How can I check who is behind the care?

Start with the person reviewing your health.

State medical boards show whether a doctor holds a license and any public disciplinary action, meaning penalties the board has made public. What you can see varies by state. [a]

The Federation of State Medical Boards provides links to each board’s own website in its directory. [a]

Use the board’s search with the full name. Match the record to the person the service identifies. Check that the license is current.

If no penalties are listed, the record shows no public disciplinary action. It does not tell you whether there have been private complaints or how skilled the doctor is.

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have had further training; physician assistants are also trained health professionals. Ask which state board holds their license record. The doctor search does not include them.

Then check the pharmacy.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a U.S. agency, links to state pharmacy-license searches. These are separate from the doctor’s license records. [b]

As of September 2026, most states require permission to ship medicine there from a pharmacy based in a different state. [b]

Ask the service for the names of the pharmacy making your medicine and the one sending it. Use those names in the board search.

A license record confirms the license. That record cannot establish that the pharmacy supplies every medicine properly. [b]

Read badges with care.

“FDA registered” means a medicine-making site has been recorded with the FDA, as of September 2026. Registration gives neither the place nor its medicines FDA approval. [c]

The FDA also says it does not approve health-care providers. [c]

Official-looking seals and money-back guarantees may be fake, according to the Federal Trade Commission. [d]

Treat a logo as a prompt to check the record behind it. Keep the named person, the named pharmacy, and the proposed medicine in view.

Questions that make the check easier.

• Who will treat me, and what are their full name and role?
• Which board holds the license or registration for care where I live?
• What are the full names of the pharmacies making and sending the medicine?
• Where can I ask the pharmacist a question about the item on my label?