Questions before a care plan
Check the person behind the reply.
Ask for the clinician’s full name and professional role. Use the relevant licensing board’s own record when checking the answer.
Licensing information reflects the September 26, 2026 check.
The patient’s location is the key state for a remote physician’s authority to practise.
A licence or other state authorization can provide that permission. State rules and narrow exceptions still matter.
Use the board’s record, then ask about the gaps.
A state medical board’s records show doctors’ licences and any published penalties or formal charges about breaking professional rules. What they display varies between states.
The linked state-board directory gives each board’s own web address.
The right board can depend on the doctor’s degree: some states split records for MDs and DOs between different boards. Ask which board holds your doctor’s licence before searching.
Even if you find no penalty or charge in that record, it does not tell you how good the doctor’s care is.
A nurse practitioner or physician assistant has a different professional role. Ask which board holds that person’s record and how their prescribing role applies in your state.
Notes for this chapter
- Find the state board that holds your doctor’s licence
Ask which board holds the doctor’s record, then choose that board from the list.
- HHS on location and licensure
HHS is the US Department of Health and Human Services. Its page explains the location question.
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