A plain-language guide · Check the names
Use the name to find a checkable record.
Record your possible clinician’s name and which state you expect to be in during the appointment. Those are the details to start checking.
Check the clinician’s own record
State medical boards publish information about doctors’ licences and public disciplinary actions.
The Federation of State Medical Boards offers directory links to the state bodies responsible for licensing doctors.
A record without public action is not a judgement of how good a doctor’s care will be.
Match the full name with the board record. For a different kind of clinician, find out which state board keeps their licence record, then search through that board.
Under the guidance checked September 26, 2026, a clinician must meet the licence or permission rules of the state where the patient is during telehealth.
The binding details come from that state’s own rules.
Check the pharmacy separately
A state board of pharmacy holds pharmacy licence records.
Use the FDA’s pharmacy lookup page to reach the licence-search tool for each state.
Being listed confirms a licence record, rather than proving that every medicine supplied is appropriate.
If someone proposes a medicine, find out which pharmacy would prepare it and send it to you. Match that name to the official record instead of relying on a logo on the service’s page.
Keep the checks separate
Registration with the FDA does not mean that the facility or its products have FDA approval.
A licence check answers who is authorised. The product question is another check. Ask for a clear explanation of both, and keep the record links with your visit notes.
Open the sources for this page
Source checks behind these answers: September 17, 2026; September 26, 2026.
- Directory of state medical boards
Follow the directory to the relevant state board’s own record.
- What medical-board records contain
You can check a doctor’s licence and any public disciplinary action through the public record, but that record cannot judge the quality of care.
- FDA links to state pharmacy searches
Choose the state, then check the pharmacy in that board’s database.
- HHS guidance on state licensure
Use the patient’s location during an online visit to check which state’s licence rules apply.
- Federal rule on registration claims
An FDA listing or registration can exist without approval of the product.