As licensed acupuncturists, many of us practice as independent contractors, often working within collaborative settings such as private medical clinics or fertility clinics. One common example is the growing presence of acupuncturists working in IVF clinics, offering interventions during fertility treatment cycles, egg retrievals and embryo transfers.
These partnerships are often fruitful for patients and the providers involved. However, working within another practice’s infrastructure raises questions that extend beyond patient care. Among them: Who owns the marketing copy that describes your work?
In today’s digital world, marketing materials – whether on a website, social media or printed brochures – play a central role in how patients find you, trust you and engage with your care. But these materials can also create ethical gray areas, particularly when multiple providers work under one brand or practice name.
If you’ve written the marketing copy yourself, or if it reflects your specific qualifications, training or certifications, does it belong to you? And can another acupuncturist use your copy if you leave the clinic?
The Common Scenario
Consider this scenario: You are an independent contractor providing acupuncture services at a fertility clinic. You’ve written marketing language for the website and brochures, describing your education, your unique approach to reproductive medicine, and even including reference to your ABORM certification or research background. It’s professional, evidence-based and aligned with the patient population.
Eventually, your contract ends and another acupuncturist is brought in to fill your role. The clinic leaves your copy intact – or worse, only changes your name and continues using language that reflects your specific credentials or clinical voice. The new practitioner does not share your training, yet patients are now under the impression they are receiving the same level of expertise.
This practice is more common than many realize – and it can be deeply problematic, both ethically and legally.
Why This Matters
The language we use to represent our work is an extension of our clinical identity. When that language is reused without permission, particularly when it misrepresents the background of another acupuncturist, it can lead to patient confusion, professional misrepresentation and even potential liability.
Furthermore, as acupuncturists working in integrative or medical settings, we must align not only with state licensing regulations, but also with broader ethical standards seen in healthcare environments. Misrepresenting credentials or experience – intentionally or by omission – can breach these standards.
Marketing copy that includes your specialized knowledge, philosophy of care, continuing education, and certifications should be considered intellectual property – and treated as such.
Best Practices to Protect Your Work
Here are steps acupuncturists can take to ethically and professionally protect their contributions to marketing copy in collaborative settings:
1. Clarify Ownership from the Start: When joining a clinic or collaborative practice, clarify who owns the content that describes your services. If you are writing or contributing to marketing materials, include a clause in your contract or service agreement that specifies your contribution remains your intellectual property and cannot be used or transferred without your written consent.
2. Use Your Name Clearly: When you contribute to marketing copy, make sure it’s attributed to you personally – especially when describing unique training or credentials. This can help avoid confusion if another provider takes your place after your departure.
3. Avoid Boilerplate Copy Sharing: Some clinics will ask for generalized marketing copy to use for “all acupuncturists,” but in doing so, your carefully developed language may become repurposed and redistributed – without context or attribution. If you are asked to provide general text, keep it neutral; reserve your more personal or nuanced language for your own website.
4. Maintain Documentation: Keep a file of all marketing materials you’ve written or contributed to, with timestamps and dates. This can serve as proof of authorship should a dispute arise. Tools like cloud storage, Google Docs version history, or email records can provide useful documentation.
5. Be Mindful of Ethical Implications: Even if your contract is silent on ownership, consider the ethical lens: Would it be acceptable for another practitioner to represent themselves using your language if they don’t have your training or experience? Would the patient be misled? In medicine, transparency and honesty are cornerstones of trust. Acupuncturists must uphold those same standards.
6. When You Leave, Take Your Voice With You: If you part ways with a clinic, do a final review of its public-facing materials. Politely request the removal or revision of any content that references your credentials or was written by you. Most reputable clinics will comply. If not, document the request in writing and consider consulting a healthcare attorney if necessary.
Collective Responsibility in Collaborative Care
Ultimately, both individual acupuncturists and the clinics they partner with share responsibility for ethical marketing. Clinics must ensure that marketing materials accurately represent the qualifications of their current staff. Acupuncturists, on the other hand, must protect their own voice and avoid allowing others to co-opt their credentials, training or written work.
The goal is not to gatekeep or isolate knowledge, but to maintain integrity in how we present our work to the public. In reproductive medicine and other sensitive fields, patients are often vulnerable and deeply invested in the care they receive. They deserve transparency – not only in treatment, but also in the way care is described and delivered.
Final Thoughts
As the role of acupuncture continues to expand within medical settings, our profession must mature in parallel – not only in terms of clinical excellence but also in business practices, ethics and professional boundaries. Protecting your written contributions is one small but important step in ensuring that your practice – and our field – is represented with clarity, respect and honesty.
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