10 Common Writing Mistakes Healthcare IT Writers Must Avoid

Healthcare IT is a specialized field with its own terminology, abbreviations, and style conventions — and getting the details wrong can undermine your credibility with a well-informed audience. Whether you're writing white papers, case studies, or blog posts for healthcare technology clients, the same mistakes tend to crop up again and again.

Here are ten of the most common ones to watch out for:

1. It’s HIPAA, Not HIPPA

I just think of HIPPA, the HAPPY HIPPO, who doesn’t belong in anything you write.

2. Watch Out for Autocorrect Changing EHR to HER

Go into your document settings and manually add EHR to the dictionary.

3. A Hospital (or Any Organization, for That Matter) Is an “It”, Not a “They”

Remember to use a singular pronoun rather than a plural when referring back to an organization.

4. “Data” and “Criteria” Are Actually Plural Nouns

So, you’d say: “The data show”, rather than “the data shows”. Try replacing the word “data” with “results”. If the sentence makes sense, you are good to go.

5. Put One, Not Two, Spaces After the Punctuation Mark at the End of a Sentence

The antiquated practice of inserting a double space comes from the days of typewriters. We no longer use typewriters. Time to move on.

6. Payer vs. Payor and Healthcare vs. Health Care

Both versions are acceptable — though payer and healthcare are more commonly used. Whatever you choose, just be sure to stay consistent.

7. Overuse of Em Dashes

It’s OK to admit you are confused by colons and semicolons. It is not OK to use em dashes as a means of avoidance. Take some time to learn how to use colons and semicolons. That is what the internet is for.

Bonus Tip: Don’t use a standard dash instead of an em dash. Create an em dash with the shortcut: Ctrl-Alt-[numeric pad minus sign].

8. I.e. and E.g. Are Not Interchangeable

Think of i.e. as meaning “in essence” and remember when to use e.g. by thinking of it as “for eg-sample”.

9. Do Not Use an Apostrophe With Plural Acronyms

Correct: What do you know about ACOs? Incorrect: How many HIE’s exist?

(Bonus Tip: Always Spell Out an Acronym the First Time You Use It, Even if You Think It’s an Obvious One)

10. When Writing Numbers, Spell Out Single-Digit Numbers (There Are Two Labs) and Use Numerals for Numbers With Two or More Digits (We Need to Onboard 21 New Outpatient Centers)

There are exceptions, but this is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Bonus tip: When starting a sentence with a number, even double digits, spell the number out (e.g. “Twenty percent of doctors are burnt out.”)

Writing for healthcare IT doesn't have to be intimidating, but it does require attention to detail. A misplaced apostrophe, a misspelled acronym, or a rogue autocorrect can quietly signal to readers that you're not quite fluent in their world. Keep this list handy as a quick reference, and over time these habits will become second nature — leaving you free to focus on crafting content that actually moves the needle for your clients.