Pennsylvania’s constraint is not ownership — that part is conventional. It is that one of your key clinical relationships is on file with the state.
Medical services must be rendered by licensed professionals or by entities wholly owned by them, structured as a professional corporation or PLLC, with a non-physician free to own the management company. On top of that, a CRNP practises under a collaborative agreement filed with the State Board of Medicine — which means the state has a record of who is collaborating with whom, and a stale filing is a visible one.
What Pennsylvania actually requires
- A professional corporation or PLLC wholly owned by licensed medical professionals, with the MSO separate.
- A designated medical director who is a licensed physician exercising active supervision. A director in name only is expressly insufficient.
- A collaborative agreement on file for each CRNP, kept current as collaborating physicians change.
- A good faith exam by a physician, CRNP or PA before an RN administers an injectable. The RN performs the injection, not the evaluation.
- Written protocols for each delegated service.
Who may do what in Pennsylvania
| Licence | What they may do |
|---|---|
| MD or DO | Independent; the medical director role |
| CRNP | Under a collaborative agreement filed with the State Board of Medicine |
| Physician assistant | Under the applicable supervision arrangement; may perform the good faith exam |
| Registered nurse | May administer injectables under delegation after a good faith exam by a physician, CRNP or PA; may not own the practice |
| Unlicensed staff | Not for medical procedures |
Non-compliance with the corporate practice doctrine in Pennsylvania is framed in terms of civil and criminal exposure as well as board enforcement, which is a wider risk surface than most states describe.
What MDside provides in Pennsylvania
- A Pennsylvania-licensed MD or DO as medical director, doing the work rather than lending a name.
- The professional entity and management agreement built to Pennsylvania rather than to a national template.
- Licensed physicians for the good faith exams behind prescriptions and injectables.
- Protocols and delegation written against your live service list, and revised when it changes.
- 503A and 503B pharmacy relationships and lab draws.
See what is included, or book a call and tell us which states you operate in.
Read the detail on Pennsylvania
Frequently asked questions
Can a nurse own a med spa in Pennsylvania?
The entity rendering medical services must be wholly owned by licensed medical professionals and structured as a professional corporation or PLLC. A registered nurse may inject under delegation but is not the owner of that entity.
Does a CRNP need anything filed with the state?
Yes. A CRNP practises under a collaborative agreement filed with the State Board of Medicine, and it needs to reflect the current collaborating physician.
Can an RN perform the good faith exam?
No. In Pennsylvania the exam is performed by a physician, CRNP or PA; the RN administers under delegation afterwards.
General information about Pennsylvania practice structure and med spa regulation, not legal advice. Statutes, board rules and scope-of-practice requirements change. Confirm your obligations with healthcare counsel licensed in Pennsylvania.