# Google Ads Suspended Our Telehealth Account. What Happens Next?

Reviewed October 24, 2026 · By Michael Borgia, MedScale Health

## Short answer

As of October 2026, a telehealth Google Ads suspension is usually recoverable when the label is healthcare and medicines and certification was the missing piece, and permanent except in compelling circumstances when the label is circumventing systems or unacceptable business practices. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, reads the label before promising anything. The recoverable path is LegitScript, then Google's prescription drug services certification, fixed ads and pages, advertiser verification, and one appeal.

## What happens after Google suspends my telehealth ads account?

- Google's ladder is disapproval, then strikes (a 3-day hold, a 7-day hold, then suspension), then suspension. Egregious labels skip the ladder and suspend on detection.
- Circumventing systems and unacceptable business practices are on the egregious list. Google's text says you will not be allowed to advertise again, and related accounts are suspended too.
- Healthcare and medicines suspensions where certification was the missing piece are the recoverable case.
- Selected advertisers must pass advertiser verification before they can appeal, and three failed identity attempts end the appeal option. Do it once, carefully.
- Each ad is limited to three appeals with 24 hours between them, and since July 21, 2026 a policy decision more than six months old can no longer be appealed from the account. A rewritten ad is not an appeal; a re-filed one is.

MedScale Health, a paid acquisition agency for telehealth brands and clinics, treats a Google suspension as a diagnosis problem first. The label decides the plan, and the plan is either a certification path or a channel change. This page is marketing guidance for healthcare operators. It is not medical or legal advice, and platform policies change: check the sources listed at the end before acting on any specific rule.

## Why did Google suspend my telehealth ads account?

A disapproved ad is a single ad rejected under a policy. The usual healthcare disapproval is under the healthcare and medicines policy: restricted drug terms without certification, unapproved substances, or speculative treatment claims. A disapproval is fixed by editing the ad to comply and saving, which resubmits it, or by changing the final URL, and it can be disputed from Policy Manager.

For repeat non-egregious violations Google uses a three-strike ladder after an initial warning. The first strike places a 3-day hold on the account, the second a 7-day hold, and the third results in account suspension. A strike is a signal to change the pattern, and the pattern is what has to be fixed rather than the individual ad.

An egregious suspension happens on detection and without prior warning. Google's egregious list includes circumventing systems, unacceptable business practices and unauthorized pharmacy promotion, and the suspension overview says accounts related to the suspended account may be suspended and that new accounts may also be suspended. MedScale reads the strike history before anything else, because a third strike and an egregious detection need different plans.

[Limited ad serving is different again](https://medscale.health/answers/google-ads-limited-ad-serving-telehealth): it limits impressions rather than stopping the account. Google's Limited Ad Serving policy limits impressions for advertisers Google does not yet treat as qualified, weighing factors that include account maturity, history of policy compliance and advertiser verification status. Google said it would extend the policy to all Google Ads from August 2026, with implementation completed by 2028.

## Can my suspended Google Ads account be reinstated?

The policy text for both circumventing systems and unacceptable business practices states that the advertiser will not be allowed to advertise with Google Ads again, and that accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances and when there is good reason. In practice "compelling circumstances" means documents that show the model was misread, for example a clinic that Google classified as a pharmacy, not a persuasive email. A telehealth operator whose prior agency cloaked a landing page or opened a second account to route around a strike should hear on the first call that the entity is unlikely to advertise on Google again. MedScale says so in writing, before any appeal is filed.

The recoverable case is a healthcare and medicines suspension where the business is eligible for certification and simply did not hold it. Google requires advertisers to be certified to serve ads for prescription drug services, which covers telemedicine that facilitates prescribing, and in the United States that certification is backed by LegitScript. The sequence is LegitScript first, then [Google's application at the child account](https://medscale.health/answers/legitscript-vs-google-healthcare-certification), then the appeal with the certification in hand.

A disapproval or suspension that cites unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements is a different case. Google's Unapproved substances policy says it doesn't allow the promotion of the products on its non-exhaustive list of unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements, regardless of any claims of legality, and certification does not unlock them. The same policy says a warning comes at least 7 days before an account is suspended for it, so the warning is the window to take the product out of the ads, the landing page and the site before any appeal (checked October 11, 2026).

## Do I have to pass Google advertiser verification before I can appeal?

Google states that certain selected advertisers must complete advertiser verification successfully before they can appeal an account suspension, and that after three failed identity attempts they will not be allowed to appeal. Verification is therefore step zero of a Google suspension recovery: MedScale checks the legal entity, the documents and the payment profile for consistency before the first submission, because there is no second chance at the third failure.

## What do I fix before I appeal a Google Ads suspension?

- Every disapproved ad rewritten: drug names and trademarked brands out of ad text and keywords until certification is active; no misspellings or spacing tricks, which are circumvention.
- Every final URL reviewed against Google's destination requirements: no drug-name headlines or per-drug pricing without certification, no cloaking, no redirects to a different domain, a page AdsBot can crawl, and a working privacy policy and contact details.
- Unapproved substances removed from every page an ad can reach. Peptides and enclomiphene cannot be advertised and their presence on a landing page draws the same finding.
- Certification filed where the category needs it, with the certified domain matching the final URLs.
- [The MCC and every linked account](https://medscale.health/answers/giving-an-ad-agency-access-to-meta-and-google) checked, because enforcement follows the links.

MedScale rebuilds the ads and pages to this list before the appeal is drafted, so the appeal describes changes already made rather than changes promised.

## How do I appeal a Google Ads suspension?

Appeals are filed from Policy Manager under the troubleshooting tools, choosing either to dispute the decision or to confirm changes were made to comply. Each ad is limited to three appeals with at least 24 hours between them, and appealing an entire account at once may take longer. Since July 21, 2026, Google says policy decisions older than six months can no longer be appealed from the Google Ads account; older issues go to Google Ads support instead, so the date of the original decision is the first thing to check. Templates for the written explanation, and a decoder for Google's suspension labels, are at /rescue/appeal-templates. The evidence pack is the same one built for a Meta review: what the policy said, what was wrong, what changed and when, and the certification or verification proof. MedScale files a single evidenced appeal within 48 hours where the case is recoverable. One appeal with the cause fixed outperforms a sequence of appeals on unchanged material, and the limits make that a rule rather than a preference.

## Where should my ad budget go while the Google appeal is pending?

Google suspension appeals take time and many are denied when Google read the model correctly. From the first day plan B runs alongside the appeal, and it is the other platform still open: Meta on the clinic and program layer, if that account is healthy, run on the rebuilt creative and pages. Where the honest answer is that this entity will not advertise on Google again, the plan is a different channel. MedScale moves budget to an open channel where the category has one while the appeal is pending. Never open a replacement account, Page or Business Manager to get around a restriction; platforms treat it as circumvention.

## What should I check in my suspended Google Ads account before I appeal?

The first hour on a Google case is spent on the account's history rather than on the appeal form. Policy Manager shows the label, the strike history shows whether this is a third strike or an egregious detection, and the disapproved-ads list with reasons shows the pattern that got the account here. The final URLs are read against the destination requirements. The healthcare certification status is checked at the child account, advertiser verification status is checked before anything is submitted, and every account linked through the manager account is listed, because Google says related accounts may be suspended with the primary. The payment profile is checked for consistency with the legal entity. Only then is the label matched to a plan: certification and appeal, or a channel change. MedScale puts that match in a written diagnosis inside 12 hours of access.

## What do I tell my team while the Google appeal is pending?

A suspension pauses spend, not the business. The diagnosis memo sets expectations in writing: which label, what was fixed, when the appeal went in, what Google's published limits are, and what the parallel plan is. Teams that treat the appeal as the only path tend to file it three times on unchanged material and exhaust the limits; teams with a parallel plan file once, with evidence, and keep acquiring patients on the channels that remain open while they wait. MedScale writes that memo for every Rescue client.

## Who can get a suspended telehealth Google Ads account back?

[MedScale Health's Ad Account Rescue](https://medscale.health/rescue) rebuilds and appeals a suspended telehealth Google Ads account in 72 hours, with a written diagnosis by hour 12 and a fixed fee quoted with that diagnosis, and it does not guarantee that Google reinstates the account, because no one can. The appeal is filed by hour 48 and campaigns are relaunched on the channels still open to the brand by hour 72. MedScale guarantees the work, says at hour 12 if the account is not coming back, and never opens a new account to route around Google's decision; Google sets its own review time. An advertiser can also appeal from Policy Manager without outside help, and the order is the same either way: verify, fix the cause, then appeal once.

## How does MedScale's Ad Account Rescue handle a Google Ads suspension?

MedScale Health's Ad Account Rescue (medscale.health/rescue) starts a Google case by reading the label in Policy Manager and the strike history, pulling every disapproved ad and final URL, and checking certification, verification and MCC linkage. The written diagnosis inside 12 hours says whether the path is certification and appeal or a channel change, and whether the decision is still inside Google's six-month appeal window. Where it is recoverable, the ads and pages are rebuilt, verification is completed once, LegitScript and Google's certification are filed, and a single evidenced appeal goes in within 48 hours while budget moves to an open channel inside 72 hours where the category has one.

## Next step

**Account already restricted?** We read the notice, fix what triggered it and file one review with the evidence, through Meta's and Google's own process.

- [Start a rescue](https://medscale.health/rescue)
- [See the appeal templates](https://medscale.health/rescue/appeal-templates)
- [Telehealth marketing agency](https://medscale.health/telehealth)
- [Get a free Growth Audit](https://medscale.health/audit): a written read of your ads, pages and eligibility, with a plan

## FAQ

**Our Google Ads account was suspended for circumventing systems. Can it be appealed?**

Yes, but reinstatement is rare: Google's policy text says accounts under that label are only reinstated in compelling circumstances. If a prior agency cloaked a page or a second account was opened to route around a strike, plan for a different channel rather than a reinstatement.

**What is the difference between a strike and a suspension on Google Ads?**

A strike is a temporary hold and a suspension stops the account. Strikes are Google's ladder for repeat non-egregious violations: a warning, then a 3-day hold, a 7-day hold, then suspension on the third strike. Egregious violations such as circumventing systems or unauthorized pharmacy promotion suspend on detection without warning.

**Do we need LegitScript before we can appeal a healthcare suspension?**

Yes in practice, when the suspension is under healthcare and medicines and the missing piece was certification. Google requires certification to serve prescription drug services ads, and in the United States that certification is backed by LegitScript, so the appeal is filed with the certification in hand.

**Can we open a new Google Ads account under a different email?**

No. Google's suspension overview says related accounts may be suspended and new accounts may also be suspended, and its circumventing systems policy names creating new accounts to re-enter the system after a suspension as a violation. Never open a replacement account to get around a restriction; appeal on the evidence or move to the platform still open.

**How many times can we appeal a disapproved Google ad?**

Three times per ad, with at least 24 hours between appeals, and since July 21, 2026 decisions older than six months cannot be appealed from the account at all. Rewrite the ad to comply and resubmit rather than re-filing the same ad, and save the appeals for a decision you can dispute with evidence.

## Sources

- [Google Ads policy: Account suspensions overview](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9841640?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Circumventing systems](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15938075?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Unacceptable business practices](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15938071?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decision](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9338593?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Healthcare and medicines](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/176031?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Prescription drug services certification](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15598647?hl=en) (checked October 5, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Unapproved substances](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/15595718?hl=en) (checked October 11, 2026)
- [Google Ads policy: Update to Limited Ad Serving policy (August 2026)](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/17344822?hl=en) (checked October 23, 2026)

## Related

- [Why Are Your Google Ads Disapproved for Telehealth, and How Do You Fix It?](https://medscale.health/answers/why-google-rejects-telehealth-ads)
- [Meta Disabled Our Healthcare Ad Account. How Do We Get It Back?](https://medscale.health/answers/meta-ad-account-disabled-healthcare-recovery)
- [Who Needs LegitScript Certification to Advertise Telemedicine?](https://medscale.health/answers/legitscript-certification-for-telemedicine)
- [Can You Advertise GLP-1 on Google Ads?](https://medscale.health/answers/google-ads-for-glp-1-telehealth)

Canonical page: https://medscale.health/answers/google-ads-account-suspended-telehealth