This page links to websites that can be used to research physicians and other medical practitioners. Topics include payments made to physicians by drug and medical device companies, disciplinary actions, license verification, and physicians’ education.
Payments to doctors
You can use the following websites to search for payments made by drug and medical device companies to physicians and teaching hospitals. This may help you determine if a physician may have a conflict of interest in prescribing certain drugs or using certain medical devices. While the fact that a physician has received such payments does not imply that he or she is biased or that the treatment is inappropriate, being informed about such payments can help you in choosing a physician or in discussing potential conflicts of interest with your physician.
- OpenPaymentsData is a U.S. government website you can use to search for payments made by drug and medical device companies to physicians and teaching hospitals. Their Search page allows you to search by name, location, and specialty.
- ProPublica’s DollarsForDocs website also shows payments made to physicians by drug and medical device companies, though their information seems to be less comprehensive and less up-to-date than the OpenPaymentsData website mentioned above.
Disciplinary actions, license verification, education
You can use the following websites to search for disciplinary actions against physicians and other medical practitioners. Note that complaints about a practitioner may not be listed unless the complaint resulted in a disciplinary action.
Connecticut
- Disciplinary Actions lists disciplinary actions against Connecticut physicians and physician assistants.
- License Lookup can be used to look up medical (and other) license information on an individual practitioner.
New Jersey
- Disciplinary Actions lists disciplinary actions against medical practitioners by New Jersey’s Medical Board of Examiners.
- License Verification can be used to search for New Jersey licenses by profession. Choose “Person Search” to search for medical license information for an individual practitioner.
New York
- Professional Misconduct and Physician Discipline searches for records of disciplinary actions against physicians. After entering information on the physician, press the Search button to the right of “Search Options”. If any records are found, click in the left column (“Physician Last Name”) of any row to see the records.
- NY Doctor Profile searches for information on physicians, including education, license number, and legal or disciplinary actions.
- NY Office of the Professions searches for license numbers for various professions, including physicians and registered nurse practitioners. This page is more cumbersome to use than the “NY Doctor Profile” page mentioned above.
- Consumer Health Care Information also has links in the “Profile Sites” section for researching medical facilities, home health aids, etc.