What can the records tell you?
State medical boards show whether a doctor holds a licence. Their public records can also show penalties for breaking medical rules or formal charges that have not been decided.
A record with no published penalties or charges is not a rating of how well the doctor cares for patients.
- Keep the doctor’s full name, licence number and state together.
- Keep the pharmacy’s details on a separate line.
- If someone else will prescribe, ask which board holds that person’s record.
Work through the names
Ask for the names
Request the doctor’s full name and licence details, plus the name of the pharmacy that would supply the medicine.
Open the medical-board record
Use the Federation of State Medical Boards’ state-board directory to reach the relevant board’s own website.
Match the details
Check that the doctor’s name and licence match the details you were given. Read any listed penalties or charges; a charge is an accusation, not a final decision.
Check the pharmacy separately
Choose your state on the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) page. It leads to your state pharmacy board’s online list, where you can search for the pharmacy’s name and check its licence.
What if the record is hard to match?
Pause the comparison and ask for help finding the correct entry. A similar name is not an answer to a mismatch.
- Ask whether the doctor appears under a different name.
- Check whether the state has separate boards for different types of doctors.
- Ask for the pharmacy’s registered name if it differs from the website name.
- A licence authorises the pharmacy to operate. It does not prove that every medicine the pharmacy prepares or supplies is correct.