Check the person who will treat you.

Start with the treating person’s full name.

Ask who will assess you, their profession, and their licence number. Search the person who will make the treatment decision.

A state medical board’s public record can show if a doctor is licensed, past action against them, and formal accusations with no decision yet.

Find links for each state’s medical and osteopathic boards through the Federation of State Medical Boards.

Osteopathic doctors are doctors whose degree is called a DO. Some states have a separate board for them.

Use the state where the care reaches you.

Telehealth is care through video, phone, or online messages.

Under national telehealth guidance, the patient’s physical location determines the state of the visit, as of September 2026.

A health professional with a licence from another state can register for online-care permission in some states, as of September 2026.

This permission has limits that vary by state; it is different from a full state licence.

Ask the state board how to look up that permission and what care it allows. Confirm that it covers the named person treating you.

Read what the record does and does not say.

The quality of a doctor’s care cannot be judged from the absence of public board action.

Check whether the licence is active and whether it limits what the doctor can do. If the board lists action against the doctor, open the details.

Read what happened and whether a decision has been made. Ask the board to explain any wording you cannot follow.

For a nurse or another health professional, find out which state board holds their record. Keep the profession and licence details together.