TX Med Spas Face New Restrictions: "Jenifer’s Law” Takes Effect After Patient's IV Death

Texas healthcare professionals working in medical spas face significant practice changes following Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 3749, “Jenifer’s Law,” which went into effect in Texas on September 1, 2025.

The legislation was born out of tragedy. Jenifer Cleveland died after receiving an intravenous (IV) treatment containing Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), a hospital-grade nutritional infusion, at Wortham Med Spa in San Antonio. Critically, this infusion was administered by an unlicensed individual without proper medical training or supervision.

What HB 3749 Actually Does

While earlier drafts of the bill proposed sweeping reforms for all medspa operations, the final law is narrower in scope. HB 3749 specifically regulates elective IV therapy performed outside of physician offices and licensed healthcare facilities.

Key provisions include:

• Delegation and administration: Elective IV therapy may only be administered by physicians, physician assistants (PAs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), or registered nurses (RNs).
• Supervision: Delegation remains under physician authority. Existing Texas law already allowed physician delegation to trained personnel; this bill maintains but does not significantly tighten those rules.
• Exclusions: The law does not impose new requirements on cosmetic procedures or all medspa activities.
• Scope: Medspas that do not offer elective IV therapy remain largely unaffected.

What Was Removed from the Final Law

The original bill contained stricter provisions that were ultimately dropped, including:

• Mandatory physician medical directors for all medspas.
• Reclassification of medspas as medical practice settings.
• Broad requirements for on-site physician supervision during all procedures.
• By removing these provisions, the final version of Jenifer’s Law focuses solely on IV therapy safety rather than overhauling the entire medspa industry.

Impact on Nurses

For Texas nurses working in aesthetic medicine:

• RNs and APRNs remain authorized to administer elective IV therapy, provided it is properly delegated by a physician.
• The law validates the role of licensed nursing professionals in ensuring safe delivery of elective IV therapy in non-traditional settings.
• Advanced practice nurses may see more opportunities in medspa environments that need qualified staff to meet compliance standards.

Why It Matters

Elective IV therapy has surged in popularity at medspas, offering everything from hydration to vitamin infusions. HB 3749 ensures these procedures can only be performed by qualified medical professionals—providing patients with the same level of safety and oversight they would expect in traditional healthcare settings.

Effective Date

Governor Abbott signed the bill into law on June 20, 2025. Jenifer’s Law went into affect statewide on September 1, 2025. Medspas offering elective IV therapy must be in compliance by that date.

Nurses considering work in medical spas should confirm that employers understand and comply with these new requirements. While the law stops short of a complete medspa overhaul, it represents a meaningful step toward patient protection and professional accountability in the booming elective IV therapy market.

🤔 Nurses, share your thoughts on this law in the discussion forum below.