Maine medical director requirements for med spas

Physician supervision & delegation in Maine

Maine writes the delegation rule a med spa actually operates under, and it is CONDITIONAL rather than open: a physician may delegate activities relating to medical care to employees or support staff only where the activities are carried out by custom and usage under the physician’s control, do not themselves require a license, and the physician has ensured the staff have the appropriate training, education and experience AND that they perform the activities competently and safely. The physician remains legally liable and the delegate is treated as the physician’s agent. The section expressly does not reach registered nurses or licensed physician associates, who are governed by their own chapters — and for physician associates the dividing line is 4,000 documented hours of clinical practice, below which a filed collaborative agreement is required and above which a physician associate may be the principal clinical provider in a practice with no physician partner, under a practice agreement. The practice of aesthetics defined by the barbering and cosmetology chapter does not include the diagnosis, treatment or therapy of any dermatological condition.

• The practice of aesthetics under this subsection does not include the diagnosis, treatment or therapy of any dermatological condition.

  32 M.R.S. §14202(7) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• This chapter may not be construed as prohibiting a physician or surgeon from delegating to the physician’s or surgeon’s employees or support staff certain activities relating to medical care and treatment carried out by custom and usage when the activities are under the control of the physician or surgeon; the activities being delegated do not, unless otherwise provided by law, require a license, registration or certification to perform; the physician or surgeon ensures that the employees or support staff have the appropriate training, education and experience to perform these delegated activities; and the physician or surgeon ensures that the employees or support staff perform these delegated activities competently and safely.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-A · verified Sep 3, 2026

• The physician delegating these activities to employees or support staff, to program graduates or to participants in an approved training program is legally liable for the activities of those individuals, and any individual in this relationship is considered the physician’s agent.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-A · verified Sep 3, 2026

• This section may not be construed to apply to registered nurses acting pursuant to chapter 31 and licensed physician associates acting pursuant to this chapter and chapter 36.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-A · verified Sep 3, 2026

• A physician associate with less than 4,000 hours of clinical practice documented to the board shall work in accordance with a collaborative agreement with an active physician that describes the physician associate’s scope of practice, except that a physician associate working in a physician group practice setting or a health care facility setting under a system of credentialing and granting of privileges and scope of practice agreement may use that system in lieu of a collaborative agreement.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-G(5) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• The collaborative agreement, or, if appropriate, the scope of practice agreement, must be submitted to the board for approval and the agreement must be kept on file at the main location of the place of practice and be made available to the board or the board’s representative upon request. Upon submission to the board of documentation of 4,000 hours of clinical practice, a physician associate is no longer subject to the requirements of this subsection.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-G(5) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• A physician associate who has more than 4,000 hours of clinical practice may be the principal clinical provider in a practice that does not include a physician partner as long as the physician associate has a practice agreement with an active physician, and other health care professionals as necessary, that describes the physician associate’s scope of practice.

  32 M.R.S. §3270-G(6) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• The practice of nursing includes the delegation of specific nursing activities and tasks to be provided by unlicensed assistive personnel, and unlicensed assistive personnel means individuals trained to function in a supportive role, regardless of job title, to whom a specific nursing activity or task may be delegated; the paragraph may not be construed to require a nurse to delegate, or to permit a person to coerce a nurse into delegating, against the nurse's professional judgment.

  32 M.R.S. §2102(2)(H), (11) · verified Sep 8, 2026

Recent Maine changes

• ME LD2201: An Act to Implement Certain Recommendations Related to the Regulatory Review and Approval of Certain Health Care Transactions Involving Private Equity Companies, Hedge Funds or Management Services Organizations from the Commission to Evaluate the Scope of Regulatory Review and Oversight over Health Care Transactions That Impact the Delivery of Health Care Services in the StateApr 8, 2026