QUESTION BRIEF · LICENCE CHECK
Which state licence matters?
MYTH.A clinician only needs a licence where their office is.
FACT.As of September 2026, the key state is generally where the patient is physically located during the remote appointment.
Ask for the name before the visit
Get the full name of the person who will treat you, and what kind of professional they are: a medical doctor (MD), an osteopathic doctor (DO), a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant. A first name, photograph or white coat is not enough information for a public-record check.
State medical boards publish physician licence status and public discipline information, though the amount shown varies by state.
Use the board, not a badge
The Federation of State Medical Boards keeps a directory that leads to every state’s medical board, and to the separate boards some states keep for osteopathic doctors (DOs), who are also physicians.
Search the official board record. Match the name, licence type and status. If the person is not a physician, for example a nurse practitioner, find the state board that licenses that profession.
Read a clean record modestly
A clean public board record means no public action appears there; it is not a rating of clinical quality.
The record is one useful check. The quality of the assessment, the clarity of the plan and the ability to ask questions still matter.
ANNOTATED READING LIST
Evidence, with a note on why it belongs
- How state medical boards help consumers.This page explains what state boards report and how consumers can use it.
- Model rules for online care, from the state medical boards.The part on licences explains why the state you are sitting in decides which licence counts.