Medical Director for Med Spas in California, Placed in 24 Hours

Any California med spa offering Botox, fillers, PRP, IV therapy, or medical lasers needs a supervising physician, since state law treats all of them as medicine. That physician has to hold an active California license from the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Your RNs, NPs, and PAs then treat under standardized procedures or a practice agreement with them.

Only a licensed physician can fill the medical director role for a med spa set up as a medical corporation. Most aesthetic NPs work under standardized procedures with that physician, and 103 NPs practice in settings that include at least one physician. The 104 NP pathway gives more independence, but check it with a healthcare attorney before you build a practice around it.

Most med spa services can be supervised remotely. The MBC doesn’t require the physician on site, only that they’re immediately reachable, which its laser and IPL rule defines as reachable by phone or electronically without delay. Remote or not, your physician still needs to review charts, update protocols, and keep a written record.

A layperson can’t own the medical side of a California med spa. Physicians need at least 51 percent of the medical corporation, and licensed RNs, NPs, and PAs can share up to 49 percent under Corporations Code Section 13401.5. Owners without a license usually hold a management services organization that handles business operations only.

California doesn’t set one chart review percentage for med spas. Since SB 697 took effect in 2020, PA chart review comes from the practice agreement, and RN standardized procedures have to spell out how the physician evaluates the nurse’s work. Write your schedule down, and review fillers, lasers, and other higher-risk treatments more often.

Physicians who aid unlicensed practice can face Medical Board discipline up to suspension or revocation. Practicing medicine without a license is also a crime under Business and Professions Code Section 2052. On top of that, clinics face civil claims, and insurers can deny coverage for treatments done outside a valid supervision arrangement.

One physician can oversee several locations as long as supervision stays active at each one. California caps how many PAs a physician can supervise at a time, and every site needs its own protocols, chart reviews, and availability plan. A physician who just lends their name to several clinics risks discipline for unprofessional conduct.

PAs can inject Botox and fillers in California under a practice agreement with a supervising physician. The practice agreement replaced the old delegation of services agreement on January 1, 2020, and it lists the medical services the PA may perform. Oversight of the PA’s work stays with the supervising physician.

Good faith exams can happen over telehealth when a physician, NP, or PA performs them. Business and Professions Code Section 2290.5 requires the provider to tell the patient they’re using telehealth and to document consent. The exam has to meet the same standard of care as an in-person visit and be charted before treatment.

Medical Director Co. places California-licensed physicians with med spas in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Orange County within 24 hours. Each placement comes with standardized procedures, practice agreements, a chart review schedule, and malpractice coverage confirmation. Pricing starts at $799 a month, with no setup fees or long-term contracts.