Telehealth marketing for independent practices

Telehealth lets an independent practice see patients who cannot easily come in: busy parents, rural patients, people recovering from surgery, follow-ups that do not need an exam. Marketing it well is mostly about being precise. Patients need to know what can be done by video, who can use it, from which states, what it costs and what happens if they need to be seen in person.

This guide covers how to present telehealth on your website and in ads, and the rules that shape what you can promise: state licensure, Medicare and DEA telehealth rules, Google’s policies, HIPAA for video tools and the FTC’s rules on health data.

This is general information, not legal advice. Telehealth rules change often. The federal dates below were checked on October 27, 2026 on HHS and Google pages linked in the sources; confirm them again before you rely on them. State law on licensure, prescribing and consent varies and often matters more than federal law.

Say exactly what you offer

Vague telehealth messages create calls you cannot help and visits that end in “you need to come in”. A telehealth page should answer:

Which visits can be done by video or phone, and which need an in-person exam first.
Who can use it: new patients, existing patients only, or both.
Where the patient must be during the visit: the states where your clinicians are licensed.
Cost and coverage: which insurers cover it, the self-pay price if any, and what the patient pays.
How it works: what device and connection they need, how they join, and what to do if the call drops.
When not to use it: a plain line that emergencies need 911 or an emergency room.

Put telehealth on the service pages it applies to, not only on a separate page, so a patient reading about follow-up care or medication management sees the option where it is relevant.

Licensure: where the patient is matters

Telehealth reaches further than your license. HHS’s telehealth licensure guidance says health professionals must meet the licensure requirements of the state where they are located and be licensed or legally permitted to practice in the state where the patient is located. It describes the ways to care for patients in other states: a full license, reciprocity, interstate licensure compacts and temporary practice laws or registrations that a state may offer.

For marketing, this means you should not advertise telehealth to people in states where your clinicians cannot see them. Name your states on the page, collect the patient’s location at booking, and set ad targeting to match. Our functional medicine marketing guide covers licensure for practices that serve patients across state lines.

Remote second opinions raise the same licensure question, plus Medicare coverage, expert claims and records requests. Our guide to second opinion service marketing covers them.

Medicare telehealth: current end dates

If you see Medicare patients, the rules on what Medicare pays for by telehealth affect what you can offer them. HHS’s telehealth policy page says recent legislation extended many Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, including telehealth for non-behavioral and non-mental health care in the patient’s home, no geographic restrictions on where the patient is, and audio-only delivery for those services.

Those dates are set by Congress and have changed several times. Avoid marketing that implies Medicare coverage is permanent, and recheck before each campaign that mentions Medicare.

Prescribing controlled substances

Practices that prescribe controlled medications by telehealth face separate rules from the DEA. HHS’s page on prescribing controlled substances via telehealth says the DEA, jointly with HHS, has extended the full set of COVID-19 era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications through December 31, 2026.

That date is close. Do not market a telehealth service that depends on prescribing controlled substances without an in-person visit unless counsel has confirmed what will apply after the current extension ends, and be ready to change the page and the ads when the rule changes.

Google Ads for telehealth

Google’s healthcare and medicines policy restricts the promotion of services related to online prescribing, dispensing and sale of prescription drugs, and names telemedicine providers among the businesses the policy covers. Advertisers must apply to serve ads for prescription drug services, and Google also restricts prescription drug terms in ads, landing pages and keywords. Addiction treatment services need their own certification.

A telehealth ad that promotes visits for a condition, without promoting a prescription, is treated differently from one that promotes getting a medication online. Write the ad and landing page around the visit and the clinician, check the current policy before launch, and expect review. Our Google Ads service and healthcare ad policy basics cover the details.

Google Business Profile and local search

A Business Profile represents a real location where you serve patients, or a service area you travel to. Google’s guidelines require a real address with signage where customers are served, and do not allow virtual offices. A telehealth-only practice with no place to meet patients in person should not create a profile for a mailing address. Practices with an office can mention telehealth in their profile’s services and description, and patients searching locally will still find them.

HIPAA and video tools

HHS’s telehealth guidance explains that the COVID-19 notifications of enforcement discretion under HIPAA expired, so telehealth now has to follow the normal HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules. A video, messaging or scheduling platform that handles patient information for you is generally a business associate, and you need a business associate agreement with it. HHS has also published guidance on audio-only telehealth under HIPAA.

On the marketing side, be careful about what you say. Do not describe a platform or your service as “HIPAA compliant” or “100% secure”; describe what you do, such as using a platform under a business associate agreement. Our guide to practice website hosting and HIPAA explains how HHS treats cloud providers.

Health data, tracking and the FTC

Telehealth booking flows often collect symptoms and conditions before the visit, and that is where tracking tools can send health information to advertising platforms. The FTC explains that the FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive practices with health information, including misleading consumers about what happens to their data, and that its Health Breach Notification Rule can apply to health apps and similar services not covered by HIPAA.

Keep advertising and analytics tags off intake and booking pages unless you have confirmed what they send, and make your privacy policy describe what you actually do. Our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites goes through the pages to check.

Ads and content that describe outcomes

The same advertising rules apply to telehealth as to in-person care. The FTC Act prohibits deceptive advertising, and health claims need support. Avoid promising a prescription, a diagnosis, a result or a visit length you cannot guarantee for every patient. Testimonials and reviews follow the FTC’s rules in 16 CFR Parts 255 and 465.

A short checklist before launch

List the visits you will offer by telehealth and the states you can serve.
Write the telehealth page and add the option to the relevant service pages.
Check coverage and prices for each insurer and for self-pay patients.
Confirm the video platform’s business associate agreement and what it covers.
Remove tracking tags from intake and booking pages, or confirm what they send.
Check Google’s healthcare policy for any ad that mentions medication.
Put the Medicare and DEA dates in your calendar and recheck the rules before they pass.

Frequently asked questions

Can we advertise telehealth to patients in other states?

Only where your clinicians can lawfully see them. HHS says health professionals must be licensed or legally permitted to practice in the state where the patient is located. Licensure compacts, reciprocity and some state exceptions can help. Target ads and booking to those states.

How long do the Medicare telehealth flexibilities last?

HHS’s telehealth policy page says many were extended through December 31, 2027. Congress has changed these dates several times, so check before each campaign.

Can we prescribe controlled substances by telehealth?

HHS says the DEA has extended the COVID-19 era flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications through December 31, 2026. Get counsel’s advice on what applies after that before marketing such a service.

Do telehealth ads need Google certification?

Ads for online prescribing and other prescription drug services require Google’s approval, and Google restricts prescription drug terms. Ads for visits that do not promote a prescription are treated differently. Check Google’s healthcare and medicines policy before launch.

Can a telehealth-only practice have a Google Business Profile?

Google’s guidelines require a real location with signage where customers are served and do not allow virtual offices. A practice with no place to meet patients generally should not create a profile for a mailing address.

Does our video platform need a business associate agreement?

A platform that handles patient information for you is generally a business associate. HHS’s telehealth guidance notes the COVID-19 enforcement discretion has expired, so the normal HIPAA Rules apply.

For how licensure compacts work and how to match ads, state lists and booking to each clinician’s licenses, see our guide to licensure compacts and multistate telehealth ads.

Sources

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Telehealth marketing for independent practices: what to say and which rules apply