Ask who will assess you
Get the name of whoever would review your concern. Are they a doctor, a nurse or someone else? Ask which board holds their licence record.
For a doctor, state medical boards publish public licence details and records of board action.
Confirm the state for an online visit
Under federal health guidance checked September 26, 2026, the person providing care needs a licence or other permission to work in the patient’s state. The relevant state is where the patient is physically located during that visit.
State rules and exceptions matter; medical-board guidance is not itself a nationwide law.
Ask about a different prescribing role
A nurse practitioner is a nurse who may assess and prescribe under state rules.
A physician assistant may provide medical care and prescribe, with state rules setting the terms.
State examples checked September 26, 2026 show different rules for these professionals. Some need a doctor to oversee their work or a written plan for how they work together.
Ask which board holds that person’s record and who is responsible for your care. What would the doctor do: review decisions, help with questions or see you too?
Ask who supplies any medicine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes a gap to check: online buyers of compounded medicine may not know its maker.
Compounded medicine is prepared for an order by a doctor or a pharmacist.
Check the pharmacy through its board
You can reach state searches for pharmacy licences through FDA’s pharmacy-lookup page. A licence record alone cannot show whether a pharmacy supplies medicine properly.
FDA also advises checking that a prescription is required, that a US address and phone number are provided, and that a licensed pharmacist answers questions.
Read beside this note
- Health-department guidance on licences
Use this to ask whether the person can provide care in your state. Permission depends on that state’s rules.