Michigan — Med Spa Medical Director
Whether you need a medical director in Michigan, who can serve, how the role differs from ownership, and how to pay them without crossing fee-splitting lines — from Michigan 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 Michigan board and counsel.
In Michigan the safe, recognized setup puts a physician (MD/DO) at the top as medical director — the clinical entity has to be physician-owned, and cosmetic injectables are treated as the practice of medicine, so an actively involved physician medical director who writes the protocols and oversees delegation is the clean route, with the RN injecting under that delegation. One Michigan nuance worth knowing: because an NP can independently prescribe non-controlled drugs like neurotoxins and fillers, an NP can serve as the prescriber for the good-faith exam and treatment orders — but whether an NP alone can be the medical director and the delegating authority for an RN injector isn't settled under current Michigan law, so plan on a physician medical director and let a Michigan healthcare attorney confirm any NP-led arrangement before you rely on it. Either way, an RN needs a physician in the chain.
Sources: MCL 333.16215 (delegation by a licensee) + MCL 333.17211a (APRN non-controlled prescribing) · Michigan AG Opinion No. 6770 (1993) — CPOM: medical entity physician-owned · Verified 2026-06-26.
The medical director is clinically responsible for the practice; the owner holds the business. In Michigan 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 Michigan you can absolutely own and run an aesthetics practice — it's structure, not a no. Michigan follows the corporate-practice-of-medicine doctrine and treats cosmetic injectables as the practice of medicine, so the entity that delivers the medicine has to be owned by licensed professionals — a physician-owned PC or PLLC — which means an RN can't directly own that clinical entity. The clean, recognized path: you own a management company (an MSO handling the business side — marketing, billing, staffing, facilities) that contracts with a physician-owned professional corporation through a fair-market-value management services agreement. You inject under delegation; the good faith exam and treatment orders come from your prescriber. Net: an RN absolutely can own and operate a med spa in Michigan with the right setup — just have the exact entity structure papered by a Michigan healthcare attorney.
Sources: Michigan Professional Corporations — MCL 450.1284 (each PC shareholder licensed in the service the PC renders) · Michigan AG Opinion No. 6770 (1993) — corporation may not provide medical care via employed/contracted physicians (CPOM) · 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 Michigan healthcare attorney paper both before you sign.
The free 17-question assessment returns a Michigan-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. Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan.