One important step in choosing the right doctor is to do a background check on that physician.
It’s not always possible to research ahead of time.
Go to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)websiteto check the basics with theirDocInfo.orgsearch function.
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License
Each state licenses doctors.
With no license, the doctor is not allowed to practice medicine.
Board Certification
Doctors may claim variousboard certificationsin medical specialties.
Doctors may be board-certified in one area, but actually practicing in a different area of medicine.
The FSMB site shows medical school education and graduation dates.
In some states, there will be more information about residency on their licensing site.
For others, you’ll get the information most quickly at a site likeVitals.
Actions
These are related to malpractice or other disciplinaryactionsbrought against the physician.
A doctor may have been reported problems for anything from a bad attitude to an unclean office to malpractice.
Problems for others may become problems for you.
However, be aware that these ratings are subjective and may have been influenced in many ways.
If your medical problem is acute, then this will be less important.
Longevity may give you a sense of how much more digging you should probably do into possible problems.
An interruption may be due to a variety of circumstances.
That may give you a clue as to why the doctor moved.
Hospital Affiliations
Doctors must apply for privileges to admit and treat patients at hospitals.
If you have a preferred hospital, it is important that the doctor has privileges to practice there.
Some sites will note which hospitals a doctor is affiliated with.
Choosing one of these doctors is similar to choosing a spouse.
With some of them, you may even need to be more intimate than you are with your partner.
