Get the person’s name
Start with the person who would assess or prescribe for you. Ask for a full name, professional role and the state record used to check them.
For a doctor, a state medical board keeps the public licence record and can take action against doctors who break its rules.
Links to doctors’ licensing boards are available through the Federation of State Medical Boards.
Find the relevant medical boardSome states use separate boards for different types of doctor, so the matching board matters.
Check where care takes place
Location matters for an online visit. Tell the service your location for the appointment, and mention any travel plans.
Federal health guidance, as of September 26, 2026, says a doctor or other health professional needs a licence or another permission covering the state in which the patient is present.
State rules and narrow exceptions matter; a licence somewhere else does not answer this check.
Read the record, then check the pharmacy
Match the name and professional role. Check the licence’s current status and look for board action against that person. Ask the board to explain any result you cannot understand.
A public record showing no action against a doctor gives no measure of the quality of care to expect.
The details each board publishes can differ.
Do the pharmacy check separately. The treating person’s licence record does not tell you which pharmacy will supply a medicine.
Pharmacy licences are held by state pharmacy boards, which are separate from medical boards.
To search state pharmacy licences, follow the links supplied by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Use the FDA’s state pharmacy lookup linksA pharmacy record lets you check its licence; it does not tell you whether the pharmacy supplied the right medicine in your case.