Iowa at a glance
| Rule | Iowa, as of 30 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| PSYPACT (psychologists) | Passed, not in effect yet |
| Counseling Compact (counselors) | Yes, not live yet |
| Social Work Licensure Compact | Enacted, not issuing licenses yet |
| Health-data or health geofencing law | None |
| Privacy law treating health data as sensitive | Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act |
What patients search for in Iowa
Monthly Google searches in the US that name an Iowa city, from Ahrefs (checked 30 September 2026). Each cell is searches a month, then the average cost per click advertisers paid on Google. They are estimates, and a dash means too few searches to measure. Most people search “near me” instead of typing a city, so these are the visible part of the demand, not all of it. The Statewide row counts searches that name the state instead of a city.
| City | Therapist | Psychiatrist | Ketamine | IOP | Weight loss | Functional med. | GI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 200 $3.50 | 150 $2.50 | 10 | – | 30 | 30 $0.90 | 200 $0.60 |
| Statewide | 30 | 30 | 30 $1.90 | 30 | – | – | 10 |
The largest is Des Moines, where “therapist des moines” gets about 200 searches a month. To turn a cost per click into a cost per booked patient, put your own numbers into the patient acquisition cost calculator.
Telehealth across Iowa's borders
Iowa has passed PSYPACT legislation, but the compact is not in effect there yet. Until it is, a psychologist licensed here needs a license in each other state where they want to treat clients by telehealth.
Iowa has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it wasn't live here yet when we checked. Once it is, a licensed professional counselor based here can apply for privileges to practice in other member states instead of a separate license in each.
It has also enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, which isn't issuing multistate licenses yet; the compact's commission expects its licensing system in 2027.
For physicians, psychiatrists included, Iowa is in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which speeds up getting a license in other member states but doesn't replace it.
For marketing, that sets the map: an ad for online therapy or telepsychiatry should only run where the clinician can legally see the person who clicks it. Our guide to PSYPACT and Counseling Compact states lists every member state and how to set up ad targeting around them.
Practices near a state line often see clients from next door. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota each have their own page.
Health data, tracking and Iowa law
Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act, in effect since January 2025, treats health information as sensitive data that needs opt-in consent before it is processed. Most small practices fall below its size thresholds, but the ad platforms and data companies that receive website data usually don't, which is one more reason health information shouldn't reach them.
Wherever the practice is, our rule is the same: no health information goes to ad platforms, and booking pages ask for nothing clinical. None of this is legal advice; your counsel decides what applies to your practice.
For how these laws compare across states, and the website setup that works under all of them, see our guide to the My Health My Data Act and other state health-data laws.
How we work with Iowa practices
We're a remote US healthcare marketing agency, so there's no Iowa office to visit. We work by video with practices across Iowa, including Des Moines. The ads run in your own accounts, the booking page takes the appointment, and we count booked appointments, not clicks. Most practices start with the 30-day Proof Pilot, which opens with an audit.
Ads stop when the budget does, so we pair them with healthcare SEO: the work that gets a practice found when people in Des Moines search, without paying for each click.
The specialties we run, each with its own page: mental and behavioral health, therapy and counseling, psychiatry, ketamine and Spravato, IOP and PHP, medical weight loss, functional medicine, concierge and DPC and gastroenterology.
Sources
- PSYPACT, compact map, checked 30 September 2026
- Counseling Compact, member map, checked 30 September 2026
- Counseling Compact, Pennsylvania becomes the 40th member, checked 30 September 2026
- Social Work Licensure Compact, enacted in 35 states, checked 30 September 2026
- Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, participating states, checked 30 September 2026
- IAPP, US State Privacy Legislation Tracker, checked 30 September 2026
- Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, US search volumes and cost per click, checked 30 September 2026
- Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act, checked 30 September 2026