To amend section 4731.33 and to enact section 4731.331 of the Revised Code to revise the law governing the application of light-based medical devices for the purpose of hair removal.
HB377 revises Ohio law governing who may apply light-based medical devices, including lasers, for hair removal and under what supervision. The bill defines key terms such as “light-based medical device,” “laser hair removal professional,” and different levels of physician supervision, then sets out when a physician may delegate hair-removal procedures to physician assistants, nurses, and certain trained non-physician practitioners. It also creates a new section allowing advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, within their existing practice arrangements and subject to the same conditions as physicians, to delegate and supervise these procedures.
The bill establishes training, observation, and direct-oversight requirements for non-physician delegates, including minimum education hours, observed procedures, and procedures performed under direct physical oversight before independent delegation is allowed. It also preserves exemptions for some existing practitioners, such as individuals who had already been performing the service under lawful delegation or who previously held a cosmetic therapist license. The bill further requires documentation of training, mandates reporting of adverse effects, limits the number of delegates a supervising clinician may oversee at one time, and makes violations professional misconduct or unauthorized practice of medicine/nursing depending on the actor involved.
HB377 would amend and replace existing Revised Code section 4731.33 and add new section 4731.331, thereby restructuring Ohio’s regulatory framework for laser and other light-based hair-removal services. It expands and clarifies delegation authority for physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants, while imposing specific training, supervision, and patient-evaluation requirements on those who perform or oversee the procedures. The bill affects medical practice regulation, nursing practice standards, physician assistant supervision rules, and the scope of lawful practice for laser hair removal professionals and former cosmetic therapists.
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill. It passed the House Health Committee unanimously, passed the full House unanimously, and later received unanimous favorable passage in the Senate committee stage shown in the record. No committee transcript is available, but the vote pattern suggests broad bipartisan agreement and little visible opposition in the recorded proceedings.
The main policy issue in the bill is how broadly to allow delegation of laser hair removal and what level of supervision is necessary to protect patients. The bill distinguishes among physicians, physician assistants, nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and laser hair removal professionals, and it sets different supervision standards for each, including on-site supervision, off-site supervision, and direct physical oversight. Potential points of contention include whether the training requirements are sufficient, whether off-site supervision should be allowed for established patients, and whether the bill appropriately preserves exemptions for existing practitioners while preventing unqualified individuals from performing the procedure.