Medical practice website: what you are allowed to write

A medical practice website is more than a business card. Patients check it before they call, and the restrictions on advertising medical services make many doctors and physiotherapists write either too cautiously or, on the contrary, too boldly. In this guide I show what is usually safe and what you had better check.

This is not legal advice. I describe the situation as of 27 October 2026, and the regulations and the positions of professional chambers may change. Settle any doubts with a lawyer or in your own chamber.

Information or advertising: where the line is

Art. 14(1) of the ustawa o działalności leczniczej (Poland’s Medical Activity Act; consolidated text in Dz.U., the Polish Journal of Laws, 2026, item 156) says that an entity performing medical activity makes public information on the scope and types of healthcare services it provides, and that the content and form of this information must not have the features of advertising. The term “entity performing medical activity” also covers doctors and physiotherapists who practice as a professional practice (Art. 2(1)(5)), so the provision applies to a one-person practice as well. The Act does not define advertising. The medical profession’s self-governing body takes the view that advertising is information combined with encouraging people to use the services.

In practice the difference is this:

• information: “I perform manual therapy, kinesiotaping and exercises after knee surgery”,
• encouragement: “The best physiotherapy in town! Sign up before the slots run out!”.

The first sentence says what you do. The second tries to persuade the patient with emotions and pressure.

What you can usually write

Facts that a patient can verify are safe:

• scope of services: consultations, procedures, tests, types of therapy,
• qualifications: field of study, specialization, completed courses, chamber membership,
• practical details: address, consultation hours, how to register, directions, accessibility for people with disabilities,
• information about how a visit goes: how long it takes, what to bring, how to prepare.

It is good when descriptions are calm and factual. A patient is looking for trust, not slogans.

What you had better not write

Avoid formulas that may be treated as encouragement or a promise of results:

• superlatives: “best”, “number 1”, “most effective”,
• promises of results: “we’ll cure your back pain in 3 visits”, “guaranteed improvement”,
• promotions and pressure: “-20% only until Friday”, “last free slots”,
• comparisons with other practices,
• “before and after” photos that suggest a guaranteed effect.

Professional self-governing bodies also have their own rules. The Code of Medical Ethics (Kodeks Etyki Lekarskiej) in the version in force since 1 January 2025 allows a doctor to use information about the services offered if it complies with the principles of medical ethics (Art. 71), but it does not override the prohibition in the Act. The principles of professional ethics for physiotherapists (a resolution of the 2nd National Congress of Physiotherapists of 2022, § 8) require that only substantive information about the offer be provided and that patients not be misled about one’s own or other physiotherapists’ competence. Check the current version of the rules of your own body.

Price list on the website: yes or no

A price list on the website is permitted, and often even mandatory. According to Art. 24(1)(12) and 24(2) of the Act, the organizational regulations specify the amount of fees for paid services, and current fees are made known to patients by posting them at the place where services are provided and on the website. The exceptions are mainly practices run solely at the medical facility of another entity, under a contract with it. The amounts given should be current and unambiguous: how much a consultation costs, whether the price includes an examination, whether a procedure requires several visits.

Combining a price with encouragement is risky, for example “cheaper today” or “package of 5 visits at a discount”. In the material of the Supreme Medical Chamber (Naczelna Izba Lekarska) on the advertising ban, references to a favorable price, discounts or installments are listed as inadmissible. If you plan a price list with promotional options, first ask your chamber or a lawyer.

Contact form: don’t ask about symptoms

This is a common mistake on practice websites. A field like “Describe your complaints” in an ordinary form collects health data, that is, special-category data under Art. 9 GDPR. Processing such data is in principle prohibited, unless one of the exceptions in Art. 9(2) GDPR applies, and protecting it requires stronger safeguards than an ordinary phone number.

A safer form template:

1. first name,
2. phone number,
3. a service chosen from a list, for example “consultation” or “physiotherapy”,
4. a short note on data processing with a link to the privacy policy (when the patient asks for contact on their own, a separate consent is usually not needed).

You will talk about symptoms over the phone or at the visit. If you need to send documentation, use a secure channel rather than ordinary email. Also make sure that messages from the form go to a server in Poland or the EU. I describe how to do this in the Customer data in the EU service.

ZnanyLekarz or your own website

A portal with booking has a big advantage: patients are already there and book with one click. Your own website has other strengths:

For many practices the best option is a combination: a portal for booking, and your own website to present the range of services, the team and directions. You don’t have to spend a lot on such a website. The Turnkey business website costs from PLN 4,900 net and comes with a panel where you can change your consultation hours yourself.

Online booking without collecting unnecessary data

If you prefer to take bookings on your own website, choose a system that asks only for essential data: name, phone, date and type of visit. SMS reminders reduce the number of missed appointments, and the patient doesn’t have to call during reception hours.

I implement Booking systems from PLN 990 net in the ready-made version. I don’t add “describe the problem” fields to them, unless you have a separate legal basis and safeguards for them.

Checklist before publishing

1. Service descriptions say what you do, rather than trying to convince people that you are the best.
2. There are no promises of results, “before and after” photos or comparisons with other practices.
3. The price list for paid services is on the website, up to date, and free of promotions and discounts.
4. The form collects a name, a phone number and a chosen service, not symptoms.
5. The privacy policy describes who the controller is and what the data is used for.
6. The website works on a phone and is easy to read for older people.
7. The data in Google (address, hours, phone) matches the data on the website.

Summary

On a practice website, inform factually: the scope of services, qualifications, practical details. Avoid encouragement, superlatives and questions about health in the form. In case of doubt, check the current Art. 14 of the Medical Activity Act and the code of your chamber.

If you want me to design a practice website with a simple form and bookings, write to me. You can also check your current website beforehand in the free Check your website tool: in 30 seconds you will see its speed, SEO and security.