Industry rules

Clinics and medical practices: 333 matched rules, 63 that block approval

The checker matches 333 rules to clinics and medical practices by what the rules are about: licensed practitioners, boards and clinics. 15 rules that block elsewhere only warn on clinical service copy, so 63 block here. Most sit under state law (213), replaces care (27) and disease claims (23). State rules reach 47 states, and Texas has the most (13). Ad platform policy adds 17 rules that name 17 platforms.

The numbers for this industry

333

Matched rules

109 federal, 207 state, 17 platform

Block approval

15 more only warn for this copy

259

Shared rules

Run on all health copy, not listed here

State and platform pages

Only where the gate is met

Where the matched rules sit

State law213
Replaces care27
Disease claims23
Platform policy19
Regulatory status18
Offers and pricing9
Superiority7
Absolute promises6
Efficacy and proof6
Outcome statistics2
Patient quotes and reviews2
Research recruitment1

Rules that weigh most for clinics and medical practices

Federal and general rules first, blocking before warning, citations checked against stored text before the rest. Rules with their own page link there.

CG-ABS-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Claims of no risk or no side effects are unsubstantiated safety claims.
Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; 21 CFR 202.1 (prescription drug advertising, fair balance)
Safer wording: State known risks and side effects fairly, or say who should talk to a clinician first.
21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review
CG-CSR-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Prescribing a controlled substance without a real evaluation, records or follow-up violates the Controlled Substances Act and DEA telemedicine rules.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 829 and 841(h); 21 CFR 1306.04 (prescription issued for a legitimate medical purpose); 21 CFR 1306.05 (manner of issuance, so a prescription must carry the patient and practitioner details); FTC Act section 5
Safer wording: Do not advertise controlled substances. A licensed clinician must decide whether to prescribe after a real evaluation.
21 CFR 1306.04, 21 U.S.C. 829, 21 CFR 1306.05 · Needs counsel review
CG-DEA-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Offering to fill a prescription for a controlled substance based only on an online questionnaire is a listed example of an internet distribution violation.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 841 subsection (h) lists offering to fill a controlled substance prescription based solely on a consumer's online medical questionnaire as an example of a violation
Safer wording: Do not tie a controlled substance prescription to a questionnaire alone. Describe a live evaluation by a licensed practitioner who decides if a prescription is appropriate.
21 U.S.C. 841 · Needs counsel review
CG-EFF-014 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Claims of instant, one-visit or universal results, or of working where all else fails, promise outcomes no clinic can substantiate.
Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255
Safer wording: Remove the promise of speed or certainty. Say what the service is and that results vary.
16 CFR Part 255 · Needs counsel review
CG-EVA-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Advice to dodge regulators or platform reviewers, to upcode claims, to sell unneeded treatment, or to pose as the clinician is itself deceptive and evidence of intent.
Source: FTC Act section 5; False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729; Meta and Google Ads misrepresentation and circumventing systems policies (platform pages, not stored here; unverified)
Safer wording: Do not publish or send this guidance. Fix the underlying claim, code accurately, and get counsel involved before changing pages after a warning letter.
31 U.S.C. 3729 · Needs counsel review
CG-OIG-101 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
OIG warns that a Medicare Advantage plan paying doctors or their office staff, in gift cards or in kind, to refer or recommend patients for enrollment can violate the federal anti-kickback statute and steer people into plans that do not fit them. CMS also bars a provider acting for a plan from accepting compensation for marketing or enrollment. Applies to plan sponsors, agents and providers.
Source: OIG Special Fraud Alert (December 2024) on suspect payments in marketing arrangements related to Medicare Advantage and providers, part II; 42 CFR 422.2266(d)(1)(ix); 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b
Safer wording: Do not pay or reward providers or their staff for recommending a plan or for enrollments. Describe plans on their merits and tell people they can compare plans at medicare.gov.
42 CFR 422.2266, 42 CFR 422.2266(d)(1)(ix), 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b · Needs counsel review
CG-OIG-102 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
OIG warns about payments from health care professionals to agents and brokers to recommend or refer Medicare Advantage enrollees to the professional, for example to be named an enrollee's primary care provider. Enrollees often do not know about the payment. DOJ settled with Oak Street Health for $60 million over allegations it paid agents about $200 per referred beneficiary. Applies to providers, agents and brokers.
Source: OIG Special Fraud Alert (December 2024) on suspect payments in marketing arrangements related to Medicare Advantage and providers, part III; 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b); DOJ Oak Street Health settlement (September 18, 2024)
Safer wording: Do not pay agents or brokers per referral, per enrollee or per patient steered to your practice. If you use an agent, pay only compensation that CMS rules and counsel have cleared, and never tie it to which provider the enrollee picks.
Oak Street Health settlement, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b · Needs counsel review
CG-RAF-002 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Discounting and price-led promotion of prescription weight-loss treatment, such as sales events and rock-bottom prices, markets a prescription drug as a commodity and invites purchase without a clinical assessment.
Source: 21 CFR 202.1 (prescription drug advertising); FDA warning letters to telehealth firms on compounded GLP-1 marketing; FTC Act section 5. UK ASA rulings are the origin of the pattern but UK law is out of scope.
Safer wording: Do not use sales or lowest-price framing for prescription weight-loss treatment. State that treatment depends on a clinician assessment and describe fees plainly.
21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review
CG-RAF-009 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
A testimonial about stopping prescription medication after taking a supplement, or a product pitched as a safer alternative to prescription drugs, encourages consumers to stop treatment and implies the product treats the condition.
Source: FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR 255.2; 21 CFR 101.93(g) and 21 USC 321(g); FTC Act section 5. UK ASA rulings are the origin of the pattern but UK law is out of scope.
Safer wording: Do not feature stories about stopping medication. State that people should not stop prescribed medicines without a clinician.
16 CFR 255.2, 21 CFR 101.93(g) · Needs counsel review
CG-REG-006 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Compounded drugs are not FDA approved and are not the same as, or generics of, the brand product. Telehealth sellers have received FDA warning letters for these claims.
Source: FDCA 503A and 503B; FDA warning letters to telehealth firms on compounded GLP-1 marketing; FTC Act section 5
Safer wording: Say the medication is compounded, that it is not FDA approved, and that a licensed clinician decides whether it is appropriate.
FDCA 503A · Needs counsel review

What the checker flags

Sample wording we wrote to test these rules, run through the real engine at build time. The rule ids, reasons, sources and safer wording are the rule-set's own.

Clinic ad · actual checker output3 claims flagged

Our clinic cures back pain. 100% guaranteed results. Book this week.

Blocks approvalCG-DIS-001Also matches CG-DIS-016
Saying a product or service cures a condition makes it an unapproved drug claim.
Source. FDCA 201(g)(1), 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1) (drug definition); 21 CFR 101.93(g) (disease claims); FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance
Safer wording. Describe what the service does (for example "supports", "helps manage") and name only outcomes you can substantiate.
Blocks approvalCG-ABS-002
A 100 percent claim is an absolute claim that almost never has support.
Source. FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance
Safer wording. Replace with the measured figure and its source, or remove the number.
WarningCG-ABS-015Also matches CG-ABS-001
A guarantee of results, including a money-back guarantee tied to results, promises an outcome nobody can promise for health products and services.
Source. FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance
Safer wording. Describe what the service involves and say results vary. A refund policy may be stated without guaranteeing the result.

Doctor superiority · actual checker output1 claim flagged

Dr. Park is the best doctor in town. Our patients always get results.

WarningCG-TRH-001Also matches CG-SUP-004
Unsubstantiated best, only, lowest-rate or better-than-named-competitor claims about medical providers are superiority claims that need competent evidence and head-to-head substantiation.
Source. FTC Act section 5 and FTC Policy Statement on Substantiation (1984); FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance (2022); state medical advertising rules
Safer wording. Drop ranking and comparison claims unless you hold head-to-head evidence and can disclose the basis. Describe what you offer without comparing yourself to named competitors.

Steering away from care · actual checker output2 claims flagged

Skip your doctor. Treat your diabetes with our program instead.

Blocks approvalCG-RPL-001Also matches CG-TRG-001, CG-TRI-003, CG-TRH-005, CG-TRK-012
Telling people to replace or skip medical care is a safety risk and a deceptive claim.
Source. FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; state medical practice acts
Safer wording. Position the service as a complement to care from their clinician, and tell people to speak to their clinician before changing treatment.
WarningCG-DIS-002
A treatment claim for a named disease is a drug claim for a product, and needs support for a clinical service.
Source. FDCA 201(g)(1); 21 CFR 101.93(g); FTC Act section 5
Safer wording. For a clinical service, state who delivers care and what is offered ("our licensed clinicians evaluate and manage ..."). For a supplement, remove the disease reference.

Where it changes by state and platform

55 pages below meet the gate: at least 6 applicable rules and at least 3 that belong to that state or platform alone.

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