Telehealth-only therapy and Google profiles

For OT, PT and speech practices that see children or adults only by video: Google does not give you a Business Profile, because it requires in-person contact with customers during stated hours and lists online-only businesses as ineligible. Do not invent an office. Publish a telehealth service page, a dated licensure statement and accurate directory listings instead.⁠¹

Hybrid practices are a different case. A practice that also sees patients at a clinic it runs, or travels to them, can qualify through that in-person work, and its telehealth is one more service on its website; the mobile and in-home guide and the multi-location guide cover those profiles.

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

No, not under Google’s current rules. Google’s eligibility guidelines say a business qualifies only if it makes in-person contact with customers during its stated hours, and they list "brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses" among the ineligible.⁠¹ The exceptions Google names are ATMs, video-rental kiosks and express mail drop boxes, seasonal businesses that keep signage up all year, and some delivery-only food services; none describes care delivered on a screen.⁠¹

The guidelines for representing a business start from the same place: a profile is for a business with a physical location customers can visit, or one that travels to customers where they are.⁠³ A practice whose clinicians see every patient by video does neither, however established it is and however many states its clinicians are licensed in. A license makes the clinician’s work lawful; it does not make the business eligible for a place on the map.

What if a telehealth practice also sees some patients in person?

Then assess the in-person part on its own facts, because that is the part Google’s rules can cover. An address shown on Google needs permanent fixed signage with the business name, and where a business both receives customers and sets a service area, Google wants the location staffed by the business’s own team and open to customers during its stated hours.⁠³ A team that travels to patients’ homes is a service-area business with one profile for its whole area, which the mobile and in-home guide sets up.⁠²

A token arrangement does not change the answer. Google’s ineligible list includes "an ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don’t own or have the authority to represent", so a room borrowed one morning a month at a colleague’s clinic gives a remote practice no address of its own.⁠¹ If the in-person service is real, staffed and offered during stated hours, the setup guide covers the profile, and telehealth is one of the services that business offers.

Can a service area show where telehealth patients are located?

No: a service area describes where a business travels, not where its video patients sit. Google’s service-area business is one that goes to its customers, visiting or delivering, and does not serve them at its own address; it may list up to 20 service areas as cities, postal codes or other areas, and the whole area should stay within about two hours’ drive of the base.⁠² The states where a speech-language pathologist holds licenses are a licensure fact, and they belong on the website, in the geography statement described below.

What happens to the old profile when a clinic goes telehealth-only?

Mark the location closed, because patients are no longer seen there. Google lets a business mark a location "Permanently closed" from the profile’s hours, and the profile may still appear for people who search for it, clearly shown as closed; "Temporarily closed" is for closures of more than 7 days, the off-season or an indefinite period.⁠¹¹ Editing the old profile into a telehealth listing runs into the in-person rule above.⁠¹ Change the website, directory listings and payer directories the same day, so no family drives to a suite that no longer sees patients.

Which Google Business Profile workarounds break Google’s rules?

Every route that gives a remote practice a map pin without an in-person operation behind it. The common ones, and the rule each runs into:

Each of these misleads the families who read a map pin as a door they can walk through, and Google’s policies say a profile is disabled once Google finds the business is not at the location it claims.⁠¹³

What does Google do to a profile that breaks these rules?

It may suspend or disable the profile, and repeated violations can restrict the whole account. Google warns that breaking its eligibility rules may suspend the profile, the Google account or both, and that a merchant with a pattern of violations may lose access, with every profile on the restricted account suspended.⁠^1,3,13 Appeals can be submitted only once, and Google warns against creating a new profile for the same business.⁠⁴ The suspended profile guide walks through an appeal; for a practice that has never seen a patient in person, the appeal meets the same eligibility answer.

What should a telehealth-only practice publish instead of a profile?

A website service page that answers the telehealth questions, a dated statement of where its clinicians may practice, and accurate directory listings. Without a profile, the practice’s presence in search rests on its website, and Google’s quality raters judge content on topics that could significantly affect people’s lives or well-being by whether it is highly accurate and consistent with established expert consensus.⁠¹⁴

What should a telehealth therapy service page include?

Everything a family or an adult needs to decide, before calling, whether this practice can serve them remotely. Build the page around that decision, not around the word telehealth; the outline below lists its parts.

Name the clinicians and their credentials as held. Google’s self-assessment asks whether content shows evidence of the expertise involved and background about the author or the site, and strongly encourages accurate authorship information.⁠¹⁴ With no office to visit, the clinicians’ names, disciplines and licenses are much of what a reader can check.

Explain the suitability review in plain words. ASHA’s telepractice guidance has clinicians weigh physical and sensory factors such as sitting tolerance, cognitive, behavioral and communication factors, and the support at home, including reliable technology, a quiet, private and safe space, and facilitators or interpreters where needed; a trial period can help show whether telepractice works.⁠¹⁵ AOTA’s telehealth decision guide lists the specific patient’s ability to benefit from telehealth among the clinical decisions for OT.⁠¹⁶

Write each discipline’s telehealth on its own terms. ASHA describes telepractice as a mode that may be the primary way services are delivered or combined with in-person care; APTA’s position is that physical therapists provide services by telehealth as part of their scope of practice; AOTA’s guide starts from whether the OT’s licensing state and the patient’s state allow telehealth OT.⁠^15,16,17 None of them says every evaluation or treatment in a discipline works on a screen, so list the services offered by video and the ones referred out for hands-on care.

How should pediatric and adult telehealth pages differ?

In who takes part, who decides and what the home has to provide. For a child, the caregiver is part of the session: ASHA counts trained family members and care partners among on-site facilitators, and HHS’s guide for infants and toddlers notes that telehealth suited to adults or school-age children may not suit younger children, that holding a fussy child while positioning the camera is hard, and that legal guardianship should be documented at a new patient’s first visit.⁠^15,18 A pediatric page says which ages are seen by video, what the caregiver does in a session, and how sessions fit around naps and school; HHS’s tele-PT guidance makes the same point about scheduling around the family’s day.⁠¹⁹

For an adult, the patient is the person the practice talks to. HHS and Justice Department telehealth guidance tells providers to speak directly to the patient about their care, and to relax an only-the-patient policy when a person with a disability needs a support person or family member there.⁠²⁰ An adult page says a support person may join with the adult’s agreement, and how someone with aphasia, hearing loss or limited mobility can book and take part. Keep the two pages separate, linked to each other; the pediatric and adult service page guides cover the rest of each.

Which structured data fits a telehealth-only practice’s website?

Markup that describes the practice as it is, with no address for a place patients cannot visit. Google’s Organization markup has no required properties and recommends an address only "if applicable", while LocalBusiness markup requires the physical location of the business and is what Google recommends for a local business such as a physical store.⁠^21,22 Structured data must be a true representation of the page and may not misrepresent an organization’s ownership, affiliation or primary purpose.⁠²³

How should a telehealth practice publish where it may treat patients?

By the patient’s location at the time of each session, state by state, with the day someone last checked it. HHS states that 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".⁠⁵ HHS lists the routes as a full license, temporary practice laws, licensure reciprocity, a licensure compact and, where a state offers one, telehealth registration, whose typical terms include not opening an office or offering in-person treatment in that state.⁠²⁴ Which routes exist for OT, PT or speech-language pathology is a question for each state’s board for the discipline.

ASHA adds that clinicians check the requirements of the state they practice from as well as the client’s state, including temporary moves such as vacations and college; AOTA’s guide says to confirm the client’s location during each visit.⁠^15,16 A student home for the summer, or a retiree who winters in another state, changes the answer for the sessions held there.

What do the PT, OT and speech-language compacts allow in October 2026?

Each lets a clinician licensed in one member state practice in another member state through a privilege, but only once that state issues privileges and the clinician holds one.⁠^6,25,26 Their own pages said this on October 26, 2026:

One step the compacts do not cover: AOTA’s telehealth guide lists confirming coverage for telehealth with the professional liability carrier among the things to settle before the first session, and the same question goes to a PT’s or SLP’s carrier for every state served.⁠¹⁶

A compact privilege is not a national license. Each privilege covers one member state, states outside a compact are not reached by it, and the PT Compact’s own answer is that a privilege confers no authority beyond that of a regular license.⁠^6,27 Publish the states where a clinician holds a license or an issued privilege, never a compact’s member list, and check both again before every renewal.

When does a telehealth practice need separate state pages?

Only when a state changes enough of the decision that a reader there needs a page of their own. Test first: does the state differ in which clinicians may see patients, which services or ages are offered, which plans the practice is in network with, or what the state asks of patients before care? One or two differences fit in a row of the geography table; a different service list, team and payment route may earn a page.

Google’s spam policies call it doorway abuse when pages are made to rank for specific, similar searches and lead users to pages less useful than the final destination; its examples include region- or city-targeted pages whose visitors all end up on one page, and Google says sites that break the policies may rank lower or drop out of results.⁠²⁹ Fifty state pages that differ only in the state’s name fit that description, and one service page with a geography table does not. The city pages guide applies the same test to towns, and the multi-location guide to practices that also run clinics.

How do you make telehealth access concrete on the page and at intake?

By saying what happens before, during and after the first session, and who to contact when something goes wrong. Each step is something the page states and the practice does:

1. Intake review. Say what the practice asks before booking, and that a clinician decides whether video suits the person; ASHA notes a trial period can help settle it.⁠¹⁵
2. Technology. Name the devices and connection a session needs, offer written step-by-step instructions and a practice call before the first session, and give a contact for help, as HHS suggests.⁠³⁰
3. Communication access. Say how to ask for captioning, an interpreter, extra time or a support person. For providers the civil rights laws cover, HHS and Justice Department guidance says aids come at no cost to the patient, a needed interpreter must be able to join the platform, and patients may not be required to bring their own; ASHA adds that no family member should be required to interpret.⁠^15,20
4. Location and consent. Confirm where the patient is at the start of every session and get consent before care begins; HHS advises verifying location and obtaining consent before an appointment, and telling the patient when anyone else is observing.⁠^24,31,32
5. Contingency contact. Agree how to reconnect if the call drops and who the patient’s local emergency contact is; HHS notes that 911 only works if the caller is in the same location as the person needing help, so the practice needs the patient’s full address and a backup route.⁠³¹
6. In-person referral. Say when the practice refers for in-person care, and to whom; HHS’s emergency-planning questions, answered with the patient before or during the first appointment, include which circumstances require it, and ASHA’s consent elements include the client’s right to request in-person services at any time.⁠^15,31

Keep clinical detail off the public page and out of a general web form: an inquiry needs a name, a way to reply, the patient’s age group and state, and the service asked about. The accessible inquiry forms guide covers forms that work for people who cannot use the phone.

What should a telehealth service page say about privacy?

What a patient can check: which platform the practice uses, how it contacts them, and how to keep a session private on their side. HHS’s resource for providers suggests naming the remote communication vendors and where their privacy practices can be read, saying whether the telehealth app or website uses online tracking technologies, and telling patients when and how they are contacted; it notes that a patient who is not in a private place can be overheard, and that the HIPAA rules do not require this patient education.⁠³³

For a HIPAA covered entity, the Privacy Rule requires reasonable safeguards for telehealth as for any other care, OCR expects telehealth to be provided in private settings to the extent feasible, and a patient the practice does not know must have their identity verified.⁠³⁴ The COVID-era enforcement discretion for telehealth ended with a transition period that expired on August 9, 2023.⁠³⁵ Whether a self-pay practice is covered turns on electronic transactions, since HHS counts a provider as a covered entity only when it transmits information electronically as part of a transaction covered by an HHS standard; settle that with the practice’s adviser, and protect patients’ information either way.⁠³⁶

How should a telehealth practice describe payment and coverage?

Payer by payer, and only as far as the practice has confirmed it. A plan contract in one state may not extend to patients in another, a plan may pay for a service in the clinic and not by video, and the patient’s own benefits decide what they owe; AOTA’s telehealth guide puts it as each payer approaching telehealth reimbursement differently.⁠¹⁶ Say what the practice checks before booking and who tells the patient the answer; the insurance and fees guide covers that conversation.

What must a self-pay telehealth practice tell patients about costs?

That uninsured and self-pay patients can get a Good Faith Estimate, said on the website, by phone and wherever costs come up. Under 45 CFR 149.610, the notice must be clear, prominently displayed and easily searchable from a public search engine on the provider’s website, posted where scheduling happens and given orally when a service is scheduled or costs are asked about; any discussion of potential costs counts as a request.⁠⁸ A self-pay patient includes someone with benefits who does not want a claim submitted.⁠⁸

The estimate is written, on paper or electronically, and due within 1 business day of scheduling when the service is at least 3 business days away, within 3 business days when it is at least 10 business days away, and within 3 business days of a request. For a course of telehealth sessions, one estimate can cover recurring services for up to 12 months if it states their expected scope; it lists the states and locations where services are expected to be furnished and says it is not a contract.⁠⁸

How do Medicaid, commercial plans and Medicare treat therapy telehealth?

Each by its own policy, read for the specific state and plan. Medicaid.gov explains that for most Medicaid benefits, federal law and regulations do not specifically address telehealth delivery, so states have broad flexibility to set its terms; read the state’s provider manual and bulletins and each managed care plan’s policy, and see the Medicaid enrollment guide for joining a state program.⁠³⁷ Commercial plans set telehealth terms in their own policies and contracts, so the practice keeps a copy of each policy it relies on, with the day it was read.

For Medicare, the telehealth FAQ linked from CMS’s Telehealth page, marked as updated on October 9, 2026, says an extended range of practitioners may bill for Medicare telehealth services through December 31, 2027, and that starting January 1, 2028, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists can no longer furnish them.⁠⁷ That is CMS’s statement on October 26, 2026; CMS updates the FAQ, so read the current version before relying on the date. Place of service codes and telehealth modifiers on the claim are a coding question of their own. The credentialing guide covers network participation, and the out-of-network benefits guide what a patient can claim from their own plan.

How should a telehealth-only practice appear on directories like DrSensory?

As what it is, with telehealth switched on and an address the practice is prepared to publish. On DrSensory, which costs families nothing to search, each listing stands for one clinic, offering occupational, physical or speech therapy to children, adults or both, at a single address; the directory covers all 50 states and Washington, DC, and lists clinics rather than individual therapists.⁠⁹ Every listing, free or paid, shows the name, address, phone, a map and directions, and a profile’s contact panel adds the hours or "By appointment only", the website and a contact button.⁠^9,10,38 Decide before claiming whether that address is one the practice is willing to show families.

The hub’s advice for solo and telehealth clinicians begins with the telehealth, in-home and by-appointment settings: ticking "We offer telehealth" puts "Offers telehealth appointments" on the profile and lets the Telehealth tag go under How we work, and "By appointment only" stands where opening hours would be.⁠⁹ The claim guide’s sample descriptions include one written for "a solo speech-language pathologist working by telehealth".⁠¹⁰

A basic listing costs nothing, and claiming is free: find the listing, confirm the email address with a six-digit code, and choose a password. A paid listing, at $29.99 a month or $349.99 a year for the first location and $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for each additional one, with no contract, adds the clinic’s own description, logo, up to five photos, hours, reviews with replies, and the telehealth and availability details; on a paid listing, a family’s inquiry is read by the clinic in its DrSensory portal rather than going to the DrSensory team, which otherwise tries to forward it, with no assurance that the clinic receives or answers it.⁠^9,38 DrSensory makes no ranking promise for any listing, does not sell leads, and does not verify the clinical quality of the clinics it lists.⁠^9,38

The claim and optimize guide walks through the editor and the directory profile guide the description; for any other directory, read its terms for practices without a clinic and weigh it with the directory guide. Families reach the listings through DrSensory’s speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy directories.

How can a telehealth practice measure search results without a profile?

With Search Console for the website and the practice’s own inquiry log, compared month against month. The Performance report shows which queries bring people to the site and which pages appear, by default for the past three months, and its filters can isolate queries containing a word such as telehealth, or a regular expression listing several state names separated by vertical bars.⁠^39,40 Filtering by query or URL can change the totals, because some data is truncated and anonymized queries are left out, and a search run from the office proves little, since results depend on the searcher’s time, place, device and recent history.⁠^39,40

The inquiry log measures what search cannot. Record, without names or health details, each inquiry’s discipline, age group, the state the person is in, how they found the practice and whether it led to a booking. Then count the patterns that point back at the page, such as people in states the practice cannot serve, people who expected an office, and needs video cannot meet; each names a sentence to fix, and the practice’s own trend is the only benchmark. The website content checklist audits the rest of the site, and the local SEO guide sets the order of work for practices whose in-person services do qualify for a profile.

What does this look like for a pediatric SLP and an adult OT practice?

Two practices, one answer: no profile, and better pages.

Sources

1. Google. Business eligibility and ownership guidelines (Google Business Profile Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours”; its exceptions are “ATMs, video-rental kiosks, and express mail drop boxes are permitted”; “Seasonal businesses, like an ice-skating rink only open in winter months, are eligible”; “Delivery-only food services are permitted with some conditions”; the examples of ineligible businesses include “An ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don’t own or have the authority to represent”; “Lead generation agents or companies”; “Brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses”; “Any business whose address is listed as a P.O. box or mailbox in a remote location”; and “Failure to adhere to these policies may result in a suspension for the Business Profile and/or Google Account”.
2. Google. Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses (Google Business Profile Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   A service-area business is “A business that visits or delivers to customers directly but doesn’t serve customers at their business address”; “Service-area businesses can only have one profile for the whole area that they serve”; a hybrid business is “A business that serves customers at its business address but also directly visits or delivers to them. If your business doesn’t have permanent on-site signage, it’s not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business”; “You can set up to 20 service areas based on the cities, postal codes, or other areas you serve”; “The boundaries of your overall area shouldn’t be more than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based”.
3. Google. Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help; the opening and the sections “Understand basic guidelines”, “Address”, “Service-area businesses”, “Storefront versus service-area businesses” and “Individual practitioners”). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “If your business either has a physical location that customers can visit, or travels to customers where they are, you can create a Business Profile on Google”; “Reflect your business accurately”; “There should only be one profile per business”; “Create your Business Profile for your actual, real-world location”; “If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn’t operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn’t eligible for a Business Profile”; “Businesses can’t list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff”; “Businesses showing their address on Google should maintain permanent fixed signage of their business name at the address”; “If you serve customers at your address and want to set a service area, your business location should be staffed by your team and able to receive customers during its stated hours”; “If your business doesn’t have a storefront with clear signage but travels to customers at their physical locations, you’re allowed one service-area Business Profile”; an individual practitioner should create a dedicated profile if “They operate in a public-facing role. Support staff should not create their own Business Profiles”; “They can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours”; “A practitioner shouldn’t have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations”; “Google reserves the right to suspend access to Business Profiles on Google or other Google Services to individuals or businesses that violate these guidelines”.
4. Google. Fix suspended or disabled profiles (Google Business Profile Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “We may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don’t follow our guidelines”; evidence that can help an appeal includes “Official business registration”; “A business license”; “Tax certificates”; “Utility bills for the business”; “For any documents you submit as evidence, check that the business name and address match the profile you want to make an appeal for”; “Important: Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business”; “Appeals can only be submitted once”.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Getting started with licensure (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated February 21, 2024). “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”. Checked October 26, 2026.
6. Physical Therapy Compact Commission. What is a Compact Privilege? (help center article). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “A compact privilege is the authorization to practice in a compact member state other than your home state. It is the legal equivalent to a state-issued license”; “Compact privileges do not confer any additional authority or ability to practice or work beyond that of a regular license”. Its companion articles Does a compact privilege allow the privilege holder to practice via telehealth in a remote state?: “A compact privilege allows the privilege holder to practice physical therapy in a remote state under the scope of practice of the state where the patient/client is located, whether the practice is in-person or via telehealth”; and Can I use a compact privilege to practice/work in my home state?: “No. You cannot practice in your home state through a compact privilege”.
7. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Telehealth (CMS.gov), which links the Telehealth FAQ (PDF, listed on the page as updated October 9, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   The FAQ: “Through December 31, 2027, beneficiaries can receive Medicare telehealth services anywhere in the United States and territories”; “Through December 31, 2027, an extended range of practitioners may bill for Medicare telehealth services. Starting January 1, 2028, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists can no longer furnish Medicare Telehealth services”.
8. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 45 CFR 149.610, Requirements for provision of good faith estimates of expected charges for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals (eCFR, current through October 23, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   An uninsured (or self-pay) individual includes one who has benefits “but who does not seek to have a claim for such item or service submitted to such plan or coverage”; the availability of good faith estimates must be “Written in a clear and understandable manner, prominently displayed (and easily searchable from a public search engine) on the convening provider’s or convening facility’s website, in the office, and on-site where scheduling or questions about the cost of items or services occur” and “Orally provided when scheduling an item or service or when questions about the cost of items or services occur”; providers “shall consider any discussion or inquiry regarding the potential costs of items or services under consideration as a request for a good faith estimate”; the estimate is due “When a primary item or service is scheduled at least 3 business days before the date the item or service is scheduled to be furnished: Not later than 1 business day after the date of scheduling”, “When a primary item or service is scheduled at least 10 business days before such item or service is scheduled to be furnished: Not later than 3 business days after the date of scheduling” and “When a good faith estimate is requested by an uninsured (or self-pay) individual: Not later than 3 business days after the date of the request”; “The scope of a good faith estimate for recurring primary items or services must not exceed 12 months”; “A convening provider or convening facility must provide an uninsured (or self-pay) individual who has scheduled an item or service with a new good faith estimate if a convening provider, convening facility, co-provider, or co-facility anticipates or is notified of any changes to the scope of a good faith estimate”; it lists “the State(s) and office or facility location(s) where the items or services are expected to be furnished” and “A disclaimer that the good faith estimate is not a contract”; “A good faith estimate must be provided in written form either on paper or electronically”.
9. DrSensory. DrSensory for Therapists (the For Therapists hub, last updated October 7, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “DrSensory is a directory families use free to find occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy clinics”; “receive family inquiries yourself in a secure portal”; the clinics are “across all 50 states and Washington, DC”; “The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers a whole practice at one address”; “Inpatient rehabilitation facilities and chiropractic practices are not listed”; for “A solo or telehealth clinician” what usually matters is “Saying plainly how and where you see families, and who you see”, starting with “The telehealth, in-home and by-appointment settings”; “Tick ‘We offer telehealth’. Your profile then says ‘Offers telehealth appointments’, and the Telehealth tag can go under How we work”; “If you see families only by booking, tick ‘By appointment only’: the profile says so where opening hours would be, so nobody turns up at a door that is not open”; in the free and paid comparison, “Name, address, phone, map and directions” reads “Yes, from public records” for a free listing and “Yes, kept current by you” for a paid one, and “Accepting new patients, typical wait, telehealth, access notes” reads “No” and “Yes”; “Claiming is free and has three steps: find your listing, confirm your email with a six-digit code, choose a password”; “The first location is $29.99 a month or $349.99 a year; each additional location is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. It is priced per clinic, not per therapist”; “There is no contract, and nothing is charged while you claim”; “A paid listing adds your own description, logo, up to five photos, hours, reviews with your replies, and inquiries that come to you instead of to the DrSensory team”; “On a listing without a paid plan, the message comes to the DrSensory team, who try to reach the clinic by forwarding it on the family’s behalf; DrSensory cannot guarantee that the clinic receives or answers it”; “Does DrSensory list clinics that see adults?” “Yes”; “DrSensory does not guarantee rankings, sell your leads or vouch for clinical quality, and says so on its pricing page”.
10. DrSensory. How to claim and optimize your DrSensory profile (For Therapists guide). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    A new location is entered as “the name of the location, its street address, city, state, ZIP and phone”; the profile’s contact panel shows “A map, your address with directions, phone, hours or ‘By appointment only’, website, and a Contact this provider button”; the description says “How you work: in the clinic, at home, by telehealth, at school”; its second example About text is for “a solo speech-language pathologist working by telehealth”; its pre-publish checklist includes “Telehealth, in-home visits or ‘By appointment only’ is set if it applies”.
11. Google. Mark your business as closed (Google Business Profile Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “If your business or any of its locations closes, you can update your Business Profile. Your Business Profile displays as ‘Temporarily closed’ or ‘Permanently closed’ on Google Maps and Search”; “If you mark a business as permanently closed, your Business Profile may still appear on Search and Maps for users who search for it. It clearly shows that your business is closed”; “If your business is closed for more than 7 days, closed for the off-season, or closed indefinitely, use the option ‘Temporarily closed.’”.
12. Google. Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues (Google Business Profile Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “You can have only one Business Profile for each business. Multiple profiles for the same business may mislead your customers and are against our policies. If a profile is considered a duplicate, it won’t show on Google Search or Maps”; “If you offer different services at your business, do not create separate Business Profiles for each service. Instead, you should list your services on your Business Profile”.
13. Google. Overview of Google Business Profile policies (Google Business Profile Help; sections “Ineligible businesses”, “Business does not exist”, “P.O. Box address” and “Account restricted from Business Profile activity”). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “For example, the following businesses are not eligible for a Business Profile”; “Brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses”; “If we determine that your business doesn’t exist in the location you claim, Google will disable your profile”; “Merchants that set their business address at a P.O. Box will have their profile suspended”; “If a merchant displays a pattern of violating Google Business Profile policies, they may have their Business Profile access restricted”; “If a merchant’s account is restricted, all Business Profiles associated with that account will be suspended”.
14. Google Search Central. Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (Google Search documentation, last updated October 5, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Google’s automated ranking systems are designed to prioritize helpful, reliable information that’s created to benefit people, and not content that’s created to manipulate search engine rankings”; “Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site’s About page?”; “When reviewing content quality, Search Quality raters are trained to evaluate these fundamental attributes of the main content”; “For topics that could significantly impact people’s lives or well-being (YMYL topics), the content must be highly accurate and consistent with established expert consensus”; “We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it”.
15. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Telepractice (ASHA Practice Portal). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    Telepractice “may be the primary mode of service delivery or can be used in combination with in-person services”; clinicians weigh “physical and sensory factors, such as hearing, vision, and motor skills as well as aspects of endurance for online interactions such as sitting tolerance”, cognitive, behavioral and communication factors, and “support and environmental factors, such as the availability of reliable technology; Internet access; a quiet, private, and safe space; and the presence of facilitators, care partners, or interpreters as needed”; “In some cases, a trial period of telepractice may help determine whether this model is effective and sustainable for the client and their care partners/facilitators”; “Clinicians should verify state licensure/certification requirements in the state from which the clinician provides services as well as the state in which the client receives services prior to initiating services”; “Clinicians should also verify requirements including temporary location changes such as vacations and college attendance”; “Confirming who is present at both client and clinician sites at the start of each session”; informed consent should include “the client’s right to request in-person services at any time”; “Any appropriately trained individual may act as a facilitator, including teachers, aides, school staff, assistants, licensed health care professionals, interpreters, and family/care partners, unless restricted by institutional or state policies or regulations”; “It is not appropriate to require a family member or care partner to act as an interpreter”.
16. American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupational Therapy Telehealth Decision Guide (PDF, marked “Updated: 12/22/2020”, linked from AOTA’s Telehealth resources page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Does the state where I am licensed and the state where the patient is located allow telehealth occupational therapy?”; “Location of both practitioner and client affects telehealth regulation (confirm location of client during each visit)”; “OTA ability to provide telehealth varies by state and payer”; “Confirm coverage for telehealth with professional liability carrier”; “Specific patient ability to benefit from telehealth”; “Each payer approaches reimbursement for telehealth differently”.
17. American Physical Therapy Association. Telehealth (HOD P06-19-15-09) (APTA position, last updated September 20, 2019). “Physical therapists provide services using telehealth as part of their scope of practice, incorporating elements of patient and client management as needed, to enhance patient and client interactions”. Checked October 26, 2026.
18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preparing infant and toddler patients for telehealth (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated September 30, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Telehealth services that are appropriate for adults or even school-age children may not be well-suited for younger children”; “an in-person visit may be necessary for certain types of care”; “Even when caregivers are very comfortable with technology, positioning the video camera while handling a fussy child can be difficult”; “At the start of the visit with a new patient, make sure you document who holds legal guardianship of the child”; “At the start of the telehealth visit, confirm that both you and the caregiver know everyone present at the visit”.
19. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preparing patients for tele-physical therapy (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated August 20, 2024). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “When scheduling appointments, consider the patient and their family’s daily routine, including meals, rest times, and medications. If the patient has a caregiver, schedule the session at a time that works for all parties”; “Prior to the appointment, let the patient know what items, equipment, or homework to have ready and available in the space where the visit will occur”.
20. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Justice. Guidance on Nondiscrimination in Telehealth: Federal Protections to Ensure Accessibility to People with Disabilities and Limited English Proficient Persons (HHS.gov, content last reviewed July 31, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “All entities subject to Section 504, the ADA, Title VI, and Section 1557 should review their telehealth systems, policies, and processes, to ensure accessibility of their telehealth programs for all persons with disabilities and limited English proficient persons”; “Health care providers must make reasonable changes to their policies, practices, or procedures, which may include providing additional support to patients when needed before, during, and after a virtual visit, to avoid discriminating on the basis of disability”; “the provider should speak directly to the patient about their care”; “A doctor’s office that does not allow anyone but the patient to attend telehealth appointments would have to make reasonable changes to that policy to allow a person with a disability to bring a support person and/or family member to the appointment where needed”; “A physical therapy practice that uses telehealth to provide remote training sessions to patients may need to provide a sign language interpreter who is qualified to interpret physical therapy instructions and techniques”; “When an interpreter is necessary, the provider will need to make sure that their telehealth platform allows the interpreter to join the session”; “The provider may not require patients to bring their own interpreter”; “Health care providers must provide communication aids and services when needed and at no cost to the patient”.
21. Google Search Central. Organization (Organization) structured data (Google Search documentation, last updated September 8, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “There are no required properties; instead, we recommend adding as many properties that are relevant to your organization”; the recommended property address is “The address (physical or mailing) of your organization, if applicable”; “if your site is about a local business, for example a restaurant or a physical store, then we recommend providing your administrative details using the most specific subtype(s) of LocalBusiness”.
22. Google Search Central. Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data (Google Search documentation, last updated September 8, 2026). Under “Required properties”, address is “The physical location of the business”. Checked October 26, 2026.
23. Google Search Central. General structured data guidelines (Google Search documentation, last updated July 10, 2026). “Don’t use structured data to deceive or mislead users. Don’t impersonate any person or organization, or misrepresent your ownership, affiliation, or primary purpose”; “Your structured data must be a true representation of the page content”. Checked October 26, 2026.
24. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Licensing across state lines (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated April 30, 2025). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The ability to deliver health care services across state lines varies based on state regulations”; the ways listed are “Obtaining a full license; Checking temporary practice laws; Seeing if there is licensure reciprocity; Joining a licensure compact; and/or Applying for telehealth registration if available”; “Tip: Prior to an appointment, providers should verify patient location and obtain consent”; “Compacts allow participating health care providers to practice in participating states”; “Some states allow out-of-state providers to practice telehealth in their states through telehealth registrations”; among the terms providers typically must meet: “Must not open an office or offer in-person treatment in that state”.
25. Occupational Therapy Compact Commission. Practitioner FAQs (otcompact.gov). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Although your state passing the Compact is an important step, it does not automatically approve your license for use in other states. Practitioners must apply for the privilege to practice in each state through the Compact when states open their OTC applications”; “Each member state will open OTC applications on their own timeline when they are ready”; “An OTC privilege to practice is equivalent to a state license to practice”.
26. Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact Commission. ASLP-IC home page (aslpcompact.com). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Update May 28, 2026: Tennessee is now issuing privileges to practice”; “Registration for compact privileges to practice is open for licensed practitioners in Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia”; “Additional ASLP-IC member states must onboard licensees to CompactConnect and meet the compact requirements to issue compact privileges”; audiologists and SLPs licensed in good standing in a member state “will be eligible to practice in other compact member states via a ‘compact privilege,’ which is equivalent to a license”; “At this time, 37 jurisdictions (36 states and 1 territory) have enacted ASLP-IC legislation to be part of the compact”; “Practice of audiology and speech-language pathology occurs in the state where the patient/client is located at the time of the patient/client encounter”.
27. Physical Therapy Compact Commission. PT Compact Map (the commission’s map page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Member States (38)”, a list that includes the District of Columbia, under “Actively Issuing and Accepting Compact Privileges”; “Enacted Legislation (3)”, Maine, Michigan and Rhode Island, “Not Yet Issuing or Accepting Compact Privileges”; “Introduced Legislation (2)”: Illinois and Massachusetts; “Non-Members (10)”: California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Wyoming.
28. Occupational Therapy Compact Commission. Before You Apply for an OT Compact Privilege (otcompact.gov). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    Its table of member states lists these as accepting applications, with the date for each: Arkansas, October 5, 2026; Indiana, March 9, 2026; Maryland, April 15, 2026; Minnesota, January 12, 2026; Mississippi, October 5, 2026; Missouri, October 26, 2026; Ohio, January 12, 2026; Tennessee, May 20, 2026; Virginia, March 20, 2026; West Virginia, January 12, 2026; Wisconsin, May 29, 2026; every other member state reads “Not Yet”; “States not listed below are not a member of the Occupational Therapy Compact”. The home page (“Status of the OT Compact – updated October 2026”): “You cannot practice in an OTC state under the OT Compact, even if that state has enacted OTC legislation. You can only apply when the state opens applications, deems you eligible to apply, AND your application is approved”; “Until you receive your OTC privilege to practice, you need a license to practice in any state you wish to provide OT services”; OTs and OTAs licensed in good standing in a member state “will be eligible to practice in other Compact member states via a ‘compact privilege,’ which is equivalent to a license”.
29. Google Search Central. Spam policies for Google web search (Google Search documentation, last updated August 28, 2026; section “Doorway abuse”). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Doorway abuse is when sites or pages are created to rank for specific, similar search queries. They lead users to intermediate pages that aren’t as useful as the final destination”; its examples include “Having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page”; “Creating substantially similar pages that are closer to search results than a clearly defined, browseable hierarchy”; “Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all”.
30. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Getting patients set up with telehealth technology (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated September 1, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Every patient has different skills and comfort levels with technology”; “Provide written instructions that go through the entire process, step-by-step”; “Have a computer, tablet, or mobile device with camera and microphone that will work with your telehealth platform?”; “Have an internet connection with enough bandwidth for video (if required for the appointment)?”; “If possible, have someone from your team simulate a brief practice appointment so your patient can walk through each step from beginning to end”; “Give contact information for who can provide help if needed”.
31. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Creating an emergency plan (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated August 18, 2023). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Answer the following questions with your patient before or during their first appointment”; “Confirm the patient’s exact location at the beginning of each telemedicine appointment and get their full address”; “911 only works if you are in the same location as the person needing help, and calls cannot usually be forwarded to a different location”; “Who is your local emergency contact or support person?”; “Plan for alternate ways to reconnect to your patient via phone or an alternate video platform”; “What circumstances will require a referral to in-person treatment or care?”.
32. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Obtaining informed consent (Telehealth.HHS.gov, last updated August 18, 2023). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “While specific informed consent laws vary by state, these common sense actions are always a good idea”; “If there’s anyone observing the visit, tell the patient and get their consent at the start”; “Obtaining informed consent with your patient is typically done before the first appointment”.
33. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Resource for Health Care Providers on Educating Patients about Privacy and Security Risks to Protected Health Information when Using Remote Communication Technologies for Telehealth (HHS.gov). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules (‘HIPAA Rules’) do not require covered health care providers to educate patients about these risks”; “If the patient is not in a private location during the telehealth appointment, then other persons may hear or see sensitive health information about the patient”; “Ensure that the patient knows when and how they will be contacted by you or the remote communication technology vendor”; “Provide the names of the vendors of any remote communication technologies that you use and information about where to view the vendors’ websites and privacy practices”; “Tell the patient whether the telehealth app or website uses online tracking technologies”.
34. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Guidance on How the HIPAA Rules Permit Covered Health Care Providers and Health Plans to Use Remote Communication Technologies for Audio-Only Telehealth (HHS.gov). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires that covered entities apply reasonable safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information (PHI) from impermissible uses or disclosures, including when providing telehealth services”; “OCR expects covered health care providers to provide telehealth services in private settings to the extent feasible”; “if the individual is not known to the covered entity, the entity must verify the identity of the individual either orally or in writing (which may include using electronic methods)”.
35. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. HIPAA and Telehealth (HHS.gov). The COVID-19 Notifications of Enforcement Discretion “will expire at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023”; “The transition period will be in effect beginning on May 12, 2023 and will expire at 11:59 p.m. on August 9, 2023”. Checked October 26, 2026.
36. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Covered Entities and Business Associates (HHS.gov, content last reviewed August 21, 2024). Health care providers such as clinics are covered entities “but only if they transmit any information in an electronic form in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard”. Checked October 26, 2026.
37. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Telehealth (Medicaid.gov). “For most Medicaid benefits, federal Medicaid law and regulations do not specifically address telehealth delivery methods or the criteria for implementation of telehealth. As a result, states have broad flexibility in designing the parameters of telehealth delivery methods to furnish services”. Checked October 26, 2026.
38. DrSensory. Therapy Clinic Directory Pricing (the directory’s pricing page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “$29.99 a month or $349.99 a year for your first location, and $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for each additional location”; “Your practice name, address, and phone number are shown so families can find you”; “Your profile is indexed by Google with map location and directions”; “Basic listings are free and always will be. Claiming your listing is free”; “Outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology clinics. The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers your whole practice”; in the free and claimed comparison, family inquiries “Come to DrSensory” on an unclaimed listing and “Come to you, in the portal” on a claimed one; featured city placement is “Coming soon” and “Priced separately from your listing”; “We do not guarantee rankings.”; “We do not verify clinical quality.”; “We do not sell your leads.”.
39. Google. Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setup (Search Console Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Learn which queries are bringing traffic to your site, and use this to improve your SEO efforts”; “The default view of the report shows click and impression data for your site in Google Search results for the past three months”; the dimensions include “Queries”, “Pages” and “Countries”; “Even if a query appears in your list, you might not see your site in results if you run the same query in Google Search. This is because Search results are specific to the time, place, device, and recent history of the person searching”.
40. Google. Performance report (Search results): Advanced filtering and comparison (Search Console Help). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Choose Queries containing or URLs containing to match your provided string”; “Regular expression (regex) search enables you to filter for, or exclude, multiple queries or URLs that might contain significant differences or variable sections”; “For multiple values, separate them with a vertical bar (|) and surround the whole expression with parentheses”; “Default regex matching is not case-sensitive”; “Filtering your data by query or URL can affect the report totals due to data truncation and the omission of anonymized queries”.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is general guidance on running a therapy practice, not legal, compliance, billing or financial advice. It reports Google’s rules, the licensure compacts and CMS’s telehealth dates as their own pages stated them on October 26, 2026; each changes, so check the sources before relying on a detail.