Check Out Your Doctor
A Guide to Finding Reliable Background Information for Physicians
AN INTRODUCTION
The process of finding information about a physician can seem a daunting task at first but is made easier if you keep a few key facts in mind.
- There is no federal requirement stating how much information about a physician is to be made available to the public
- Each State sets its own standard for the amount of information that can be obtained by the public about a physician.
- New York State currently requires physicians to make information about themselves available to the public in three areas:
- Information about the doctor’s medical education
- Information about translation services at the doctor’s office
- Information about legal actions taken against the doctor
INFORMATION BY STATE
Medical Directory of New York State(610.6952 M)
This book contains background information on physicians practicing in New York Stateand is updated every 2 years.
New York State Physician Profile
Website created by New York State that profiles all licensed doctors of medicine who are registered to practice medicine in New York State. You can search by physician name, field of medicine and hospital affiliation.
Professional Misconduct and Physician Discipline
www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/opmc/main.htm
Website created by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) for the State of New York. It is a searchable database of physicians who have been disciplined since 1990.
Credential Verification by State
www.noah-health.org/en/usmd/state.html
Listing of web links to all 50 States’ physician credential websites put together by New York Online Access to Health (NOAH). The amount of information available varies due to each individual States’ requirements.
INFORMATION NATIONWIDE
Directory of Physicians in the United States(610.2573 D)
Published by the American Medical Association (AMA) this book contains information on physicians practicing in the United States.
The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists (610.2573 O)
This book lists physicians practicing in the United States that have a certified medical specialty from their respective medical board. Entries are listed by specialty and geographical area.
AMA DoctorFinder
http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.html
Website created by the American Medical Association that provides basic professional information on physicians in the United States.
Is Your Doctor Certified?
https://www.abms.org/WC/login.aspx
Website verification service for Board certified physicians from the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Site requires registration to search, but it is free.
PHYSICIAN ORGANIZATIONS
Physician Organizations can be a good way to find physicians with specific specialties and areas of expertise. Physician organizations often don’t give background information but do list contact information for member physicians.
Medical and Health Information Directory (362.1025 M)
This book contains national contact information for physician organizations, support groups, non-profit organizations and more.
MedlinePlus Directories
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/directories.html
This website provides links to physician organizations many with listings of member physicians and contact information.