Georgia — Med Spa Medical Director
Whether you need a medical director in Georgia, who can serve, how the role differs from ownership, and how to pay them without crossing fee-splitting lines — from Georgia board and statutory sources, reviewed by Faisal Darwiche, NP.
Last reviewed 2026-06-27 · Faisal Darwiche, NP. General guidance, not legal advice — confirm with your Georgia board and counsel.
In Georgia the medicine has to sit with a physician (MD/DO) — the clinical entity must be physician-owned, and the exam plus the individualized order can only come from a physician, NP, or PA, so a physician anchors the clinical side as the top authority and the RN injects under that order. Because Georgia is a restricted-practice state (the NP itself works under a physician nurse protocol agreement) and the clinical entity must be physician-owned, an NP cannot be the standalone top authority. An NP can be the ordering / exam provider for an RN injector, but a physician remains required in the arrangement. Have a Georgia healthcare attorney confirm the exact medical-director / supervision setup for your practice.
Sources: MedSpa Standards — Who Can Own a Med Spa in Georgia (clinical entity physician-owned; CPOM) · AANP — Georgia = Restricted practice (NP under physician nurse protocol agreement) · Verified 2026-06-26.
The medical director is clinically responsible for the practice; the owner holds the business. In Georgia they can be the same person or two different people. The common structure for non-physician owners separates the two: a management company (the business) contracts a physician-led clinical entity (the medicine). The medical director supplies the exams, orders, and protocols; the owner runs marketing, staffing, and facilities.
In Georgia you can absolutely build and own an aesthetics business as an RN — the answer is structure, and Georgia is on the strict end, so the paperwork matters. Georgia enforces the corporate-practice-of-medicine doctrine and treats cosmetic injectables as the practice of medicine, so the clinical entity has to be owned by a Georgia-licensed physician (a professional corporation or PLLC) — an RN or NP can't own the entity that practices medicine. You own the business through a management company (an MSO you control: marketing, billing, staffing, facilities) that contracts the physician-owned clinical entity through a fair-market-value management services agreement (a percentage-of-revenue fee risks Georgia's fee-splitting prohibition). You inject under an order; the exam and orders come from your prescriber. Net: an RN can own and run it with the right setup — have a Georgia healthcare attorney paper the MSO/PC separation.
Sources: MedSpa Standards — Who Can Own a Med Spa in Georgia (only an MD/DO with a GA license may own the clinical entity; MSO two-entity structure) · American Med Spa Association — Good Faith Exams (RN may assist but not order; the medicine sits with a physician/NP/PA) · Verified 2026-06-26.
Compensate the medical director at fair-market-value for the clinical work they actually do — a flat retainer or hourly rate, documented. Paying them a percentage of treatment revenue is the classic fee-splitting trap. Keep the management fee (to the business entity) and the medical-director fee (for clinical oversight) as separate, defensible line items, and have a Georgia healthcare attorney paper both before you sign.
The free 17-question assessment returns a Georgia-specific plan: the right entity structure for your credential, the medical-director and good-faith-exam path, and your exact next action. 7 minutes, no card. Built by Faisal Darwiche, NP.
Yes. Georgia treats cosmetic injectables as the practice of medicine, so a physician medical director is the standard requirement — they perform or delegate the good faith exam, author the protocols, and stay genuinely involved. A nominal "paper" director is a compliance risk.
In Georgia the medical director is the licensed physician (MD/DO) who is clinically responsible for the practice — performing or delegating exams, signing standardized procedures, and being reachable. The role is clinical oversight, not a signature for hire; the involvement has to be real and documented.
Medical-director compensation in Georgia should be fair-market-value for the actual clinical work — a flat or hourly fee, not a percentage of medical revenue. Paying a cut of treatment revenue risks illegal fee-splitting. Structure the management fee and the medical-director fee separately, and have counsel paper both.
Yes — with the right structure. An RN owns the business side (typically an MSO), and the clinical entity is physician-led with a medical director who supplies the exams and orders. The RN injects under that delegation. Your attorney papers the exact entity for Georgia.