Get names you can match to a record.
Ask for the full name, job title and licence number of the person treating you. For medicine, ask which pharmacy makes it and which one sends it.
People obtaining medicine made to order through online services may be unaware of who prepared it, FDA says.
Use New York’s licence search.
New York’s Education Department has a free search covering registered pharmacies and the licences of doctors, physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists.
Match the full name and job title, then read the licence status and the “Enforcement Actions” tab for state decisions about that person.
“Revoked” means the licence was taken away; “suspended” means it was paused.
If either appears, stop and ask the Education Department to confirm whether the person is currently allowed to practise.
For doctors and physician assistants, also use the Health Department search below; the licence search is not the whole record.
Open the New York licence search
Doctors have another public record to check.
New York’s Health Department has a separate search for charges accusing doctors and physician assistants of misconduct, and for state decisions about their work.
Complaints are not all public: the state publishes those that lead to charges or a final action.
A charge is an accusation, not a final finding. Read any decision and ask the Health Department to confirm the current record before acting on it.
Find charges and state decisions about medical careA clear record has a limit.
A clean search result is a grade for the quality of care.
A clear public record shows no published state action; it does not grade the person’s care.
Under New York’s September 2026 record rules, “good standing” could still appear after punishment for misconduct unless the licence was taken away or paused.
Use the record alongside a real discussion of the treatment, its purpose and the follow-up plan.
Check a pharmacy even when it is elsewhere.
In September 2026, New York generally requires an out-of-state pharmacy shipping prescriptions here to register in New York as well.
It also needs the proper licence or registration in its home state.
New York may excuse a pharmacy from registration here if it sends no more than 600 prescriptions into the state in a calendar year.
If the pharmacy has no New York record, ask for proof of the state’s permission and confirm it with the Education Department; do not assume a missing record is allowed.
Search using the pharmacy’s actual name. Ask for clarification if the label and the service give different names.
Being listed with FDA does not mean a facility or its medicines have FDA approval, under September 2026 rules.