Regards use of light-based medical devices for hair removal

Hair removal providers gain authority, face limits

Ohio law updates who can perform and oversee light-based hair removal, including qualified physician assistants, nurses, and laser professionals. Covered devices use wavelengths from 180 to 1,064 nanometers and are marketed to affect the body's structure or function. Devices must have FDA clearance or approval specifically for hair removal. Their use must fit the delegating doctor's usual practice and expertise. Physician assistants must have an effective supervision agreement that meets state requirements. Laser professionals qualify through a cosmetic therapist license held on or before April 11, 2021. Another path requires at least 750 course hours and passing the Society for Clinical and Medical Hair Removal's certification exam. Laser professionals generally need 8 hours of basic education, 15 observed procedures per device type, and 20 performed per type. A doctor must watch those 20 procedures in the same room. Training exemptions cover qualifying former license holders and people with at least two years of lawful delegated practice before September 30, 2021. Exemptions also preserve specified previously authorized delegates. Off-site oversight of laser professionals is limited to established patients. It requires a doctor-approved course of at least 50 hours, including 30 clinical hours, plus enough on-site experience to establish competence. Nurses generally need on-site oversight, unless they complete an approved 40-hour program covering classroom learning, hands-on training, and performance. Training records must be kept. On-site oversight means the doctor is in the same location or office suite. Off-site oversight requires continuous availability for direct communication. A doctor may oversee no more than five laser professionals off-site at once; a separate five-nurse limit also applies. Advanced practice nurses and physician assistants can delegate to and supervise nurses or laser professionals under the same physician-level safeguards. Advanced practice nurses' care arrangements must not prohibit this work, and physician assistants must meet state supervision requirements. The law removes the prior routine patient-evaluation requirement. However, delegates must promptly report significant side effects or treatment that is not progressing as expected. The doctor must then evaluate the patient as soon as practical. Violations can trigger professional discipline; noncompliant laser professionals can face unauthorized-practice penalties, and nurses can face unsafe-care findings.