Code of Virginia
Chapter 24 - General Provisions
§ 54.1-2400.01:1. Surgery defined; who may perform surgery

A. For the purposes of this subtitle, except as used in Chapter 38 (§ 54.1-3800 et seq.) related to veterinary medicine, "surgery" means the structural alteration of the human body by the incision or cutting into of tissue for the purpose of diagnostic or therapeutic treatment of conditions or disease processes by any instrument causing localized alteration or transposition of live human tissue, but does not include the following: procedures for the removal of superficial foreign bodies from the human body, punctures, injections, dry needling, acupuncture, or removal of dead tissue. For the purposes of this section, incision shall not mean the scraping or brushing of live tissue.
B. No person shall perform surgery unless he is (i) licensed by the Board of Medicine as a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry; (ii) licensed by the Board of Dentistry as a doctor of dentistry; (iii) jointly licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as a nurse practitioner; (iv) a physician assistant acting under the supervision of a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry; (v) a licensed midwife in the performance of episiotomies during childbirth; (vi) licensed by the Board of Optometry as an optometrist and certified to perform laser surgery pursuant to § 54.1-3225; or (vii) acting pursuant to the orders and under the appropriate supervision of a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry.
C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict, limit, change, or expand the scope of practice in effect on January 1, 2012, of any profession licensed by any of the health regulatory boards within the Department of Health Professions.
2012, cc. 15, 124; 2022, cc. 16, 17.

Structure Code of Virginia

Code of Virginia

Title 54.1 - Professions and Occupations

Chapter 24 - General Provisions

§ 54.1-2400. General powers and duties of health regulatory boards

§ 54.1-2400.01. Certain definition

§ 54.1-2400.01:1. Surgery defined; who may perform surgery

§ 54.1-2400.01:2. Ophthalmic prescription defined; who may provide ophthalmic prescriptions

§ 54.1-2400.02. Information concerning health professionals; posting of addresses on the Internet; providing personal information under certain circumstances prohibited; collection of address information from health professionals

§ 54.1-2400.03. Health regulatory boards to report information concerning health professionals to the Department of Health; Eligible Health Care Provider Reserve Directory

§ 54.1-2400.1. Mental health service providers; duty to protect third parties; immunity

§ 54.1-2400.2. Confidentiality of information obtained during an investigation or disciplinary proceeding; penalty

§ 54.1-2400.3. Disciplinary actions to be reported

§ 54.1-2400.4. Mental health service providers duty to inform; immunity; civil penalty

§ 54.1-2400.5. Repealed

§ 54.1-2400.6. Hospitals, other health care institutions, home health and hospice organizations, and assisted living facilities required to report disciplinary actions against and certain disorders of health professionals; immunity from liability; fa...

§ 54.1-2400.7. Practitioners treating other practitioners for certain disorders to make reports; immunity from liability

§ 54.1-2400.8. Immunity for reporting

§ 54.1-2400.9. Reporting disabilities of drivers

§ 54.1-2401. Monetary penalty

§ 54.1-2402. Citizen members on health regulatory boards

§ 54.1-2402.1. Appointments, removals, and limitation of terms of members of regulatory boards

§ 54.1-2403. Certain advertising prohibited

§ 54.1-2403.01. Routine component of prenatal care

§ 54.1-2403.02. Prenatal education; cord blood banking

§ 54.1-2403.1. Protocol for certain medical history screening required

§ 54.1-2403.2. Record storage

§ 54.1-2403.3. Medical records; ownership; provision of copies

§ 54.1-2404. Itemized statements required upon request

§ 54.1-2404.1. Patient records

§ 54.1-2404.2. Health care providers; disclosure of records; actions for which an authorization is not required

§ 54.1-2405. Transfer of patient records in conjunction with closure, sale, or relocation of practice; notice required

§ 54.1-2406. Treatment records of practitioners

§ 54.1-2407. Requirements for human research

§ 54.1-2408. Disqualification for license, certificate or registration

§ 54.1-2408.1. Summary action against licenses, certificates, registrations, or multistate licensure privilege; allegations to be in writing

§ 54.1-2408.2. Minimum period for reinstatement after revocation

§ 54.1-2408.3. Practice pending appeal

§ 54.1-2408.4. Temporary authorization to practice

§ 54.1-2409. Mandatory suspension or revocation; reinstatement; hearing for reinstatement

§ 54.1-2409.1. Criminal penalties for practicing certain professions and occupations without appropriate licensure, certificate, etc.

§ 54.1-2409.2. Board to set criteria for determining need for professional regulation

§ 54.1-2409.3. Participation of advisory boards in disciplinary proceedings

§ 54.1-2409.4. Authority to receive laboratory results directly

§ 54.1-2409.5. Conversion therapy prohibited