Finding care
How do I check who is treating me?
Start by getting the full name and job of your treating person, such as doctor or nurse. Check the public record before relying on the badge beside a photo.
Where can I check a licence?
Find the doctor in the state record
A state medical board is the group that gives doctors licences and publishes records of penalties it has imposed on them.
You can find links to official state boards in the Federation of State Medical Boards directory.
Open your state’s board from that directory. Use its licence search, enter the full name, and compare the record with the details the service gave you.
Some states have more than one board for doctors; ask which one keeps your doctor’s record.
Check where the online visit takes place
For phone or online care, doctors generally need permission or a licence from the state where you are physically located, as of September 2026.
Let the service know your expected location at the time of the visit. Ask what permission the person treating you has to give care there, especially if you will be travelling.
As of September 2026, states have different rules for prescribing medicine by phone or online; another state’s rule may not apply to your visit.
If medicine is proposed, get the pharmacy’s name
Ask which pharmacy will make or supply it. Keep that name beside the name of the person treating you in your notes.
State pharmacy boards are the groups that license pharmacies.
The FDA, the US drug agency, links to those boards so you can check a pharmacy’s licence.
As of September 2026, most states require pharmacies from outside the state to have a licence or permit before shipping medicine there.
Know what the record can tell you
The absence of a public board penalty in a doctor’s record does not show the quality of that doctor’s care.
A pharmacy’s licence alone cannot tell you whether each medicine it supplies is right for you.
Check for any penalty or limit on the doctor’s licence. Ask the board about an entry you do not understand.
Use these records to check the names and licences. Then ask the person treating you how they will check your injury and explain your choices.