Ohio eases physician supervision rules for laser hair removal

Ohio House Bill 377 has revised Ohio Revised Code 4731.33, easing the regulatory burden on clinics offering light-based hair removal. Under the revised law, Ohio physicians can delegate light-based hair removal procedures to advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants with fewer restrictions. Crucially, the law eliminates the previous requirement for a delegating physician to personally evaluate a patient before and after their very first treatment, unless the procedure is delegated to a laser hair removal professional.

For clinic operations, this change significantly simplifies the patient onboarding workflow. It also increases the supervision limit, allowing a delegating physician to supervise up to five nurses or laser hair removal professionals at one time, up from the previous limit of two. Furthermore, physicians can provide off-site supervision for nurses who have completed an approved 40-hour training and education course on these devices. For other operators, the law maintains training standards requiring a minimum of 750 hours. Clinic owners in Ohio should review their delegation protocols ahead of the August 25, 2026 timeline to safely scale their staff footprint.

Source: Mondaq, https://mondaq.com/unitedstates/healthcare/1495392/ohio-house-bill-377-revises-law-governing-light-based-medical-devices-used-for-hair-removal