Georgia IV hydration and IV therapy rules for med spas.
IV clinics and med spas offering drips were named alongside each other when the Board began unannounced inspections in August 2026.
The short answer
Under the Board's May 7, 2026 IV Hydration and Therapy position statement, an RN may administer IV hydration, nutrient therapies, and medications only under a valid individualized order from a physician, NP, or PA — a standing protocol alone is not enough.
An RN or LPN may not be the only professional performing the history and physical or deciding whether the treatment is appropriate, and the supervising physician must be publicly identified with contact information.
What the position statement covers
The position statement set out who may evaluate a patient, what an RN may and may not do, what written policies a facility must keep on site, and a requirement to publicly identify the supervising physician. It stated that the Board will look at the substance of an arrangement rather than its form, and it named fee-based physician-matching services directly.
Post the physician's name — the easiest check for an inspector
Licensees are directed to clearly provide to the public who the delegating or supervising physician is and how to contact that physician, posted so the public has unrestricted access. It is the requirement Georgia practices have most often not met, the cheapest to fix, and the only one an inspector can verify from your website before ever visiting.
Unannounced inspections
In August 2026 it was reported that the Board's executive director confirmed inspectors had already visited Georgia med spas and IV clinics without notice. The documentation that exists at that moment is the documentation that counts. Use the inspection checklist to check yours.
How Local Medical Directors helps
We provide Georgia medical direction for IV therapy programs, with physician, NP, or PA evaluation and individualized orders built into the workflow and the supervising physician posted the way the Board expects.
Can an RN start an IV drip in a Georgia med spa without a provider seeing the patient?
Not on the RN's assessment alone. The Board's May 7, 2026 position statement says an RN or LPN may not be the only licensed professional performing the history and physical or the appropriateness assessment, and an RN may administer IV therapy only under a valid individualized order prescribed by a physician, NP, or PA.
Is a standing order enough for IV hydration in Georgia?
No. Under the May 7, 2026 position statement, the order must be individualized to the patient and prescribed by a physician, NP, or PA; a standing protocol alone is not a substitute.