Beyond a center’s name

Check the doctor behind the name

An in-person clinic or an online care service is a place to start asking. Begin with the doctor who would assess you.

Run the same check for each option

Ask for the doctor’s details
Ask for the doctor’s full name, licence state and licence number.
Put it to the care service
Who would assess me, and where is their licence record?
Keep the name handy for the next check.
Find the licensing board
Use the medical-board directory to reach the board for the state relevant to your visit.
The Federation of State Medical Boards provides links for reaching official doctor-licensing boards.
Find your state’s medical board
Match the public record
Compare the name, licence status and any limits listed in the board’s own search.
The doctor needs a licence or permission from the state you are in at the time of an online visit, as checked in September 2026.
Some states offer registration: permission for an out-of-state doctor to give online care without a full licence there. Usually, this bars an office or visits in person in that state.
If the doctor relies on that permission, ask the state board how to check it and which limits apply.
Read the public history
Read the board’s reports of penalties or limits on the doctor’s work. Check the dates and ask the doctor to explain anything unclear.
State boards publish the doctor’s licence status and any penalties or limits imposed by the board. What they publish differs by state.

If the board lists no penalty or limit on a doctor, that alone tells you nothing about the quality of the care.

Some states split doctor licences between different boards; ask which board holds the record.

If you cannot find the doctor, ask which board holds the licence and how to find it. Wait for an answer before choosing that doctor.

Ask what kind of health professional would see you and which state board holds their licence. Ask where to check that record.

The medical-boards directory leads to doctor boards, not the licensing board for every health profession.

Use the record that matches the person’s profession. Do not treat a clinic’s name as the person’s licence.

Endnotes · Checking a doctor

Medical boards: what their public records show
The role and limits of a doctor’s public licence record.
The state medical-board directory
Use its links to find the boards holding the records.
US health department: licences and the patient’s location
The state question for an online visit.
US health department: practising across state lines
How some states give out-of-state doctors permission for online care without a full licence in that state.