How Do You Look Up an MD License in California?

The California Medical Board allows people to check and verify the medical licenses of healthcare practitioners and physician assistants online using a few simple steps.

The point of this process is to let people know that they’re receiving the best possible care provided by the most qualified healthcare personnel.

Looking up a license shows you the license status, expiry date, and any disciplinary actions performed against the license holder in the past.

This guide will discuss the California MD License lookup and how you can easily do it at home.

Key Takeaways

California Medical Board allows online license lookup for physicians and healthcare professionals.
License lookup shows status, expiration, and any disciplinary actions against the practitioner.
Searching requires a name, license number, or other details like city or business name.
Renewing medical licenses in California requires 50 CME hours every two years.

Table of Contents

How to Look Up an MD License in California?

Here’s how you can do so in a few simple steps:

1. Access the Medical Board Page

The first step is visiting the California Medical Board Website. Since this is the official government website, it has everything you need regarding every physician working in California.

2. Find the License Verification Tab

This one is easy to spot, as it’s highlighted by a large green square. If you can’t find it, press Ctrl + F to open the search tab, type “Online License Verification,” and then press “Enter.”

3. Start Your Search

“Online License Verification” is one of the two tabs you’ll find, with the second being “Quick Physician Name Search.”

Both buttons will help you look up the license of the MD you’re seeking; however, the quick search will require at least the name of the physician.

If you enter the first name and a part of the last name, the quick search will list all MDs who have the first name and the corresponding last name initial.

You’ll find the following information under every result that comes up:

License number (which is usually a letter followed by a set of numbers)
License type (e.g., physician and surgeon A)
License status e.g.., canceled, surrendered, delinquent or current)
Expiration date (applicable for current licenses only)
State, city, county, and zip code.

You can also search using the business name, license type, and license number. These options allow you to search for a physician even if you don’t have their name or license number.

You can do that through the second option, which allows you to search if you know the city or county where the physician works. You can even search for a physician using their self-reported survey responses or a foreign language they speak.

Moreover, you can also search for a postgraduate training license.

Note: If you’re looking up a DO license, you should visit the official page of the Osteopathic Medical Board and take the same steps.

The Importance of Looking Up an MD License

Looking up a physician’s license is often a “secondary” practice by many people, as they tend to do so only when they feel that something is off about their healthcare handler.

The truth is that you should normalize looking up the license of any physician or healthcare personnel who treat you for the first time—as well as the ones you’re working with. Doing so will ensure that:

They acquired their license through legal means
Their licenses are renewed, and current
There are no legal actions or malpractice claims against them

You may have already guessed why the legal acquisition of licenses is essential. While it’s not common in the US, there have been instances of unlicensed healthcare personnel of various specialties. In some cases, the license could also be acquired illegally.

Needless to say, this is extremely dangerous.

Acquiring a license in the US requires passing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), a difficult examination that only qualified healthcare personnel have the knowledge to pass.

If someone doesn’t have the necessary knowledge to pass said exam and resort to illegal licenses, they simply don’t have the knowledge to treat patients right.

But what if they haven’t renewed their licenses?

The Danger of Non-Renewed Licenses

In California, medical licenses must be renewed once every two years. The procedure itself involves paying a fee and getting a new license. However, for a physician to be allowed that procedure, they must have completed 50 hours of continuing medical education (CME).

CME typically involves knowledge of medical advancements, practice standards, and new healthcare regulations.

This knowledge may not advance that much every few months, but imagine how lacking a physician would be if they didn’t renew for eight years and missed over 200 hours of CME.

The Risk of Dealing With Questionable Physicians

Some physicians may continuously fail to stick to rules and regulations, which can fill their malpractice history and subject them to disciplinary actions.

You may have watched or heard of a TV show named House MD, a genius medical doctor who uses highly unorthodox methods to treat difficult cases.

In the show, he’s highly praised for being the smartest diagnostician there is, but in reality, he would be sued, have his license revoked, or perhaps sent to jail.

That being said, it’s hard to find a physician with a completely clean history. Even if doctors have a good consciousness, they can still make mistakes, and it all goes to their history.

Looking up a license allows you to identify doctors with such a history. At that point, you get to draw the line on how many malpractice issues are too much for you.

FAQs

Am I Allowed to Look up a License in California if I’m Not a US Citizen?

Yes, you can look up an MD license in California without creating an account, for free, from any part of the world.

What Do I Do if I Look up a Medical License and It’s Invalid?

The first step is double-checking that you have the correct information. You should also try consulting other medical boards if the physician is licensed in multiple states.

If you’re still unsure of a license’s validity or if you believe there’s an error, contact the Medical Board of California at (800) 633-2322 or through their email at webmaster@mbc.ca.gov.

What if a Practitioner’s License Is Expired?

The California Medical Board provides a 60-day grace period where the license is “suspended” but not canceled. In other words, the practitioner can keep their license and renew it without late fees. However, they aren’t legally allowed to practice until they renew their license.

Final Words

Verifying a license is an easy step and is available for everyone, but acquiring the license isn’t easy for physicians.

In addition to the years spent in a regular or international medical school and the extensive knowledge they acquire, they must become residents and pass the USMLE before even attempting the California Medical License application.

After acquiring the license, the journey doesn’t get any easier, and that’s why you need a reliable partner who can provide you with a road map to follow.

What more of a reliable partner can you get than a group of physicians who know the career obstacles firsthand?

Also Read: How to Buy Into a Private Practice (Valuations and More)