Here’s what you need to consider before becoming a medical director of a MedSpa, Aesthetic Center, or any other type of practice.
Compliance
When you become a medical director of a facility, you are responsible for all aspects of the legal and medical side of the business.
Supervision and Delegation
As a medical director of a facility you must have the necessary experience and training for the types of services that you offer. If something should happen, you have to be able to explain why certain treatments were performed the way they were. So you should be able to properly perform any treatment that you offer within your practice.
You must ensure the staff that you have delegated to perform certain treatments and procedures are properly trained and certified on performing them as well. That includes setting protocols for non-medical employees as well and knowing what their limits are. On our last blog post, we discussed the astonishing number of MedSpas and other practices allowing untrained medical personnel to perform procedures. Don’t let your practice be one of them because if caught, there are serious consequences involved.
Ownership
Depending on the state in which your practice lies, you will also need to abide by the regulations around ownership. Some states require that the practice be physician owned, whereas some states allow them to be non-physician owned. Either way, it is vital that you understand the legal requirements in your state.
Hands-off Approach
Something that many providers find difficult is the fact that as a medical director, you are typically more hands-off. In some cases, the medical director doesn’t even need to be onsite to supervise mid-level providers. Again, that depends on the state, the type of providers you employ, and the treatments they administer.
There are a lot of advantages that come from becoming a medical director of a MedSpa or similar facility. Of course, there is more income opportunities as well as additional referral sources. However, that should not be the only reason that you open up a MedSpa. It is a lot of work, and there is a lot of liability involved. It is imperative that you do the research necessary regarding all legal and medical compliance guidelines in your state.