Virginia ownership & cpom for med spas
Corporate-practice-of-medicine limits on who may own an aesthetic practice. Below are the Virginia rules that govern it, each linked to its primary source. Monitoring and reference, not legal advice.
Ownership & corporate practice of medicine in Virginia
Virginia’s professional corporation must state a SOLE AND SPECIFIC purpose in its articles.
⚠️ VIRGINIA’S REMUNERATION BAN IS REAL BUT NARROWLY TARGETED — READ THE OBJECT OF THE REFERRAL. “No practitioner of the healing arts shall KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY SOLICIT OR RECEIVE ANY REMUNERATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN CASH OR IN KIND, IN RETURN FOR REFERRING AN INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS TO A FACILITY OR INSTITUTION as defined in § 37.2-100 OR A HOSPITAL as defined in § 32.1-123.” It reaches referrals to those defined places, not every payment between a practice and a marketer.
Va. Code § 54.1-2962.1 · verified Sep 2, 2026
AND VIRGINIA PINS ITS DEFINITION TO THE FEDERAL ONE. The Board’s regulations “SHALL EXCLUDE FROM THE DEFINITION OF ‘REMUNERATION’ ANY PAYMENTS, BUSINESS ARRANGEMENTS, OR PAYMENT PRACTICES NOT PROHIBITED BY TITLE 42, SECTION 1320a-7b (b) OF THE UNITED STATES CODE, as amended, or any regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.” The federal anti-kickback safe harbors are therefore load-bearing in Virginia by statute.
Va. Code § 54.1-2962.1 · verified Sep 2, 2026
A “professional corporation” in Virginia is one whose articles of incorporation set forth A SOLE AND SPECIFIC PURPOSE permitted by the chapter, organized for the sole and specific purpose of rendering professional service. The permitted purpose is declared on the public record, and a corporation formed for a general commercial purpose is not one.
Va. Code § 13.1-543 (definition of “professional corporation”) · verified Sep 2, 2026
The parallel definition for partnerships names the same test from the other direction: a professional partnership is one whose partners are all licensed or otherwise legally authorized TO RENDER THE SAME PROFESSIONAL SERVICES as those for which the partnership was organized. Sharing an entity requires sharing the license that entity exists to exercise.
Va. Code § 13.1-543 (definition of “professional partnership”) · verified Sep 2, 2026
Get alerted when Virginia’s rules change
MedSpaRadar watches Virginia and the FDA so you don’t have to — plain-language alerts, and what to do.
Get the free Brief →See all Virginia rules on the Virginia compliance hub →