Check the name behind the offer.

To check a physician’s licence status or public disciplinary record, look at what the state medical board publishes.

A physician is a medical doctor. Disciplinary records show public action taken by the board.

The doctor needs permission from the state you are in during an online appointment. Check permission for your location, even if the doctor’s office is in another state (September 2026 guidance).

Some states allow an out-of-state clinician to use a telehealth registration instead of a full state licence, as of September 2026.

Ask for the doctor’s full name, licence or registration number, and the state board that issued it. If you will be travelling, say where you expect to be for the visit.

Some states use different boards for MD doctors and DO doctors. Those letters appear after the doctor’s name. Both are medical doctors; ask which board holds your doctor’s record.

For a different kind of prescriber, ask which state board holds their record. Use the licence type they give you as your starting point.

Pharmacy licences are handled by state boards of pharmacy.

FDA (Food and Drug Administration)’s pharmacy lookup page links to those state licence searches.

As of September 2026, most states required pharmacies based in another state to have a licence or permit in the patient’s state before shipping medicine.

Ask for the full name of the pharmacy supplying the medicine. Match that name to the board record, rather than relying on a badge on the care service’s page.

For a doctor, a clean public record tells you no public action by the board was recorded. It gives no score for the quality of care.