence.
Go to the full answer ↓Can I promote products on social media?
The AMA's 2024 guidance says to publicly disclose any financial interests related to your content and keep health information accurate. FTC rules also require disclosing material connections.
Go to the full answer ↓Can I share patient photos or stories?
Only with the patient's written HIPAA authorization, approved by your compliance adviser. See Brief No. 72.
Go to the full answer ↓What should a practice post?
Your team, community involvement, useful local health information and the story of why you practice the way you do. Part 3 has a plan.
Go to the full answer ↓The profession's guardrails
Every post is a small window into your practice. Before you post, ask: would I be comfortable if every patient, colleague and board member saw this?
The AMA Code of Medical Ethics offers clear guardrails.1 Policy and Law
Protect privacy
Physicians “must refrain from posting identifiable patient information online.” Privacy settings aren't absolute, and content can persist.
Separate roles
Physicians “should consider separating personal and professional content online.”
Keep boundaries
When interacting with patients online, physicians “must maintain appropriate boundaries of the patient-physician relationship.”
Watch your presence
Physicians should “routinely monitor their own Internet presence,” including what others post about them.
Source: AMA Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 2.3.2.1
Influencers, products and patient stories
In 2024 the AMA’s ethics council amended its guidance for physicians who promote products or are paid for social content. Physicians should “publicly disclose any financial interests related to their social media content” and, when sharing health information, “ensure that such information is useful and accurate based on professional medical judgment.” The report warns against lending professional credibility to products without good evidence.2 Policy and Law
The FTC says the same about endorsements generally: disclose connections consumers wouldn’t expect, including payment or free products.3
And patient stories need written HIPAA authorization (Brief No. 72). Replies to reviewers that reveal patient details have led to HHS settlements (Brief No. 70).4
After nearly 25 years of answering critics and curious reporters, Michael Tetreault’s advice to physicians online borrows from Ron Burgundy: “Keep it classy.” He also shares author Jon Acuff’s test for criticism: if it cost the critic something, it may be a gift; if it cost them nothing, move on.
From Branded (2025).5
A simple, safe content plan
| Post about | Example | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Your team | A new nurse's first week; the front desk's birthday tradition | Staff consent to photos |
| Your community | A walk you led, a school team you sponsor, a local cause | Patients visible in crowd photos |
| Useful local health info | Flu clinic dates, heat safety this week, where to find a pharmacy open late | Accuracy; no individual advice |
| Why you practice this way | A short video of your physician explaining what members get | Outcome promises |
| Patient stories | Only with written authorization (Brief No. 72) | HIPAA, FTC typical-results rules |
CMT original guidance informed by AMA and FTC guidance.1,
Write it down
Write a one-page policy
Who can post for the practice, what's off limits, how to handle comments and reviews. Have your compliance adviser approve it.
Separate accounts
Keep personal and practice accounts separate, as the AMA suggests.
Disclose everything paid
Any sponsorship, free product or affiliate link gets a clear disclosure.
Never reply with details
Take every patient conversation offline.
- Search your own name and practice name. Note anything inaccurate.
- Draft a one-page social media policy.
- Plan four posts for next month: team, community, local health info, your why.
The best social content shows your community work. Plan that work first.
Free. No sign-up. Your answers stay in your browser. Step 3 of CMT's Learn, Build, Lead tools. It helps you pick the patient segments that fit your practice, find where they are, plan conversations with local physicians, check that your message sounds like care rather than a pitch, and leave with a 90-day plan.
This brief is educational and is not legal advice. HIPAA, FTC rules, state medical board guidance and employment law may apply to social media. Consult qualified advisers.
Protect privacy
No identifiable patient information, ever, without authorization.
Disclose money
Every paid relationship, every time.
Show your community
Team, town, useful information, your why.
How this brief was built
This brief draws on AMA Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 2.3.2 and the 2024 CEJA report amending it, HHS Office for Civil Rights enforcement records, FTC business guidance on endorsements, and CMT's Branded (2025). The content plan is CMT original guidance. State medical board guidance on social media varies and is not summarized here.
How to read the evidence types
Every key finding is labeled by evidence type. Labels describe the type of evidence, not its value. Each type answers different questions. Funding is disclosed on every source.
Randomized trials and systematic reviews.Best for cause and effect.
Large observational studies and government data.Best for trends at scale.
Surveys, smaller studies and expert consensus.Best for real-world experience.
Company-sponsored or company-reported data that is not peer-reviewed.Best for early signals and operating data.
Statutes, regulation and official guidance.Best for what is required.
What we don't know
- Whether social media activity drives enrollment in membership practices; no published data was found.
- How state medical boards in your state treat specific social media conduct.
How to cite this brief
External review: this brief has not yet been reviewed by an outside expert. When review is complete, the reviewer is credited by name above with any conflicts of interest, and the version number is updated. Reviewers check accuracy and fairness; CMT is responsible for the final content.
Corrections policy: when an error is identified, CMT corrects it in the open and updates the version number above. Send corrections to the editor through conciergemedicinetoday.net.
Related CMT Research Briefs
References
- American Medical Association. Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 2.3.2: Professionalism in the use of social media. code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association ethics policy)
- American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. CEJA Report 4-A-24: Physicians' use of social media for product promotion and compensation (Opinion 2.3.2 amended November 2024). code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association ethics council report)
- Federal Trade Commission. The FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking (business guidance). May 2015; Endorsement Guides revised in 2023. www.ftc.govFunding: federal (Federal Trade Commission publication)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Resolution agreement: B. Brandon Au, DDS, Inc., doing business as New Vision Dental ($23,000; disclosures of patient information in responses to online reviews). December 14, 2022. www.hhs.govFunding: federal (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publication)
- Tetreault M. Branded: The Concierge Medicine Doctor. Softcover edition. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC; 2025. Includes CMT online polls the publisher describes as not scientific.Funding: Concierge Medicine Today (self-published; no outside funder) CMT original
Educational and informational only. This CMT Research Brief does not constitute medical, legal, tax, financial, accounting or other professional advice, and it does not create a professional relationship of any kind. Statements about laws, regulations, tax rules and payer policies are general, may not reflect the rules in your state, and can change after publication. Consult a qualified attorney, accountant, tax adviser, compliance professional or licensed clinician before acting on anything here.
Independence. Concierge Medicine Today is an independent publication. It does not accept payment for favorable coverage, and it does not favor one practice model over another. Company names and products are mentioned for context only and are not endorsements. Funding is disclosed for every source in the reference list.
Accuracy. CMT verifies figures against their original or best available sources at the time of publication. Where a figure is an estimate, an inference or a company-reported number, the brief says so. This content is not without possible error or omission.
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