Arrange the visit
Check who can treat you
Begin with the clinician’s name and your state location at the time of the visit.
Licence rules as of September 26, 2026.
Your location counts
At the time of your visit, the doctor's licence or other permission to practise must cover the place where you are. The Department of Health and Human Services gives this guidance for online care.
A state grants permission to practise through a licence. Some states let doctors based elsewhere register for permission to give online care.
Ask which state permission covers your visit. Mention travel plans rather than assuming your home address settles the question.
Use the board's own record
You can find a doctor’s licence status and public discipline records through the state medical board’s published records. Public discipline means actions the board took and made public. What records show differs by state.
Each state board has its own website; the Federation of State Medical Boards includes those links in its directory.
Match the full name in the record with the person who will review your health. Ask for help finding the right record if names are similar.
Read the limits of that check
The absence of a public board action in a doctor’s record cannot establish the quality of that doctor’s care. Some states file doctor licence records separately by degree: MD in one set and DO in another.
Look at the doctor's degree letters. If they are DO, look for the osteopathic board; that is the board for DO doctors. The directory also lists the boards for MD doctors.
If the clinician has a different professional role, ask which state board holds their record. Keep the role, full name, and record together in your notes.
Look at the visit itself