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A “Good Faith Exam” (GFE) is the term Med Spas commonly use for the patient-specific clinical evaluation a qualified provider performs before ordering or administering a medical aesthetic treatment. Its purpose is not simply to “clear” the patient — it is to protect patient safety by determining whether the treatment is appropriate for that patient, identifying contraindications or other risk factors that may require modification, delay, or additional evaluation, and establishing the patient-specific treatment plan or order. The key nuance: Florida does not define one universal, one-size-fits-all “GFE” — the required depth of the exam scales with the treatment and its risks.
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What is a Good Faith Exam in Florida, really?
“Good Faith Exam” (GFE) is the familiar, widely used med-spa term, and it describes a real and important step — the patient-specific evaluation before treatment. What it is not is a single statutory checkbox with identical requirements for every service. Different services carry different risks: a Botox GFE is not identical to a filler, laser hair removal, IV therapy, hormone, weight-management, or peptide evaluation. Think of the GFE as “the evaluation appropriate to this patient and this treatment,” not a generic form used for everything.
What may a GFE or aesthetic evaluation include?
As applicable to the treatment: treatment objective, relevant medical history, medications, allergies, prior aesthetic procedures and reactions, neuromuscular history for botulinum toxin, bleeding/anticoagulant issues, infection or inflammatory conditions, pregnancy/lactation considerations, examination of the treatment area, patient expectations, contraindications, informed consent, and the treatment plan.
Can the GFE be done by telehealth (including asynchronous)?
Florida’s telehealth law (§456.47) permits patient evaluation through telehealth when the modality is sufficient to diagnose and treat and meets the professional standard applicable to comparable in-person care. Telehealth may be synchronous — a live interaction — or asynchronous, or “store-and-forward,” where the provider reviews submitted medical information later. The statute does not establish that asynchronous review is appropriate for every aesthetic treatment or patient. Audio-only calls, email, and fax by themselves are excluded from Florida’s telehealth definition; when the available information is insufficient or a physical finding requires direct assessment, the clinician should escalate to a synchronous or in-person evaluation.
What GFE mistakes do Med Spa owners make most often?
Using one identical “GFE form” for every service regardless of risk; treating the GFE as a signature step rather than a real clinical evaluation; assuming a remote GFE is always sufficient; and letting a non-prescriber complete the evaluation that a prescriber must own. The GFE should be performed by a clinician with authority appropriate to the treatment being ordered.
Owner takeaway
Keep using the term “GFE” — it is what patients and staff recognize — but treat it as a patient-specific evaluation whose depth matches the treatment, not a universal checkbox. Define the required GFE elements per service line and confirm requirements with counsel.