Tessic Health

How do I get my telehealth brand approved for Meta and Google ads?

To run telehealth or prescription drug ads on Meta and Google in the United States, a brand first needs LegitScript certification, an independent review that checks whether an online health business is licensed and operating legally. Meta requires telehealth advertisers to be actively LegitScript certified and authorized by Meta, and it limits prescription drug ads to people 18 and older in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Google accepts LegitScript or NABP certification and also requires the advertiser to apply for Google's own healthcare certification. LegitScript reviews the business, its providers' licenses, its pharmacy, its legal history, and its website, so all of it has to be in order before the application goes in. Certification makes an account eligible; each ad is still reviewed against the platform's health, personal attributes, and claims rules. On Tessic Health, the brand's LegitScript application is prepared and filed as part of setup, starting from providers, pharmacy, and software that already operate. LegitScript sets its own schedule and never guarantees approval.

Reviewed September 11, 2026 · 7 min read

In short

  • LegitScript certification comes first, and both Meta and Google check for it.
  • Google also requires its own healthcare certification application.
  • Meta prescription drug ads can target only adults 18+ in the US, Canada, and New Zealand.
  • LegitScript reviews licenses, the pharmacy, legal history, and the website itself.
  • Certified accounts still get ads rejected for health claims and personal attributes.
On this page
  1. The approval path
  2. What LegitScript checks
  3. Why ads still get rejected after approval
  4. Google and Meta, side by side
  5. Who does what
  6. Can a brand advertise before it is certified?
  7. Before the first campaign
  8. Common questions

The approval path

The order matters. Each step depends on the one before it.

  1. Get the business in order

    LegitScript reviews a working business. The medical practice, provider licenses in every state served, the pharmacy relationship, the privacy policy, the terms, and real contact details all need to exist before applying. Do I need a medical license to start a telehealth company? explains the structure LegitScript will look at.

  2. Apply for LegitScript certification

    Telehealth brands apply for LegitScript's healthcare certification, one application per website. LegitScript charges its own application and annual fees and offers expedited review for an extra fee.

  3. Apply for Google's healthcare certification

    With LegitScript certification active, apply to Google for healthcare certification from the Google Ads account. Google requires both: the outside certification and its own.

  4. Get authorized on Meta

    Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified by LegitScript and to get Meta's authorization before prescription drug ads run. Ads may target only people 18 and older, in eligible countries where the brand is certified.

  5. Write ads and landing pages that pass review

    Every ad and the page it links to are still reviewed against each platform's health and claims policies. See what rules apply when you advertise GLP-1 weight loss drugs and what you can legally say in weight loss marketing.

  6. Keep the certification current

    Renew each year, and tell LegitScript about material changes, such as a new website, new treatments, or a new pharmacy or provider group, so the certification keeps matching the business that is advertising.

Start here

Do I need a medical license to start a telehealth company?

No. Licensed clinicians own the medical practice and the founder's company owns the business. Here is exactly who needs which license, and how the two companies fit together.

Read the guide

What LegitScript checks

LegitScript's healthcare certification standards for telemedicine providers cover, among other things:

  • Licensing: providers hold valid licenses for the states where patients are treated, and the business follows the rules of each place it serves.
  • Valid prescriptions: a licensed provider evaluates each patient before anything is prescribed.
  • Legal history: disclosure of past criminal, regulatory, or civil violations by the business and the people behind it.
  • Privacy: HIPAA compliance and secure handling of patient data. See what HIPAA requires of a brand owner.
  • Transparency: the website describes the services, the providers' qualifications, and the business accurately.
  • Partners: affiliates, pharmacies, and other partners meet the same standards.

Why ads still get rejected after approval

  • Personal attributes. Meta rejects copy that asserts or implies the viewer's health condition. Its examples accept "New diabetes treatment available" and reject "Do you have diabetes?"
  • Sensational claims. Meta's health and wellness policy rejects exaggerated results and promises of specific outcomes within a set timeframe.
  • The wrong audience. Weight loss ads and prescription drug ads on Meta must target people 18 and older.
  • Body shaming. Meta rejects statements that attack a person's appearance or body.
  • A landing page that does not match. The page behind the ad makes claims the ad itself avoided.
  • Health-based targeting on Google. Google's personalized advertising policy restricts audiences built on health conditions.
  • A certification gap. The ad promotes a treatment the certification does not cover, or runs in a country where the brand is not certified.

Google and Meta, side by side

RuleGoogleMeta
Outside certification for telehealthLegitScript or NABPLegitScript, actively certified
The platform's own approvalGoogle healthcare certification applicationAuthorization from Meta before ads run
Where prescription drug ads can runThe countries listed in Google's policy, including the United StatesThe United States, Canada, and New Zealand, where the brand is certified
Audience limitsPersonalized ads may not target people based on healthPeople 18 and older; no copy that implies the viewer's health condition
Health claimsHealthcare and medicines policy, plus Google's misrepresentation rulesHealth and wellness policy: no sensational claims or promises of specific outcomes in a set timeframe

From Google's healthcare and medicines policy, Google's personalized advertising policy, and Meta's drugs and pharmaceuticals and health and wellness policies, as read in September 2026. Both platforms change these rules often.

Who does what

TaskWho does itOn Tessic Health
Licensed providers in every state servedThe medical practiceTessic's providers, licensed in all 50 states and credentialed under the client's brand
Pharmacy that fills the prescriptionsA licensed pharmacyTessic's contracted pharmacy network, at 0% markup with cold-chain shipping
HIPAA and patient dataThe practice and the brand's companyA Business Associate Agreement signed with every client before any patient data moves
LegitScript applicationThe brand, under its own namePrepared and filed as part of setup; the brand reviews and signs
Google and Meta applicationsThe brand, in its own ad accountsOwned by the brand, with its LegitScript certification
Ad copy and targetingThe brandWritten and run by the brand

Can a brand advertise before it is certified?

A clinic can take patients before it is certified. What waits is paid advertising for prescription treatment on Google and Meta. Brands use that window to build email and SMS lists, publish organic content, set up partnerships, and prepare compliant creative so campaigns start the day certification clears. Marketing texts need the recipient's prior express written consent under the TCPA, the federal law on autodialed and text marketing.

Whether an ad that never names a drug still needs certification depends on the platform and on what the ad promotes. Google's certification rules cover online pharmacies and telemedicine providers, and Meta's cover ads that promote prescription drugs. Read the current policy before assuming an ad is exempt. On Tessic Health, a branded clinic can be taking patients within days while LegitScript runs its review on its own schedule; how long it takes to launch a telehealth brand covers the rest of the timeline.

Before the first campaign

Certification decides whether an account may advertise; the copy decides what actually runs. Read what you can legally say in weight loss marketing and what HIPAA requires of a brand owner first, because tracking pixels on intake pages are where compliant ads most often turn into privacy problems. For the full pre-launch list, see what you need before your first patient.

COMMON QUESTIONS

What founders ask next.

How long does LegitScript certification take?
LegitScript sets its own review schedule, and timing depends on how complete the application is and how quickly the business answers follow-up questions. It offers expedited review for an extra fee. The fastest path is applying with licenses, pharmacy agreements, policies, and the website already finished. On Tessic Health, the application is prepared and filed as part of setup.
Can I advertise my telehealth brand without LegitScript?
Not for prescription treatment on Google or Meta: both require certification for telehealth providers promoting prescription drugs. Other channels, such as email, SMS with consent, organic social, and partnerships, do not depend on it. An ad that never mentions a drug may still fall under the platform's telemedicine or health rules, so check the current policy first.
Does Tessic Health's certification cover my brand?
No. Certification is issued to the business and the website being reviewed, so each brand applies under its own name. On Tessic Health, the brand's application is prepared and filed as part of setup, and the review starts from providers, pharmacy, and software that already operate. The brand reviews and signs the application.
What does LegitScript cost?
As published on LegitScript's site in September 2026: a $975 nonrefundable application fee and a $2,150 annual certification fee per website, with expedited review available for an additional $2,500. Confirm the current figures on LegitScript's healthcare certification page before budgeting.
Why was my ad rejected after I was certified?
Certification makes the account eligible, and every ad is still reviewed on its own. The usual causes are copy that implies the viewer's health condition, promises of specific results in a set time, targeting people under 18, or a landing page that makes claims the ad does not. Fix the claim, then request another review.
Do payment processors care about LegitScript too?
Yes. The major payment processors check for LegitScript certification before a telehealth brand can bill a card, the same way Google and Meta do before it can run ads. Start the application early so it does not hold up payments as well as advertising.

KEEP READING

The next questions on the list.

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SOURCES

Reviewed September 11, 2026. Tessic Health guides are general information for founders, not legal advice. Laws, agency guidance, and ad platform policies change; confirm the specifics for your business with health-care counsel. Tessic Health claims restate what tessichealth.com publishes on its pricing, platform, and security pages.