Virginia Advertising Rules for Medical and Wellness Practices
This brief summarizes what Virginia's Board of Medicine and Board of Dentistry actually publish on licensee advertising. Each rule cites the regulation or statute text it rests on. Rules that could not be verified in a primary source were omitted.
Verified against Virginia Board of Medicine (18VAC85-20-30) sources, 2026-07-02
Educational summary for practice owners. Not legal advice.
False, misleading, or deceptive advertising
18VAC85-20-30 states that no licensee of the Board of Medicine shall advertise information that is false, misleading, or deceptive. This chapter governs the practice of medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and chiropractic, so the same standard reaches physicians and chiropractors alike. The board treats the advertising practitioner as accountable for accuracy.
18VAC85-20-30 Advertising ethics checked 2026-07-02
Substantiation and recordkeeping for ad claims
Under 18VAC85-20-30, any claim made in an advertisement must be supported by scientific or other documentation that the practice maintains and makes available to the board for at least two years. For a group practice, the name of the practitioner responsible for the advertisement must be documented and retained for at least two years. The board's published rules place the burden of proof for a claim on the advertiser.
18VAC85-20-30 Advertising ethics checked 2026-07-02
Claims of superiority and unprofessional conduct
Code of Virginia section 54.1-2915 lists grounds for discipline, including publishing an advertisement that contains a claim of superiority or that violates board regulations governing advertising, and performing any act likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public. A superiority claim is therefore treated as a discipline exposure independent of whether the underlying statement is technically true.
Va. Code § 54.1-2915 Unprofessional conduct checked 2026-07-02
Title identification when using Doctor or Dr.
Code of Virginia section 54.1-2903 provides that a person may not use the title Doctor or the abbreviation Dr. in connection with medical practice unless he simultaneously uses words, initials, an abbreviation, or other language that identifies the type of practice for which he is licensed. The statute also restricts referencing marijuana in a provider's advertisement except in limited contexts. Advertising a readiness to practice is itself treated as practicing the healing arts.
Va. Code § 54.1-2903 Advertising in connection with medical practice checked 2026-07-02
Dental fee, discount, and free-offer advertising
18VAC60-21-80 permits a dentist to advertise a specific fee only for procedures listed in the American Dental Association's Current Dental Terminology, and prohibits stating a fee that omits related procedures likely necessary to complete care. Discount or free offers must disclose the regular fee, the discounted amount, and the promotion's time period, with documented evidence supporting the discount. Archived copies of every advertisement must be kept for two years after final publication and produced to the board within five days of a request.
18VAC60-21-80 Advertising checked 2026-07-02
Dental specialty and general-dentist disclosure
18VAC60-21-80 requires a general dentist who limits practice to a dental specialty, or who describes the practice by types of treatment, to state alongside his name that he is a general dentist providing those services, for example orthodontic services. The rule is designed so a general dentist does not imply specialty credentialing through the framing of an advertisement.
18VAC60-21-80 Advertising checked 2026-07-02
What this means by practice type
Med spas
Laser hair removal is a delegated medical function under 18VAC85-20-91. A doctor of medicine or osteopathy may delegate it to trained non-physician staff, must ensure that person completed the required training, and must be readily available while treatment is performed. Advertising should not imply that a service is offered without the physician oversight the regulation requires.(18VAC85-20-91 Practice and supervision of laser hair removal)
Dental
Fee advertising is the tightest area for dental practices. 18VAC60-21-80 limits advertised specific fees to ADA Current Dental Terminology procedures, and any discount or free offer must show the regular fee, the discounted amount, the time period, and supporting evidence, with copies retained for two years.(18VAC60-21-80 Advertising)
Chiropractic
Chiropractors are licensed under the same Board of Medicine chapter as physicians, so 18VAC85-20-30 applies directly. Advertising may not be false, misleading, or deceptive, and any clinical claim must be backed by documentation retained for two years and available to the board.(18VAC85-20-30 Advertising ethics)
Longevity and GLP-1
Programs that prescribe, including weight-management and GLP-1 offerings, rest on Code of Virginia section 54.1-3303, which requires a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship before prescribing. Advertising that implies prescribing without a history, examination, and diagnosis conflicts with that statutory predicate.(Va. Code § 54.1-3303 Prescriptions for medical or therapeutic purposes only)
Telehealth posture
Code of Virginia section 54.1-3303 requires a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship before a prescription is issued, defined to include obtaining a medical or drug history, informing the patient of benefits and risks, performing an appropriate examination, and providing follow-up care. The statute permits that relationship to be established via telemedicine when doing so is consistent with the standard of care, the standard does not require an in-person examination, and the prescriber is licensed in Virginia. Marketing of remote prescribing should reflect these conditions rather than promise a prescription on demand.
Va. Code § 54.1-3303 Prescriptions and bona fide practitioner-patient relationship checked 2026-07-02
Common questions
Can a Virginia practice advertise discounts or free offers?
For dental practices, 18VAC60-21-80 allows it but requires disclosing the regular fee, the discounted amount, and the promotion's time period, with documented evidence supporting the discount and copies kept two years. For Board of Medicine licensees, 18VAC85-20-30 requires any advertising claim to be non-deceptive and substantiated by documentation retained for two years.
Are patient testimonials allowed in advertising?
The Board of Medicine advertising regulation reviewed here, 18VAC85-20-30, does not address testimonials by name. It does require that any claim be non-false, non-misleading, and supported by documentation, and Code of Virginia section 54.1-2915 treats claims of superiority and acts likely to deceive as grounds for discipline. A practice using testimonials should be able to substantiate any factual claim they convey.
Who may supervise laser and cosmetic procedures at a Virginia med spa?
Under 18VAC85-20-91, a doctor of medicine or osteopathy may perform or delegate laser hair removal after completing the required training, must confirm delegated staff completed that training, and must be readily available while treatment is performed and evaluate any patient with complications. This is educational information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements with the board or counsel.
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.