Why It Matters
Patients in the U.S. can independently verify any physician's license, training, board certification, and disciplinary history using free public registries. Doing so before starting care — especially for treatments like ketamine treatment that involve controlled substances — is good practice.
1. NPI Registry (NPPES)
Every U.S. healthcare provider has a 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI). Search the public NPPES registry at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov to verify the physician's NPI, full legal name, primary practice address, primary specialty (taxonomy code), and license states.
2. State Medical Board (License + Disciplinary History)
Each state operates its own license verification system. Examples:
- Florida: flhealthsource.gov (search "License Verification")
- New Jersey: njconsumeraffairs.gov (Medical Examiners)
- California: search.dca.ca.gov
- New York: nysed.gov/op
State boards publish current license status, expiration date, AND any formal disciplinary actions or substantiated complaints. A clean license is the minimum-bar verification.
3. ABMS Board Certification
The American Board of Medical Specialties (certificationmatters.org) verifies that an MD physician has completed accredited residency training and passed specialty-board exams in their listed specialty. For osteopathic physicians (DOs), the American Osteopathic Association's certification verification is at certification.osteopathic.org. Board certification is voluntary but widely considered the standard credential for specialist physicians.
4. Hospital Affiliations
Many physicians list hospital affiliations on their practice site. You can verify by searching the hospital's medical staff directory or calling the credentialing office.
5. Specialty Society Membership
Membership in a specialty society (e.g., American Society of Addiction Medicine, American Psychiatric Association) is verifiable through the society's directory and indicates active engagement with peer professional standards.
6. Aggregated Patient Reviews
Google, Healthgrades, Vitals, and Zocdoc aggregate patient reviews. Cross-reference 2-3 platforms; an isolated negative review or a flood of suspiciously positive 5-star reviews on one platform is a yellow flag.
What to Do If Something Looks Off
If a physician's NPI doesn't match their claimed name, their state license is suspended, or you find a substantiated disciplinary action, raise the concern with the practice in writing or seek care elsewhere. State medical boards accept consumer complaints.
This guide is for informational purposes only. Always confirm regulatory information directly with the state medical board in question.