Montana at a glance
| Rule | Montana, as of 30 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| PSYPACT (psychologists) | Yes |
| Counseling Compact (counselors) | Yes, not live yet |
| Social Work Licensure Compact | No |
| Health-data or health geofencing law | None |
| Privacy law treating health data as sensitive | Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act |
What patients search for in Montana
Monthly Google searches in the US that name a Montana 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 | Weight loss | GI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | 150 $3.50 | 80 $3.00 | 30 $2.50 | 200 | 70 $2.50 |
| Missoula | 90 $1.80 | 80 $2.50 | 50 | – | 150 $1.00 |
| Statewide | 60 | 40 $2.00 | 100 $2.50 | – | – |
The largest is Billings, where “medical weight loss billings mt” 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 Montana's borders
Montana is a PSYPACT state. A psychologist whose home license is in Montana can apply for PSYPACT's telepsychology authorization and then see clients by telehealth in the other PSYPACT states, so ads can reach clients there too.
Montana 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.
For physicians, psychiatrists included, Montana 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. North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho each have their own page.
Health data, tracking and Montana law
Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act, in effect since October 2024, 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 Montana practices
We're a remote US healthcare marketing agency, so there's no Montana office to visit. We work by video with practices across Montana, including Billings and Missoula. 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 Billings and Missoula 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
- Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act, checked 30 September 2026