Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy It’s ImportantCheck Your SourcesCheck CertificationCheck Rating WebsitesCheck LicensureCheck for MalpracticeIf a Doctor Isn’t ListedSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why It’s Important
Check Your Sources
Check Certification
Check Rating Websites
Check Licensure
Check for Malpractice
If a Doctor Isn’t Listed
Summary
Board certificationis important as it confirms that adoctor of medicine or osteopathyhas completed training in a particular medical subspecialty and has the credentials, qualifications, and expertise to treat your medical condition.
This article explains how to check the board certification and credentials of a medical practitioner. It also offers tips on how to check for malpractice or disciplinary actions.
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Why It’s Important to Verify Board Certification
State medical boards are responsible for ensuring that all physicians are properly licensed and comply with laws and regulations pertaining to their field of practice. Even so, infractions can sometimes occur, and it is in the patient’s right to know.
In 2022, state medical and osteopathic boards issued no less than 6,584 disciplinary board actions to 3,062 physicians. Of these, 954 were serious, resulting in the revocation or suspension of their license or the denial of a license.
While the number of infractions pales in comparison to the number of doctors of medicines (MDs) or doctors of osteopathy (DOs) operating in the United States—over one million, according to the Federation of State Medical Board—infractions do occur and can place you at risk if a treater acts outside of the prescribed code of contact.
This not only applies to MDs and DOs but other healthcare providers (like psychologists or pharmacists) who also obtain certification from other state boards.
Before you start checking medical board websites for certification, be sure that the medical board is one that is legitimate and recognized.
Some like the American Board of Geriatric Medicine, the American Board of Geriatrics, the United States Medical Specialists Federation, the American Board of Diabetes, the American College of Christian Physicians, and the American Academy of Oncology have been flagged as bogus.
These illegitimate boards target doctors who have recently immigrated to the U.S., promising them certification with only basic information but a substantial fee.
This can also be confusing to consumers who might mistake a legitimate board, like the American College of Cardiology, with an illegitimate one, like the American Academy of Cardiology.
If in doubt, call the ABMS, ABPS, or AOA to check if a medical board falls under their body. Or call your state’s medical licensure association which is often aware of scams.
Check Board Certification Websites
Access to this information requires you to register and log in. You will also be asked to warrant that the information is for your personal use.
Once you find the state certification board, you can do an online search to double-check that the certification is current. These sites may or may not provide details of disciplinary actions.
Checking certification with the AOA is not as easy as it doesn’t publish a master list of members. Instead, you will need the doctor’s nine-digit Certified Electronic Document Identifier (CeDID) code, which you can use to verify certification on theAOA website,
How Many Specialities Are There?The ABMS is the oldest and most well-known medical board. It is made up of 24 member boards representing 40 specialties and 89 subspecialties:American Board of Allergy and ImmunologyAmerican Board of AnesthesiologyAmerican Board of Colon and Rectal SurgeryAmerican Board of DermatologyAmerican Board of Emergency MedicineAmerican Board of Family MedicineAmerican Board of Internal MedicineAmerican Board of Medical Genetics and GenomicsAmerican Board of Neurological SurgeryAmerican Board of Nuclear MedicineAmerican Board of Obstetrics and GynecologyAmerican Board of OphthalmologyAmerican Board of Orthopaedic SurgeryAmerican Board of OtolaryngologyAmerican Board of PathologyAmerican Board of PediatricsAmerican Board of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationAmerican Board of Plastic SurgeryAmerican Board of Preventive MedicineAmerican Board of Psychiatry and NeurologyAmerican Board of RadiologyAmerican Board of SurgeryAmerican Board of Thoracic SurgeryAmerican Board of Urology.
How Many Specialities Are There?
The ABMS is the oldest and most well-known medical board. It is made up of 24 member boards representing 40 specialties and 89 subspecialties:American Board of Allergy and ImmunologyAmerican Board of AnesthesiologyAmerican Board of Colon and Rectal SurgeryAmerican Board of DermatologyAmerican Board of Emergency MedicineAmerican Board of Family MedicineAmerican Board of Internal MedicineAmerican Board of Medical Genetics and GenomicsAmerican Board of Neurological SurgeryAmerican Board of Nuclear MedicineAmerican Board of Obstetrics and GynecologyAmerican Board of OphthalmologyAmerican Board of Orthopaedic SurgeryAmerican Board of OtolaryngologyAmerican Board of PathologyAmerican Board of PediatricsAmerican Board of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationAmerican Board of Plastic SurgeryAmerican Board of Preventive MedicineAmerican Board of Psychiatry and NeurologyAmerican Board of RadiologyAmerican Board of SurgeryAmerican Board of Thoracic SurgeryAmerican Board of Urology.
The ABMS is the oldest and most well-known medical board. It is made up of 24 member boards representing 40 specialties and 89 subspecialties:
Check Doctor Rating Websites
Doctor rating websites like ZocDoc and Healthgrades are often the first place people turn to when checking a new provider. As insightful as they can be, they have their limitations.
It’s important to take the following into account when using these websites:
Some rating websites may require registration or even a fee to access their information.
Contact Your State Licensing Association
Licensing is not the same thing as certification. Licensing is required to practice medicine and certification is not. Moreover, licensing in one state does not mean that a provider can practice in another state.
Each state makes its medical licensing information public via an online search portal. Most will provide board certification and educational background information as well. Because the information is in the public domain, you are usually not required to register to do a search.
The information can vary from one state to the next and may not always be current. However, for most doctors, the websites provide adequate licensing and board certification information.
Check for Disciplinary Actions or Malpractice Suits
Even if the doctor is fully certified and licensed, you may want to check if there are any disciplinary actions or malpractice suits—particularly if you find numerous complaints on a review site.
For disciplinary actions, you can search the Federation of State Medical Board’sDocInfo servicefor the disciplinary history of specific doctors in every state.
To check if a doctor has been sued for malpractice or medical negligence, contact the court clerk in the county where the physician practices. Though the information is considered to be in the public domain, some counties may only provide a brief of the case.
It’s important to note that the filing of a malpractice suit does not mean that the claim was legitimate. If a suit has been filed or disciplinary action has been taken, call or write the practitioner and ask for details.
What If a Doctor Isn’t Listed?
There are several reasons why you can’t find a doctor on a certification search.
Because MDs and DOs go through a constant cycle of certification and re-certification, it is possible that the certification may not yet be posted. This is especially true for new doctors or doctors recently licensed in a new state.
If you can’t find your doctor on any listing, simply call their office and ask for the information. You can then call the member board directly for verification.
It is also possible that the doctor is not certified. While certification is standard among practitioners in the United States, it is not required. There is currently no law that requires that a physician be board-certified.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician discipline in 2022.Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician licensure in 2022.American Board of Internal Medicine.Attorney General warns of bogus medical board certification scam targeting immigrant doctors.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician discipline in 2022.Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician licensure in 2022.American Board of Internal Medicine.Attorney General warns of bogus medical board certification scam targeting immigrant doctors.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician discipline in 2022.Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician licensure in 2022.American Board of Internal Medicine.Attorney General warns of bogus medical board certification scam targeting immigrant doctors.
Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician discipline in 2022.
Federation of State Medical Boards.Physician licensure in 2022.
American Board of Internal Medicine.Attorney General warns of bogus medical board certification scam targeting immigrant doctors.
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