Founder guide
How to start a telehealth business: the launch checklist
Starting a telehealth brand means putting together a company, licensed clinicians, a pharmacy, payment processing and ad approval before you can run a single ad for a prescription treatment. Most of these steps depend on each other, so the order matters.
This checklist covers each step, who to talk to and the official source for it. It is general information, not legal advice. Telehealth Media makes ad creative for telehealth brands, so the last step is ours; the rest is about getting to the point where ads can run.
Telehealth Media works only with telehealth brands.
Build it yourself or use a telehealth platform partner
Most new brands do not hire their own doctors or run their own pharmacy at first. They use a telehealth platform partner, sometimes called white label telehealth: a company that supplies licensed clinicians, the visit software and a pharmacy network, while the brand owns marketing and the patient relationship.
| Your own medical group and pharmacy | Platform partner (white label) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | Longest: licensing, hiring, contracts | Shorter: partner already has clinicians and pharmacy |
| Control over clinical rules | Full | Shared; the partner sets clinical protocols |
| Margin per patient | Higher once running | Lower; the partner takes a fee |
| Who holds licenses | You and your clinicians | The partner and its clinicians |
| Good fit for | Brands with clinical founders or scale | Most first launches |
Whichever route you take, ask any partner for its licensing, the states it covers, its pharmacy arrangements and what it needs from you for ad platform approval. Compare at least three before you sign.
The launch checklist
- 1
Form the company
Register a legal entity in your state and get a federal tax ID (EIN). You need both for bank accounts, contracts with clinicians and pharmacies, and payment processing.
Health companies often need a specific structure so that licensed clinicians, not the business, make medical decisions. Ask a healthcare lawyer before you register.
- 2
Set up the medical group or platform partner
Clinicians must be licensed in the state where the patient is, not where the clinician sits. Many states also limit who can own a medical practice, which is why brands use a separate medical group or a platform partner.
If you build your own group, check each state medical board and whether your clinicians can use the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Federal telehealth rules are summarized by HHS.
Source: FSMB: contact a state medical board, Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, HHS telehealth policy
- 3
Arrange the pharmacy
Prescriptions are filled by licensed pharmacies, and a pharmacy shipping to a patient generally needs to be licensed for that patient's state. Confirm this for every state you plan to serve.
Some treatments, such as testosterone, are controlled substances. Prescribing them by telemedicine follows DEA rules, which are stricter than for other prescriptions.
- 4
Get LegitScript certified
Meta requires online pharmacies and telehealth providers that promote prescription drugs to be actively certified by LegitScript. Google requires LegitScript certification for telemedicine providers that advertise prescription drug services. Start early: certification reviews your licenses, pharmacy and website.
If you use a platform partner, ask what it covers and what you must apply for yourself.
Source: LegitScript Healthcare Certification, Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals ad policy, Google's Healthcare and medicines ad policy
- 5
Set up payment processing
Payment processors treat telehealth and online pharmacy as higher-risk businesses. Ask processors early what they require from a telehealth brand, such as proof of licensing or certification, so payments are not the last thing that blocks launch.
- 6
Get approved to advertise on Meta and Google
On Meta, a certified telehealth provider must request authorization before promoting prescription drugs, and can only target people 18 or older in the US, Canada or New Zealand where it is certified. Ads that promote telehealth services in general do not need that authorization.
On Google, online prescribing is a restricted service: you must apply, and prescription drug names are restricted in ads, landing pages and keywords.
Both platforms also limit how ads talk about health. On Meta, an ad cannot assert or imply that the viewer has a medical condition.
Source: Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals ad policy, Google's Healthcare and medicines ad policy, Meta's personal attributes ad policy
- 7
Plan your creative
Ad creative is where most telehealth brands win or lose once they are approved. Plan angles for each awareness stage, from people who do not know they have a problem to people ready to start. Write within the platform rules from the first draft, and review every ad before it runs.
Health claims need evidence, and paid endorsements need disclosure. The FTC explains both.
This is the part Telehealth Media does: we make paid social ads for telehealth brands in batches, one angle made into 5 videos and 5 statics, with every video reviewed for compliance. See how batches work.
Source: FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance, FTC: Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews
Common launch mistakes
- Building the website and ads before LegitScript and Meta authorization are in place.
- Promising a specific medication in ads before a clinician has decided it fits.
- Promising a result within a set time, or using "you" language that implies a condition.
- Signing with a platform partner without checking which states it covers.
- Launching with one ad and one angle, then stalling when it fades.
Free tools for this
Questions
What is a telehealth platform?
A company that supplies the parts of a telehealth service a brand does not build itself, usually licensed clinicians, visit software and a pharmacy network. The brand handles marketing and the patient relationship.
What is white label telehealth?
Running a telehealth service under your own brand while a platform partner provides the clinicians, software and pharmacy behind it.
Do I need LegitScript certification to advertise?
To promote prescription drugs on Meta, telehealth providers must be actively certified by LegitScript and authorized by Meta. Google requires LegitScript certification for telemedicine providers advertising prescription drug services. Ads that promote telehealth services in general on Meta do not need that authorization.
Can I advertise to people under 18?
Not for prescription drugs on Meta. Meta requires those ads to target people 18 or older.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state and change over time; check each source and talk to a healthcare lawyer before you launch. Sources checked on 29 October 2026.