Healthcare Credentialing
How to Verify a Medical License
Physicians are licensed by individual state medical boards, not a federal authority. Verifying a doctor's license means checking the right state — or using the Federation of State Medical Boards' DocFinder, which searches all 70+ U.S. medical boards at once. Here is the complete verification process.
Key takeaway
Start with FSMB DocFinder (docinfo.org) — it queries all participating state medical boards simultaneously and surfaces license history, disciplinary actions, and malpractice payments across all states. Then verify board certification separately through ABMS.org. For Medicare/Medicaid positions, run the OIG LEIE exclusion check. The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) provides deeper history but is only available to credentialing organizations, not individuals.
Why physician license verification is more complex than it looks
A physician may hold active licenses in multiple states simultaneously — particularly common for telehealth providers, military physicians, and doctors who have relocated. A clean license in one state does not rule out discipline, suspension, or revocation in another.
Additionally, "medical license" is distinct from several related credentials that employers in healthcare often need to verify:
| Credential | What it is | Verify through |
|---|---|---|
| State medical license | Authorization to practice medicine in a specific state | FSMB DocFinder / state medical board |
| Board certification | Specialty certification from a medical specialty board (e.g., ABIM, ABS, ABP) | ABMS.org or AOA for osteopathic |
| DEA registration | Federal authorization to prescribe controlled substances | DEA Diversion Control Division (deadiversion.usdoj.gov) |
| Hospital privileges | Facility-granted permission to admit and treat patients at a specific hospital | The specific hospital's medical staff office |
License status and board certification are separate. A physician can hold an active license but be uncertified — or vice versa. Hospitals and large practices typically verify all four. Smaller employers often start with the state license and board certification.
Step 1: Search FSMB DocFinder
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) aggregates data from 70+ state and territorial medical boards into a single searchable database at docinfo.org. A basic license verification search is free.
What DocFinder returns
- Current license status in all states where the physician is or has been licensed
- License expiration dates
- Board actions: disciplinary orders, license restrictions, voluntary surrenders
- Malpractice payment history (from the National Practitioner Data Bank subset that FSMB receives)
- Medical school and graduation year
DocFinder covers MDs, DOs, and physicians holding licenses through any participating board. Coverage: all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and most territories.
How to search
- Go to docinfo.org
- Enter the physician's first name, last name, and (optionally) state
- Review all license entries — a physician may appear multiple times for different states
- Click through to the full profile to see disciplinary history and malpractice payments
Step 2: Verify directly with the state medical board
DocFinder is comprehensive, but state medical boards are the authoritative source for real-time license status. If a license was very recently suspended or if you need a formal verification letter, contact the board directly.
State medical boards for the five most populous states
- California: Medical Board of California — search.dca.ca.gov
- Texas: Texas Medical Board — lookup.tmb.state.tx.us
- Florida: Florida DOH Medical Quality Assurance — flhealthsource.gov
- New York: NYSED Office of the Professions — op.nysed.gov/opsearches.htm
- Illinois: IDFPR License Lookup — idfpr.illinois.gov/LicenseLookup
For all other states: the FSMB directory at fsmb.org/contact-a-state-or-territorial-medical-board lists every U.S. medical board with direct links.
State board lookups typically show: license number, issue date, expiration date, status, and whether there are any public orders. Some boards also show the type of medical degree (MD vs. DO) and graduate medical education (GME) history.
Step 3: Verify board certification (ABMS)
Board certification is separate from licensure and indicates that a physician has passed rigorous specialty examinations. Many hospital credentialing requirements and insurance contracts require board certification.
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
For allopathic physicians (MD), verify at certificationmatters.org (the public ABMS search) — free, no account required. Searches across all 24 ABMS member boards including ABIM (internal medicine), ABS (surgery), ABP (pediatrics), and more. Returns current certification status and specialty area.
American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
For osteopathic physicians (DO), verify board certification through the AOA Physician Database at osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/find-a-doctor. Some DOs also hold ABMS certification; check both.
Board eligible ≠ board certified
A physician who recently completed residency may describe themselves as "board eligible," meaning they meet requirements to take the certification exam but have not yet passed it. This is not the same as board certified. Verify the actual certification status, not the candidate's self-description.
Step 4: The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB)
The NPDB is a federal database maintained by HRSA that contains malpractice payments, adverse licensure actions, clinical privilege restrictions, and professional society membership actions. It is more comprehensive than DocFinder for disciplinary history.
Important: The NPDB is not publicly available. Only authorized entities can query it — primarily hospitals and healthcare entities conducting credentialing, state licensing boards, and malpractice insurers.
Individual physicians may request a Self-Query from the NPDB to see what is on file about them (npdb.hrsa.gov/resources/selfQuery.jsp). If you are a hospital or credentialing organization, query the NPDB directly for the full picture. If you are a smaller employer without NPDB access, DocFinder covers a subset of NPDB data.
Step 5: Federal exclusion check
For positions in Medicare- or Medicaid-participating facilities, check whether the physician has been excluded from federal healthcare programs. The OIG LEIE at oig.hhs.gov/exclusions is free and publicly searchable.
An excluded physician cannot provide services billed to Medicare or Medicaid, even if their state license is active. Civil monetary penalties apply to facilities that knowingly employ excluded providers.
Medical license verification checklist
- Search FSMB DocFinder (docinfo.org) to see license history and actions across all states
- Verify active license directly with the state medical board where the physician will practice
- Confirm license expiration date is current
- Check for any discipline, restrictions, or conditions in all states where physician is or has been licensed
- Verify board certification through ABMS certificationmatters.org (MD) or AOA (DO) if required
- For prescribing roles: verify DEA registration at deadiversion.usdoj.gov
- For Medicare/Medicaid facilities: search OIG LEIE for federal exclusions
- For hospitals and credentialing organizations: query NPDB for complete malpractice and disciplinary history
Common issues that surface during physician verification
License in wrong state
Especially common with telehealth. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) allows eligible physicians to obtain licenses in multiple states faster — but the license must still be issued. Verify the physician holds a valid license in each state where they will see patients.
Discipline in a prior state not disclosed
A physician whose license was restricted or surrendered in one state may have obtained a clean license elsewhere without full disclosure. DocFinder and NPDB queries should catch this — do not rely on a single-state search.
Expired board certification
Most ABMS specialty boards require Maintenance of Certification (MOC) on a 10-year cycle. Board certification can lapse even while the state license remains active. Verify the current certification dates, not just whether the physician was ever certified.
Foreign medical graduates
Physicians trained outside the U.S. must complete ECFMG certification before entering U.S. residency training. ECFMG status can be verified at ecfmg.org. The state license verification process is the same regardless of where the physician trained.
Related verification guides
- How to Verify a Nursing License (RN/LPN) — NURSYS lookup and Nurse Licensure Compact
- How to Verify a CNA Certification — nurse aide registry and OIG exclusion checks
- How to Verify a Therapist License — LCSW, LPC, LMFT state board verification
Also verify the medical school
Diploma mills issue fraudulent medical degrees. VerifyED verifies whether a medical school is accredited by the LCME, COCA, or recognized foreign accreditor — 912,000 institutions in the database.
Verify a Medical School