Louisiana Advertising Rules for Medical and Wellness Practices
A verified summary of Louisiana advertising and marketing standards for med spa, dental, chiropractic, wellness, and longevity practices. Every rule below traces to a statute, administrative code section, or board position we fetched and read. Educational summary, not legal advice.
Verified against Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners sources, 2026-07-02
Educational summary for practice owners. Not legal advice.
False, deceptive, or misleading advertising by physicians
Louisiana's Medical Practice Act lists among the causes for license refusal, suspension, or revocation the solicitation of patients or self-promotion through advertising or communication, public or private, which is fraudulent, false, deceptive, or misleading. The statute also makes it a disciplinary cause to make false, deceptive, or unfounded claims, reports, or opinions to any patient or payer for the purpose of obtaining anything of economic value. This is the baseline standard every physician-supervised practice's marketing is measured against.
La. R.S. 37:1285(A)(7), (A)(11) checked 2026-07-02
Board certification and specialty claims in physician advertising
A physician may not hold himself out as board certified unless the advertisement includes the full name of the certifying board and the name of the specialty or subspecialty. The certifying board must be an ABMS member board or AOA certifying board, be approved by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, or require ACGME or AOA-approved postgraduate training. A physician advertising a procedure without meeting those criteria is directed to list his qualifications for performing the advertised medical procedures in the advertisement itself.
La. R.S. 37:1285(A)(32) checked 2026-07-02
Med spa services are the practice of medicine; delegation requires on-site supervision
The medical board's position is that lasers and chemical treatments, whether for surgical, therapeutic, or cosmetic purposes, constitute the practice of medicine, and the statement extends by its own footnote to any light source, microwave energy, chemical application, injection or insertion of substances, and soft tissue augmentation. Non-physicians may perform these treatments only under a physician's direction and immediate personal supervision, meaning the physician is physically present on the premises and immediately available whenever the non-physician is on duty. The board specifically condemns arrangements where a physician serves in title only as medical director without physical presence, and warns that treatments require a prior history, physician examination, diagnosis, and informed consent.
LSBME Statement of Position, Use of Medical Lasers, Chemical Skin Treatments (rev. Nov. 13, 2001) checked 2026-07-02
Retail IV hydration therapy: menus and standing orders are unlawful
The board's August 2024 statement declares that IV bags used at retail IV hydration clinics are medicine, and that diagnosing a patient and recommending or administering IV therapy unambiguously constitutes the practice of medicine. The use of standing orders directing IV administration is called inappropriate and unlawful, allowing a patient to pick from a preset menu is prohibited, and a bona fide doctor-patient relationship with a full in-person or virtual history and examination is required before treatment. The statement quotes LAC 46:XLV Sec. 7603(7)(a): a physician may not enter into any arrangement, as medical director or otherwise, that allows an unlicensed individual to practice medicine absent the physician's direction and immediate personal supervision.
LSBME Statement of Position, Retail Intravenous (IV) Hydration Therapy (Aug. 2024) checked 2026-07-02
Dental advertising: licensee identification, prohibited claims, and fee rules
Louisiana's dental advertising rule requires every advertisement to identify the Louisiana licensed dentist who sponsors or benefits from and assumes total responsibility for it, using the licensed name plus current address and phone number on file. It prohibits fraudulent, false, deceptive, or misleading advertising, including laudatory statements about the dentist, statements creating false expectations of favorable results, and quality comparisons to other dental services. Advertised fees require a clear description of the procedure, proof of customary fees when discounts are claimed, and the advertised fee remains available for at least 90 days. Non-specialists advertising specialty-area services are directed to display General Dentistry or Family Dentistry prominently; specialty designations require accredited postdoctoral training of at least two years.
LAC 46:XXXIII Sec. 301, Advertising and Soliciting by Dentists checked 2026-07-02
Chiropractic advertising: testimonials, free-service offers, and treatment claims
The chiropractic advertising rule prohibits false, deceptive, or misleading advertising and requires that claims about treating specific illnesses be supported by clinical or scientific literature generally recognized by the profession. Testimonials are permitted only when the word ADVERTISEMENT appears directly above them in larger type, and the chiropractor remains responsible for any false statements in the testimonial. Ads offering free goods or services must disclose the usual charge in bold type matching the offer, radio and television versions must state the usual charge verbally, and patients must sign a disclosure before additional paid services are rendered. Unsolicited telephone canvassing and cash payments for patient referrals are prohibited.
LAC 46:XXVII Sec. 307, Advertising Practices checked 2026-07-02
What this means by practice type
Med spas
Any page marketing laser, injectable, peel, or similar services should reflect the board's position that these are the practice of medicine performed under a physician's immediate personal on-premises supervision. Advertising that suggests independent non-physician treatment, or that names a medical director who is not actually present and supervising, describes an arrangement the board treats as unauthorized practice of medicine with criminal and disciplinary exposure for both parties.(LSBME Statement of Position, Use of Medical Lasers, Chemical Skin Treatments)
Longevity and GLP-1 clinics
The board's telemedicine rules prohibit using telemedicine for the treatment of obesity and restrict controlled substance prescribing without an in-person visit within the past year, absent a board-granted exception. Marketing that promises fully remote weight-loss prescribing in Louisiana should be checked against these prohibitions before publication. IV-based longevity offerings also fall under the retail IV hydration statement: no preset menus, no standing orders, individualized evaluation required.(LAC 46:XLV Sec. 7513, Prohibitions (Telemedicine))
Dental
Every ad in any medium, including web pages and social posts, needs the sponsoring Louisiana licensed dentist identified by licensed name, current address, and phone number on file with the board. Cosmetic-forward copy is the highest-risk zone: laudatory self-descriptions, promised results, and quality comparisons are expressly prohibited, and discounted-fee promotions carry the proof-of-customary-fee and 90-day availability obligations.(LAC 46:XXXIII Sec. 301)
Chiropractic
Free-exam and new-patient-special promotions, a staple of chiropractic marketing, trigger specific formatting duties in Louisiana: the usual charge appears in bold at the offer's type size, broadcast versions state it aloud, and a signed patient disclosure precedes any additional paid services. Condition-specific claims on service pages need support in recognized clinical or scientific literature.(LAC 46:XXVII Sec. 307)
Telehealth posture
Louisiana's medical board regulates telemedicine under LAC 46:XLV Chapter 75, requiring an established physician-patient relationship with verification, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment plan, and follow-up. Section 7513 prohibits telemedicine for treatment of non-cancer chronic or intractable pain and for treatment of obesity, restricts controlled substance prescribing without an in-person visit within the past year, and bars treating patients located outside Louisiana without authority from that state's licensing board. The board may grant written exceptions case by case.
LAC 46:XLV Sec. 7513, Telemedicine Prohibitions checked 2026-07-02
Common questions
Can a med spa advertise discounts or promotional pricing in Louisiana?
The medical board's published rules do not set a discount-specific advertising rule for physician practices; the governing standard is La. R.S. 37:1285(A)(7), which makes fraudulent, false, deceptive, or misleading solicitation or self-promotion a disciplinary cause. Discount promotions therefore need accurate pricing and no misleading framing. Note that dental and chiropractic licensees do face specific rules: dentists advertising discounts need proof of customary fees and 90-day fee availability, and chiropractors offering free services must disclose the usual charge.
Are patient testimonials allowed in Louisiana healthcare advertising?
It depends on the license. Chiropractors may use testimonials only when the word ADVERTISEMENT appears directly above in larger type, and they remain responsible for any false or misleading statements in the testimonial. Dental rules prohibit laudatory statements and claims creating false expectations of favorable results. For physicians, the board's published rules do not address testimonials directly; the general prohibition on false, deceptive, or misleading self-promotion in La. R.S. 37:1285(A)(7) applies.
Who can perform and market med spa or IV therapy services in Louisiana?
The medical board's positions state that lasers, chemical treatments, injections, and IV therapy constitute the practice of medicine. Non-physicians may perform them only under a physician's direction and immediate personal supervision, with the physician physically present on the premises. Preset IV menus and standing orders are described as unlawful, and a physician who lends his name as a title-only medical director to an unlicensed operation faces discipline, so marketing should never depict services as independent of physician evaluation and supervision.
Marketing that survives your board
The free growth audit includes a compliance read of your current site and ads against your state's advertising rules.