Check the person and the pharmacy separately.
A neat website cannot do these checks for you. Start with names that lead to a public record.
Facts checked as of September 26, 2026.
The person writing the prescription versus the pharmacy
The person assessing you
A state medical board keeps a public record of a doctor’s licence and any action it has taken against the doctor. a
The record may also show formal charges that the board has not yet decided. A charge is not a finding that the doctor did something wrong.
What appears in that record varies by state. An absence of public board action gives no answer about the quality of that doctor’s future care.
How to run the name check
Keep the replies and the records together so you can spot a mismatch.
Get the names. Ask for the doctor’s full name, licence details, and the pharmacy’s full name.
Open the right board. Use the medical board directory below to locate the board for your state at the time of the visit.
Match the doctor’s record. Check the name, whether the licence is current, and any action or pending formal charge the board lists.
Check the pharmacy too. Follow the FDA link to your state’s pharmacy records and search the supplied name.
Match your location, not the office location
As of September 26, 2026, HHS guidance required a health professional to have permission to provide care in the state where the patient was during the visit. d
HHS is the US Department of Health and Human Services.
States differ in which licences or other permissions they accept. Ask which one covers your visit.
If your health professional is not a doctor, ask them to name the state board keeping their licence record. A doctor lookup cannot find licence records for all types of health professionals.
Ask for a usable name before accepting a reassuring badge.
Check badges against government records