IV Therapy in a Med Spa Practice

Medical Aesthetic IV Therapy Resource Center

IV Therapy in Med Spa Practices

Many med spas are beginning to offer IV therapy since the treatment is increasingly popular every day. If you're considering opening an IV therapy clinic or adding the service to your practice, the resources on this page can give you an overview of the legal compliance and business considerations to keep in mind.

First things first, let's understand what IV therapy is all about. Intravenous (IV) therapy involves delivering fluids, medications, and nutrients directly into a patient's bloodstream through a vein. IV therapy can be used for various purposes, such as hydration, vitamin supplementation, and even wellness treatments.

Learn how to build a successful IV therapy practice with this 2-hour AmSpa Masters training with Steven Weiner, MD.

IV Therapy Podcasts

AmSpa CEO, Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with Michael S. Byrd, JD, and Bradford E. Adatto, JD, of national business and health care law firm ByrdAdatto. They discuss the latest in aesthetics compliance concerns and what medical spas should know about IV therapy compliance.

Medical Spa Insider: Texas Medical Spa IV Therapy Death

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Additional Reading on IV Therapy

Intravenous (IV) hydration and wellness is quickly becoming a hot topic in the medical aesthetics industry. Due to low patient risk, high margins and increasing demand, many clinicians are seeking information about how to successfully integrate these services into their medical spas.

Intravenous (IV) therapy has been used to provide nutrition and for rehydration in hospitals and medical practices for decades. However, in this new day and age, IV therapy is also utilized to treat conditions such as hangovers, fatigue, flu symptoms and jet lag. This update revisits one of the major considerations, the corporate practice of medicine (CPOM), and expands upon compliance issues with the administration of IV services.

The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure recently released two guidance documents; one on providing IV hydration therapy and a second one prescribing semaglutide for weight loss. While this guidance is specific to Mississippi, many of the concepts they discuss exist in other states.

Recently, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners investigated a number of IV bars, finding numerous violations and unlicensed practice of medicine. As a result of these non-compliant businesses, the board issued a declaratory statement that spells out the requirements for IV therapy practice.

Intravenous (IV) therapy services have been a growing rage in the elective medicine space for the past few years. Existing medical spas and wellness centers have moved to add the services, and there has been an explosion of standalone IV bars opening around the country. Like most elective services in the space, ByrdAdatto has noted that IV therapy falls within the practice of medicine, and medical providers must place themselves in a compliant position to reduce the potential risks that come along with offering this therapy.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced their first ever enforcement action against a provider of intravenous therapy (IV therapy) for making unsupported claims about the health benefits of their IV treatments. In brief the FTC alleges that iV Bar's website contained multiple false, and unsubstantiated representations as to the clinical or scientific effectiveness of the treatments. Setting aside the merit of the FTC's claims, this case does highlight a hidden danger of medical spa and IV bar ownership: advertising.

Understand who can do medical spa treatments, including IV therapy, in your state.

AmSpa Plus members get access to the legal summary in their state and the Treatment Delegation Table which outlines Who Can Do What for 21 treatments across six professional titles.

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