Turn names into checks
Find a person
you can check.
Search for care for the problem behind the phrase. Then turn a name into something you can check.
The board route: look up the person’s record.
Get the doctor’s name in full. Ask which state has issued their licence.
State medical boards publish the status of a doctor’s licence and public records of discipline.
Source · medical-board recordsFind links for every state’s board through the Federation of State Medical Boards. Use its list of board websites to find the state board and look up the doctor.
Find your state’s medical-board websiteAsk the doctor which kind of licence they hold and which state board keeps the record. A state may have several boards that license doctors. Use the one that holds this doctor’s licence.
Check that the name and kind of licence on the record match what the doctor told you. Read the licence status to see if it is current. Check for board action against this doctor. Finding no public action in the record tells you nothing about the quality of care.
This route checks doctors. For a different type of prescriber, ask which state board holds that licence.
The referral route: begin with the concern.
Ask a doctor you already see who could help with your problem. Describe what is bothering you and what you want help doing.
- Say when the problem began and what has changed.
- Bring reports or notes from care you have already had.
- Ask which kind of doctor or other health professional could help find the cause.
- Ask what an in-person exam could add to the next visit.
The question can be about pain, an old injury, or a treatment claim. It does not need to begin with a request for this substance.
The telehealth route: check where care takes place.
With telehealth, a care visit happens over video, by phone, or through messages online instead of in the same room.
HHS means Department of Health and Human Services, the US health department.
HHS guidance checked on September 26, 2026, says a doctor needs permission to practise in the patient’s state.
Source · US telehealth licence guidanceAsk about the state where you will be located when the visit takes place.
Guidance from the Federation of State Medical Boards was checked on September 26, 2026. It said an online form with fixed questions and answers cannot be the only basis for a prescription.
The person giving care must be able to follow up by asking more questions or gathering more health details.
Source · the federation’s telehealth guidanceThese guidelines address state boards. The rules are set by each state.
Ask who will review the answers and how follow-up questions can be asked.
Check the pharmacy separately.
If a medicine is suggested, ask which pharmacy would prepare and send it.
FDA is short for Food and Drug Administration, the US drug agency.
FDA’s pharmacy-lookup page leads to state licence records; a licence does not prove a particular product is being dispensed properly.
Source · FDA’s state pharmacy lookup