Physician Credentials | Physician's Credentials | Physician Credential

How And Where To Find Information Regarding Your Physician's Credentials

If you're looking for information regarding your physician's credentials, you can obtain the information from the doctor's office, a local hospital, a local medical society, or even the HMO of which the doctor is a member. There are a few State licensing boards that do give out information that is related to disciplinary actions taken, but obtaining this information might be cumbersome. However, this kind of information is easily accessible through some of the online organizations now.

The AMA or the American Medical Association's Physician Select provides a lot of information on the certification status and licensing of more than 700,000 physicians that are currently licensed in the United States. However, the information given does not include disciplinary action. You can search for physician credential only and only at one state at a time. Every state has a website that contains searchable databases. However, the amount of information issued by the website will vary considerably depending on the state. As far as disciplinary action is concerned, some websites do provide brief summaries, while others provide in depth documentation. There are some that briefly mention whether or not a disciplinary action has been taken against a particular physician.

Several state boards also issue information about criminal convictions and malpractice suits, but obtaining such information from the appropriate courthouses is more likely to yield precise data. It is always important to make sure that the physician you are getting your advice from is trained and well qualified. Here are a few ways to check physician credentials:

· Find out if your physician has been trained in an established institute or center or hospital.

· Check if he is affiliated with any facility.

· Check if he is certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties. · Find out the number of years of experience he or she has.

There are two databanks in the U.S. Office of the Inspector General. They work together to collect information concerning various physicians and other healthcare providers. However, this information cannot be accessed by the general public and is only available to credentialing organizations and the government.

The NPDB or The National Practitioner Data Bank was created to obstruct the movement of problematic practitioners and physicians. It is compulsory for all licensing boards to report any action that restricts, suspends or revokes a license for reasons that are related to the physician's professional conduct or competence. Such professional boards are required to report the professional approach of a physician that could adversely affect his or her membership. The HIPDB or The Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank were created to combat abuse and fraud in health care delivery and health insurance. The information can only be accessed by state and federal agencies.