Ohio good-faith exam for med spas
Requirements for the good-faith examination before treatment. Below are the Ohio rules that govern it, each linked to its primary source.
Good-faith examination in Ohio
Ohio’s examination rule in this chapter is delegation-specific rather than general: for photodynamic therapy and for phototherapy for psoriasis, the physician must have seen and evaluated the patient before delegating, and on a report of a clinically significant side effect in those same delegated treatments the physician must see and personally evaluate the patient. What Ohio says without qualification is about the remote visit — the standard of care for a telehealth visit is the same as for an in-person visit, and telephone calls qualify only when every element of a bona fide health care visit meeting that standard is performed.
For photodynamic therapy, and for phototherapy for psoriasis, the physician must have seen and evaluated the patient to determine whether the proposed application is appropriate before it is delegated.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-04 · verified Aug 17, 2026
Anyone to whom phototherapy or photodynamic therapy has lawfully been delegated must immediately report to the supervising physician any clinically significant side effect, or any failure of the treatment to progress as expected.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-04 · verified Aug 17, 2026
On such a report the physician must see and personally evaluate the patient as soon as practicable. Ohio does not permit the complication to be managed at a distance by the person who caused it.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-04 · verified Aug 17, 2026
Ohio permits the remote visit and then refuses to lower the bar, including for the technology chosen. “a health care professional may provide telehealth services to a patient located in this state”, and “The standard of care for a telehealth visit is the same as the standard of care for an in-person visit.” Synchronous or asynchronous technology may be used “provided that the standard of care for an in-person visit can be met for the patient and the patient's medical condition through the use of the technology selected.” And the telephone is singled out: calls “may only be used for telehealth services when all of the elements of a bona fide health care visit meeting the standard of care are performed”, and calls “that are routine or simply involve communication of information do not constitute” a telehealth service.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-37-01(B) (Telehealth — standard of care) · verified Sep 8, 2026
And the definition turns on where the professional is, not on the tool. “Telehealth services” means “health care services provided through the use of information and communication technology by a health care professional licensed in Ohio, within the professional's scope of practice, who is located at a site other than the site where the patient is receiving the services” or where a formally consulting professional is located. “Synchronous communication technology” is “audio and/or video technology that permits two-way, interactive, real-time electronic communication between the health care professional and the patient”. Licensure in Ohio and practice within scope are both inside the definition, so neither is waived by working remotely.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-37-01(A)(1)-(2) (Telehealth — definitions) · verified Sep 8, 2026
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