NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation — Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from online health retailers, telehealth platforms, and digital advertisers about NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation. For situation-specific guidance, schedule a free discovery session.
What is NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation?
NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation is NABP's broadest accreditation program, available to health care and health care-adjacent businesses that operate online. It verifies legitimacy, legal compliance, and patient safety commitment. Businesses pursue it primarily to meet online advertising platform requirements (Google, Bing), card network compliance requirements (Visa, Mastercard), and to access NABP's .pharmacy domain.
Does my business need to be a pharmacy to apply?
No. Healthcare Merchant Accreditation is available to non-pharmacy businesses including online health retailers, telehealth platforms, digital health advertisers, and other health care-adjacent businesses. Pharmacies may also qualify, but the program is explicitly designed to extend beyond traditional pharmacy operations.
Is Healthcare Merchant Accreditation available to international businesses?
Yes — it is available globally. International applicants must demonstrate compliance with the laws of their home jurisdiction and all jurisdictions where they conduct business. This makes it one of the few NABP programs accessible to international companies serving US or global health markets.
Does this accreditation satisfy Google's pharmacy advertiser requirements?
Healthcare Merchant Accreditation is recognized by several major digital advertising platforms for health-related advertising categories. However, platform requirements vary by ad category, geographic market, and platform policy — which evolve over time. IHS recommends verifying current platform requirements directly with the specific ad platform before pursuing accreditation solely for advertising access.
What is the .pharmacy domain and how does accreditation relate to it?
The .pharmacy top-level domain is administered by NABP and restricted to verified, compliant health businesses. Healthcare Merchant Accreditation is a pathway to obtaining a .pharmacy domain — upon achieving accreditation, the business can submit a request to the .Pharmacy Registry. The .pharmacy domain provides a consumer-visible legitimacy signal and may improve organic search visibility.
What are the domain transparency requirements?
NABP requires that the applicant's domain name registration information be public, accurate, and non-anonymized. WHOIS privacy protection hiding the registrant's identity is not permitted. Applicants should update their domain WHOIS records before submitting their application.
Can a compounding pharmacy or telehealth platform using compounding services apply?
Compounding pharmacies or platforms using compounding pharmacies for fulfillment may be ineligible if the pharmacy has unresolved FDA Warning Letter(s) or Form 483 notifications regarding compounding. IHS conducts an eligibility assessment before each engagement to identify any conditions that may affect eligibility.
What is the annual participation fee?
Starting May 12, 2025, NABP charges an annual participation fee on the accreditation anniversary date. The first year includes an application fee; if approved, the first year of accreditation is included. Contact NABP directly for current fee amounts — IHS does not quote NABP's fees.
Does Healthcare Merchant Accreditation require HIPAA compliance?
If the business is a HIPAA-covered entity, its Notice of Privacy Practices must be prominently displayed on the customer-facing website. NABP's review evaluates HIPAA disclosure compliance for applicable entities. Even non-covered entities should have clear privacy policies governing consumer health information.
How does IHS help businesses achieve Healthcare Merchant Accreditation?
IHS provides eligibility assessment, gap assessment against NABP's ten standards, website and documentation remediation support, and application preparation and submission management. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD — IHS's principal consultant and former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC — leads every engagement, tailored to your specific business model and platform relationships.
What happens if my business loses Healthcare Merchant Accreditation?
Loss of accreditation results in removal from NABP's directory and loss of platform credentials — potentially including Google/Bing advertising access and card network compliance status. IHS helps clients build annual renewal processes to prevent lapses and advises clients responding to NABP compliance notices.
Additional Questions?
Schedule a Free Discovery Session with IHS to discuss your specific accreditation questions.