California Medical Medi Spa Rules Get a Makeover
In California, as in many states, a licensed physician or surgeon must be the majority owner of a medical spa. The law even requires minority stake holders to work in a health-related field. But under current rules, the doctor in charge need not be present when a medical spa is performing certain services. They merely must be “reachable” during the procedure, said Candis Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Medical Board of California.
As a result, some medical spas have physician oversight on paper, but the doctors in charge spend little or no time in the offices. Lawmakers in several states are addressing this safety concern. A bill pending in the California legislature would strengthen penalties against such absentee oversight. Introduced by Alan Nakanishi, R-Lodi, Assembly Bill 2398 would expand penalties — which are now usually fines — to include license revocation.
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