Medspa Legal: A dermatologist weighs in on medical directors in spas.
/ Dr. Ly from Aloha Dermatology & Laser Center posted this on Medical Directors in Medspas.
"...the medical spa industry often used the term “Medical Director” to lead consumers to believe that a non-physician owned (medspa) is employing a physician to perform medical services in the spa. As stated above. A non-physician owned spa cannot provide aesthetic medical procedures to the public nor can it employ a physician as practitioner. Thus, the use of the term “Medical Director” by a non physician-owned spa to mean a doctor who performs aesthetic medical services on behalf of the spa would be a fraudulent business practice. Only a physician-owned spa can legitimately have a Medical Director.
Consumers need to be aware that a physician who operates a private physician’s office within a non-physician owned spa must ensure that all advertising and marketing materials used by the spa properly disclose the physician’s relationship with the spa.
Many non-physician spa owners believe they can employ a physician to be their “Medical Director” and perform aesthetic medical procedures within their spa. This is incorrect, and any physician who accepts employment by a non-physician spa owner with the intent of performing aesthetic medical procedures as the spa’s medical director is subject to disciplinary action and increased liability."
I wonder what American Laser Centers, Dermacare, Sona, Solana and the rest of the medical spa franchises would say to that.
Dr Ly is right of course in the strictest sense as I've posted before: What's legal in a medical spa? l Why physicians & medical spas are a legal nightmare. l Sona Medspas: Legal structure & revenue sharing. l Medspa Legal: Can a non-physician employ a physician.
However, there are ways in which physicians can deliver services at locations or businesses they don't actually own. (Any hospital is and example of that.)