Ohio Advertising Rules for Medical and Wellness Practices
This brief summarizes how Ohio's medical, dental, and chiropractic boards regulate advertising by licensees, plus med spa delegation and telehealth standards. Every entry cites a primary source that was read. Educational summary, not legal advice.
Verified against State Medical Board of Ohio (OAC Chapter 4731) sources, 2026-07-02
Educational summary for practice owners. Not legal advice.
False, deceptive, or misleading advertising (physicians)
Ohio Revised Code 4731.22(B)(5) authorizes the medical board to discipline a licensee for making a false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement in soliciting or advertising for patients. The statute defines such a statement as one that misrepresents fact, omits material facts, is likely to create false or unjustified expectations of favorable results, or would in reasonable probability cause an ordinarily prudent person to be deceived. This standard governs physician, osteopathic, and podiatric advertising in any medium.
ORC 4731.22(B)(5) checked 2026-07-02
Cure and guaranteed-result claims
ORC 4731.22(B)(7) makes it a disciplinary offense for a licensee to represent, for compensation or personal gain, that an incurable disease, injury, or condition can be permanently cured. Read together with the false-statement definition in the same section, advertising that promises or implies guaranteed or unjustified favorable results is exposed to board action. Practices marketing outcome-based treatments should keep claims to what published evidence supports.
ORC 4731.22(B)(7) checked 2026-07-02
Delegation of light-based and laser procedures (med spas)
OAC Chapter 4731-18 treats the use of light-based medical devices as the practice of medicine. Rule 4731-18-02 provides that physicians cannot delegate ablative procedures, while non-ablative laser work, hair removal, and certain phototherapy may be delegated only under stated conditions. Rule 4731-18-03 requires the device to be FDA-cleared, the physician to evaluate the patient before treatment and after the first treatment, delegation limited to a PA, RN, or LPN, and on-site supervision during treatments, with defined training thresholds. Advertising a med spa laser service does not remove these physician-oversight duties behind the service.
OAC 4731-18-02 and 4731-18-03 checked 2026-07-02
Chiropractic advertising, testimonials, and discounts
OAC 4734-9-02 bars any chiropractic advertisement that is false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading, and requires claims that specific conditions are alleviated by chiropractic care to be supported by clinical or scientific literature recognized by the profession. Testimonials are permitted only with the patient's written consent to the exact wording and use, retained for one year, and must be truthful. Advertisements offering free or discounted services (other than a free consultation) must disclose what is free and what is charged, and each ad must name a licensed Ohio chiropractor who approved it and identify the practice as chiropractic.
OAC 4734-9-02 checked 2026-07-02
Dental advertising and specialty claims
OAC Chapter 4715-13 permits dentists to advertise in print, FCC-approved broadcast, and online, but requires each advertisement to be retained two years and prohibits false patient counts, claims of superior outcomes, and unsupported specialist designations (Rule 4715-13-03). Rule 4715-13-05 limits terms such as specialist, orthodontist, or periodontist to dentists who meet the board's specialty credential rules, and requires multidisciplinary practices to identify which practitioner provides each service. A general dentist listing specialty services must display General Dentist with equal prominence.
OAC 4715-13-03 and 4715-13-05 checked 2026-07-02
Med spa and IV therapy compliance (Board of Pharmacy)
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy reports summarily suspending more than 30 clinics and med spas since the start of 2025 and lists ten recurring violations, including purchasing drugs from unlicensed or foreign sources, possessing research-use-only or non-FDA-approved GLP-1 products such as retatrutide, and improper neurotoxin and IV-drug handling. The document confirms that injectables, neurotoxins, and IV therapy are treated as medical acts requiring proper licensure and sourcing. Marketing these services does not cure an underlying licensure, sourcing, or compounding defect.
Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ten Common Prescriber Clinic and Medical Spa Violations (12/8/2025) checked 2026-07-02
What this means by practice type
Med spas
Laser, light-based, and injectable services are the practice of medicine in Ohio. Under OAC 4731-18-03 the supervising physician must evaluate the patient before treatment and after the first treatment, delegation runs only to a PA, RN, or LPN, and on-site supervision applies. Advertising a treatment implies a compliant delegation and supervision chain behind it.(OAC 4731-18-03)
Dental
Only dentists meeting the board's specialty-credential rules may advertise as a specialist or use titles like orthodontist or periodontist, and a general dentist offering those services must show General Dentist with equal prominence. Keep every advertisement on file for two years.(OAC 4715-13-03 and 4715-13-05)
Chiropractic
Condition-specific relief claims need support in recognized clinical or scientific literature, testimonials require written patient consent to the exact wording (retained one year), and free or discounted offers must disclose what is included and what is charged. Each ad must name the approving Ohio chiropractor.(OAC 4734-9-02)
Longevity / GLP-1
The Board of Pharmacy's 2025 guidance flags non-FDA-approved and research-use-only GLP-1 products (for example retatrutide and cagrilintide) and foreign-sourced or compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide as recurring violation triggers. Weight-loss and longevity marketing should track what the practice can lawfully source and administer, and physician cure or guaranteed-result claims remain subject to ORC 4731.22.(Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ten Common Prescriber Clinic and Medical Spa Violations (12/8/2025))
Telehealth posture
OAC 4731-37-01, effective February 28, 2023, provides that the standard of care for a telehealth visit is the same as for an in-person visit. Providers must verify patient identity and Ohio location, document consent, conduct an appropriate evaluation, and maintain records. Non-controlled substances may be prescribed via telehealth when standard-of-care requirements are met; controlled substances require compliance with federal law and OAC 4731-11-09.
OAC 4731-37-01 checked 2026-07-02
Common questions
Can Ohio med spas and practices advertise discounts or free services?
For chiropractic practices, OAC 4734-9-02 allows advertising free or discounted services (other than a free consultation) only if the ad discloses what is free and what is charged, with written disclosure of added charges signed before care. The medical board's general standard under ORC 4731.22(B)(5) prohibits any discount advertising that is false, deceptive, or likely to create unjustified expectations. The medical board's published rules do not set a single dedicated discount-advertising rule, so fee promotions are judged against the general false-or-misleading standard.
Are patient testimonials allowed in advertising?
For chiropractic advertising, OAC 4734-9-02 permits testimonials only when the patient gives written consent to the exact wording and proposed use, the practice retains the consent and testimonial for one year, and the testimonial is truthful and not misleading. The State Medical Board statute (ORC 4731.22) does not publish a testimonial-specific rule, so physician-practice testimonials are governed by the general false, deceptive, or misleading standard, including the bar on creating unjustified expectations of favorable results.
Who can own or operate a med spa that offers injectables or IV therapy in Ohio?
Ohio treats injectables, neurotoxins, laser and light-based work, and IV therapy as the practice of medicine requiring physician involvement, delegation within scope, and lawful drug sourcing, per OAC 4731-18 and the Board of Pharmacy's 2025 med spa guidance. The advertising and delegation rules reviewed here do not by themselves resolve corporate ownership structure; a practice should confirm ownership and medical-director arrangements against current board and pharmacy licensure requirements before relying on them.
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.