Resources

How to Find Information on Your Doctor

ANYONE can obtain information from the Medical Board about whether a physician is currently licensed in this state and whether any action has been taken against their license. The Board provides this information through its website and also maintains a Consumer Information Unit in Sacramento specifically for this purpose. The information available through the website is the same as that available by writing or telephoning the Consumer Information Unit. An advantage of accessing information through the website is the unlimited number of records that may be checked out at one time.

 BreEze Resource Center

If you wish to call the Consumer Information Unit (800) 633-2322, it would be helpful to have as much information as you can about the doctor, including their full name, office address and the city or town where the doctor practices. Especially with common surnames, there may be several doctors in California with the same or very similar names. For example, you would need to provide more information before we could verify whether Robert Smith or Karen Johnson is licensed. Because of the large volume of calls received, callers are limited to verifying no more than three physician names for each phone call.

Can I find out if my doctor is board certified?

Physicians can identify their practice specialty on their Medical Board profile and that information IS available through the BreEZe Online License Lookup. You can also obtain this information by contacting the physician's office directly, reviewing the physician's and/or medical group's website, or by contacting the local medical society if the physician is a member. Most physicians have a practice specialty, which is the area of medicine they have received additional training in, but not all physicians have medical specialty certification. Medical specialty certification is a voluntary process granted by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), a private organization, or other equivalent board. Board certification is not required by the Medical Board for a physician to practice.

What if I find that disciplinary action has been taken against the doctor?

If enforcement or disciplinary action has been taken against a physician's license by the Board, the public documents related to the action are available and posted on the Board's website for a period of 10 years from the date the Board obtains the information. After 10 years, the documents are removed from the Board's website but are still available to the public upon request. The following documents are available from the Board:

• Accusation: the document stating the charges the Board has filed against the physician.
• Decision: the document describing legal and factual findings and disposition of the charges filed in the Accusation and identifying any conditions or limitations imposed on the physician's license.
• Suspension Orders: issued by either a Superior Court judge or administrative law judge to suspend or limit a physician's practice immediately.
• Public Letter of Reprimand: a form of discipline that can include a requirement for specified training or education.
• Citation: a sanction that usually includes a fine imposed by the Board for technical violations of the law.
  Note: citations are not considered disciplinary action and are only available for five years after the citation has been resolved.

To obtain a copy of the documents not posted on the website, please use our online Public Document Request form.