Choose the kind of visit
You can explore care by screen, phone or online messages, or a visit at a clinic. Start with the setting where you can explain your needs and ask questions.
Before a visit, ask for the full name and job of the person who will assess your health.
As of September 2026, a doctor needed a licence or other valid permission to practise where the patient was during the online visit. a
Look up the doctor
The state medical board grants doctors their licences. Its public records let you check if a doctor's licence is current and if the board has taken official action against them. d
Use the medical-board directory below to reach your state's own records. c
Match the doctor's full name and check whether the licence is current. No public record of action against a doctor does not prove that the care is good. d
Name the pharmacy too
The pharmacy filling the prescription may be separate from the service running the visit. g
Ask for its name, then use the state pharmacy lookup from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal drug agency. e
Most states, as of September 2026, required pharmacies outside their borders to have a licence or permit from the patient's state before sending medicine there. f
Treat badges as a prompt to check
The Federal Trade Commission, a consumer-protection agency, warns that a health website's seals and logos can be faked. h
As of September 2026, FDA registration meant that a business or drug was recorded with the agency. It did not mean the agency had approved the business or medicine. i
An 'FDA registered' badge also did not prove that a medicine could legally be sold. i