Care, mapped.

Found a doctor? Keep checking

Find care / Check a licence

Get a name. Then check the record.

Check the health professional and the pharmacy separately. Start with their exact names.

Picture the moment

A polished page feels reassuring. Before relying on it, request the name of whoever would carry out your assessment.

Ask who will see you

The health professional who assesses you is called a clinician. Request their full name, role, licence number and the state that issued it. For an online visit, also name the state where you will be.

State medical boards, the offices that license doctors, publish licence status and records of action taken against doctors for breaking board rules. A

Some states use separate boards for different doctor titles, so ask which board holds the record for the person you will see.

If the role is something other than doctor, ask which state board keeps its licence record. Match the name and licence number to that record.

Find a state medical board

Read what the record actually says

Check whether the doctor’s licence is current and whether the board has taken any action against them. Check that the person’s name and licence number match what the service gave you. Ask the board or service to explain a mismatch.

A record with no listed action against the doctor does not establish the quality of their care.

Keep a copy or note the result for your conversation. Avoid making the whole decision from a badge on the service’s own page.

Name the pharmacy, if medicine is offered

With compounding, a medicine is prepared to order for a patient instead of using a ready-made drug product. C

Ask who would prepare the medicine and which pharmacy would send it. Request the exact name before paying for a plan.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides links to pharmacy licence searches for every state. B

The FDA’s advice is to avoid an online pharmacy missing from the state’s licence records.

Open the FDA state pharmacy searches

In most states, a pharmacy based in another state needs permission from the receiving state before shipping medicine, as of September 26, 2026. B

Ask about permission for your state as well as the state where the pharmacy operates. The names for that permission can vary.

Keep a badge in perspective

As of September 26, 2026, FDA registration does not mean FDA approval of a business or its products. D

A pharmacy licence shows permission to operate; it does not guarantee that every medicine is made and supplied properly.

Now put a separate question beside the licence check: what is the product, and what evidence supports the offer?

Continue the checkLook at the evidenceFind out which claims have been tested in people.

Notes behind this page

  1. FSMB directory of state medical boards

    Follow through to the state board’s own record.

  2. FDA links to pharmacy licence searches

    Use the record for the state where medicine would be received.

  3. FDA explanation of compounding

    The page explains the roles of pharmacies and other compounders.

  4. Federal rule on registration and drug listing

    Registration and product approval answer different questions.