Check the person. Then check the pharmacy.
If you have found a service elsewhere, gather the names behind it. Ask for the health professional’s full name and license details, then the pharmacy’s name.
U.S. care context: September 2026.
Compare an in-person visit with care from a distance
With telehealth, your care takes place through calls by video or phone, or through messages online. Whether you visit a clinic or get care from home, ask how you will be examined and how tests will be arranged.
In September 2026, the U.S. health department (HHS) says health professionals need permission to provide care in the state you are in when the visit takes place.
- Will you have permission to treat me at my planned location when we meet?
- What kind of visit will we have?
- If I need an examination or a test, who will arrange it?
Start with the state board
State medical boards publish doctor license records and public records of action taken for breaking medical rules, such as penalties or license limits.
A record with no listed penalty or license limit does not tell you how well that doctor will care for you.
- Find the board through the list of state boards in the reading list.
- Match the full name and license number.
- Read whether the license is active, any limits on it, and any penalties for breaking medical rules.
- Ask the doctor to explain anything you cannot make sense of.
Ask what the person’s role allows
Ask whether the person is a doctor or has one of these roles.
A nurse practitioner is a nurse whose role can include checking a health problem and writing prescriptions.
A physician assistant is a health professional whose role can include providing medical care and writing prescriptions.
Ask what your prescriber is allowed to do in your state and whether a doctor must take part in your care.
- Which board licenses your role in my state?
- Where can I look up your license?
- Who else takes part in my care, and when?
Get the pharmacy’s name before looking it up
State boards of pharmacy license pharmacies and keep the records used to check them.
In September 2026, most states require a pharmacy located in another state to obtain permission in the patient’s state before it ships medicine there.
- Can you name the pharmacy that prepares the medicine and the one that ships it?
- What is the exact pharmacy name on the label?
- Can I find it in my state’s pharmacy license search?
- How can I reach a pharmacist with a question?
A short reading list
Federation of State Medical Boards
Medical board directory for checking a doctor
For state and territory doctor licensing boards, follow the Federation of State Medical Boards’ links.
The state board’s own record is the place to check the doctor you found.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) · U.S. medicine review agency
FDA links to state pharmacy license searches
FDA directs patients to the state board’s online pharmacy license search to check whether a pharmacy has a license.
A listed license is a useful record; it does not settle every question about the medicine.