On this page
A medical disclaimer is a short statement that a website's content is general information, not medical advice, and that reading it does not create a patient and provider relationship. It sets expectations, but it does not cure a misleading claim: the FTC treats a disclaimer that contradicts an ad's health claim as ineffective, and dietary supplement labels that make structure or function claims must carry the FDA's exact wording. A disclaimer also says nothing about what a site's trackers send to ad platforms, which is the part Curve Compliance handles for healthcare marketers, under a BAA it signs on every plan.
Book a call. Running ads for a clinic, telehealth or wellness brand? A disclaimer covers your words, not your tracking. Curve Compliance replaces browser ad pixels with one script, sends conversions server-side to Meta, Google Ads, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn, and strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.
What a medical disclaimer is
A typical medical disclaimer says four things: the content is general and educational; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment; using the site or contacting the practice does not create a patient relationship; and anyone with an emergency should call 911.
Federal rules get specific for certain claims: the FDA sets exact wording for supplement structure and function claims, and the FTC sets standards for health claims and testimonials. The rest of this page covers those, with sample wording for the general case.
Medical disclaimer examples by site type
These samples are starting points, not legal advice, so talk to your counsel before you publish one. Change the wording to fit what your site actually offers.
| Site type | Sample wording | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic or practice website | The information on this website is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. It does not replace an exam or consultation with a qualified clinician. Using this site or contacting us does not create a patient relationship. If you think you have a medical emergency, call 911. | Put it in the footer and near symptom or treatment content. |
| Telehealth service | Treatment is available only after a consultation, and a licensed clinician decides whether it is right for you. Not everyone qualifies. Services are offered only where our clinicians are licensed to practice. | Keep eligibility statements next to the claims they qualify, not behind a link. |
| Mental health content | This content is not a substitute for professional care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911. | SAMHSA's own site header reads “In Crisis? Call or Text 988” (SAMHSA). |
| Dietary supplement label | This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. | Exact FDA wording, required with structure or function claims on labels and labeling (21 CFR 101.93(c)(1)). |
| Patient testimonials | Individual results vary. Patients who complete our program typically see [the result you can substantiate]. | The FTC expects the generally expected result, not a bare results-vary line (16 CFR 255.2(b)). |
For before and after photos, see before and after ad copy, disclaimers and scripts. For video stories, see healthcare video testimonials.
The FDA supplement disclaimer
When a supplement's label or labeling makes a structure or function claim, the FDA requires this text: “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” The rule sets placement too. The disclaimer goes “adjacent to the statement with no intervening material or linked to the statement with a symbol (e.g., an asterisk) at the end of each such statement,” and it must appear “in boldface type in letters of a typesize no smaller than one-sixteenth inch” (21 CFR 101.93).
FDA's structure and function page adds that the manufacturer “must submit a notification with the text of the claim to FDA no later than 30 days after marketing the dietary supplement with the claim.” It also notes that “disclaimers are not required for claims on conventional foods” (FDA). Ads are a separate question. The FTC says “the DSHEA labeling disclaimer isn't required in other forms of advertising or marketing,” and that it “won't cure an otherwise deceptive ad” (FTC).
What a disclaimer can't do
The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance is blunt about the limits. A clear disclosure can clarify an ambiguous claim, but “it can't directly contradict a claim.” In one of its examples, an app's store page says it treats acne, with a line beneath saying it is for entertainment only. The FTC's verdict: “Given the express claim that the app improves acne, the disclaimer that it doesn't treat medical conditions is directly contradictory and ineffective to negate the acne treatment claim” (FTC).
Burying the disclaimer fails too. In another FTC example, a fine-print line in a website's Terms and Conditions “is inadequate to correct the false scientific proof claim both because it directly contradicts the claim and because it is not clear and conspicuous” (FTC). The same guidance says statements such as Results not typical do not cure a testimonial that overstates what people can expect.
The Endorsement Guides explain why. A consumer testimonial on a key attribute “will likely be interpreted as representing that the endorser's experience is representative of what consumers will generally achieve with the advertised product.” Without proof of that, the ad “should clearly and conspicuously disclose the generally expected performance in the depicted circumstances” (16 CFR 255.2(b)). The Commission's own testing of two such lines found: “Neither disclosure adequately reduced the communication that the experiences depicted are generally representative” (16 CFR 255.2). For claims about results, see testimonials, substantiation and typical results.
Where to place disclaimers
The FTC says “In social media, the internet, and other interactive media, the disclosure should be unavoidable; disclosures made through hyperlinks are avoidable.” It adds that “A visual disclosure should stand out and, based on its size, contrast, location, the length of time it appears, and other characteristics, it should be easily noticed, read, and understood” (FTC).
- Site-wide. A general medical disclaimer in the footer of every page, and in full on your terms or about page.
- Next to the claim. Any qualifier that limits a specific claim, such as eligibility or typical results, goes beside that claim.
- On supplement labels and labeling. Adjacent to the claim, or linked by an asterisk, as 21 CFR 101.93(d) sets out.
- In ads. In the ad itself, in the same format as the claim, not only on the landing page.
Disclaimers and privacy notices
A disclaimer is about your content. Your privacy notice is about patient information, and for covered entities it has its own rule: “A covered entity that maintains a web site that provides information about the covered entity's customer services or benefits must prominently post its notice on the web site and make the notice available electronically through the web site” (45 CFR 164.520(c)(3)(i)). See the notice of privacy practices and your website.
Neither one covers your trackers. HHS says “the Privacy Rule does not permit disclosures of PHI to a tracking technology vendor based solely on a regulated entity informing individuals in its privacy policy, notice, or terms and conditions of use that it plans to make such disclosures” (HHS). To see what your pages load, use the cookie checker guide and Curve's free website scan, then work through the HIPAA compliant website checklist.
How Curve Compliance helps
A disclaimer covers what your pages say. Curve Compliance covers what your pages send. Curve replaces browser ad pixels with one script and sends conversions server-side from Curve's servers to Meta, Google Ads, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn. Each platform receives only a fixed list of fields, events can use neutral names, and contact identifiers are off by default on Meta, Google Ads and TikTok. Curve checks every event for PHI-like patterns and strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform, and Event Logs show what Curve sent to each platform and what the platform accepted.
Curve's team will also review what your website sends to Meta, Google and TikTok with you. Curve is SOC 2 Type II and signs a BAA on every plan (Directory entry). Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week.
Sources, checked November 2, 2026: 21 CFR 101.93; FDA, Structure/Function Claims; FTC, Health Products Compliance Guidance; 16 CFR 255.2, Consumer endorsements; SAMHSA, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; 45 CFR 164.520; HHS, Use of Online Tracking Technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a medical disclaimer?
A medical disclaimer is a short statement that a website's content is general information, not medical advice, and does not create a patient and provider relationship. It sets expectations but cannot cure a misleading health claim.
What should a medical disclaimer say?
That the content is general and educational, that it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment, that using the site does not create a patient relationship, and that anyone with an emergency should call 911. Mental health content can also point people in crisis to 988, as SAMHSA's own site does.
What is a good medical disclaimer example?
The information on this website is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. It does not replace an exam or consultation with a qualified clinician. If you think you have a medical emergency, call 911.
Can I write my own medical disclaimer?
Yes, for general content, though it is worth having your counsel review it. Supplement labels are the exception: the FDA sets the exact wording for structure and function claims (21 CFR 101.93).
Does a disclaimer protect against an FTC claim?
Not when it contradicts the claim. The FTC says a disclosure “can't directly contradict a claim,” and a fine-print disclaimer that is not clear and conspicuous fails as well (FTC).
Do testimonials need a disclaimer?
If a testimonial shows results most people won't get, the FTC expects the ad to disclose the generally expected result, backed by evidence (16 CFR 255.2(b)). A vague results-vary line is not enough.
Does Curve Compliance sign a BAA?
Yes. Curve Compliance signs a BAA on every plan, and Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week (Directory entry).
Talk to Curve Compliance
Book a call. Disclaimers handled, but not sure what your pixels send? Curve Compliance sends conversions to your ad platforms from its own servers, strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform and signs a BAA on every plan. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.