Find the doctor’s state record
Doctors receive their licences from a state medical board, a public body with power to act when they break its rules. Its records show if a doctor’s licence is current, whether the board has punished the doctor and whether charges are still awaiting a decision. What each board shows can vary.
Look for a section called disciplinary history or board action. If an entry is confusing, contact the board for an explanation.
Find individual state boards through the directory published by their joint organisation, the Federation of State Medical Boards. Pick the board for the state in which your visit happens.
A record with no public action for breaking the board’s rules is not a rating of the doctor’s care.
Look up the pharmacy separately
FDA is the Food and Drug Administration. Pharmacies are licensed through state pharmacy boards. FDA’s pharmacy lookup page links to the state licence searches.
Most states require a pharmacy sending medicine from elsewhere to hold a permit or licence in the receiving state. The exact requirement varies.
Finding the pharmacy in a licence record proves that the licence exists. It does not prove every product it sends is appropriate.
A badge answers a narrower question
Accreditation means an outside body checks a set of standards. It does not replace a pharmacy licence.
A medicine maker being on FDA’s records does not prove its medicines are approved. FDA also does not approve a doctor’s office as a care service.
If the record is unclear
Ask which licence record covers the work being offered. For a health professional other than a doctor, ask which professional board keeps that person’s record.
Save the answer alongside the proposed drug and service fee. That keeps your questions about the person separate from your questions about the product.