How to Check a Dermatologist's License and Board Certification
How to look up a dermatologist's state license and board certification yourself, and why a specialty code in the NPI registry is not a credential.
Anyone can call a skin clinic a "dermatology" practice, and many kinds of clinicians offer skin treatments. Before you book a skin check, a procedure on a skin cancer or a cosmetic treatment, it is worth checking two things yourself: that the clinician holds an active state license, and whether he or she is board certified in dermatology. This guide shows where to look, and explains what a listing in this directory does and does not tell you.
What a listing in this directory shows
This directory is built from the federal NPPES registry, where health care providers get a National Provider Identifier (NPI). When providers apply, they choose one or more taxonomy codes that describe their specialty, and they must mark one as primary, as CMS explains. The National Uniform Claim Committee, which maintains the code set, says on its provider taxonomy page that the codes are self-selected by the provider and describe an area of specialty. They are not a credential.
CMS also says on its data dissemination page that the NPI Registry contains data as reported to NPPES by the provider or someone acting on the provider's behalf. In other words, the registry repeats what was entered. So when a listing here says "Dermatology," "MOHS-Micrographic Surgery," "Procedural Dermatology" or "Pediatric Dermatology," it means the provider picked that code. It does not mean the provider is board certified, and we do not vet or rank anyone. The license number and state on a listing are also as entered.
Where we have matched a clinician to the CMS Doctors and Clinicians file, a listing may also show Medicare enrollment, whether the clinician accepts Medicare assignment, a telehealth indicator, a group practice and a graduation year. Those come from Medicare records, not from a certifying board. You can confirm any NPI record directly in the NPI Registry.
Step 1: Check the state medical license
Physicians are licensed by the state where they practice. Each state medical board has a license lookup, and many show whether a license is active and whether there has been public discipline. The Federation of State Medical Boards runs DocInfo, a search across states that the osteopathic certifying boards point patients to for checking licensure and board certification on their page for patients.
Search by the clinician's full name and the state where you will be seen. Then compare what you find with the license number on the NPI record. If the numbers do not match, or the license is not active, ask the office about it before your visit.
Step 2: Check board certification in dermatology
Board certification is separate from a license. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) describes it on its board certification page as a higher standard than licensure alone and as an independent evaluation of a physician's knowledge and skills in a specialty. ABMS also says certified physicians must keep up their certification over time through continuing certification activities.
There are two main certifying boards for dermatology in the US:
- American Board of Dermatology (ABD). The ABD has a public search on its Is My Dermatologist Board Certified? page. The ABD notes that if a doctor's name is not in its search, the doctor may be certified by another specialty board. The ABD is one of the 24 ABMS member boards.
- American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (AOBD). Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) may be certified through the AOBD, which is part of the American Osteopathic Association's certifying boards. Its dermatology page lists certification in dermatology and in subspecialties.
When you look someone up, check that the certification is current, not just that it was granted at some point. If a clinician tells you he or she is board certified, ask which board, in which specialty, and then check that board's own site.
Subspecialty certifications
Some dermatologists hold an extra certificate in a narrower field. The ABMS profile of the ABD lists three ABD subspecialties: dermatopathology, micrographic dermatologic surgery and pediatric dermatology. The ABD publishes lists of physicians who passed its recent subspecialty exams, including the Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery exam. Micrographic dermatologic surgery is the field that includes Mohs surgery, which we explain in Mohs surgery explained.
On the osteopathic side, the AOBD offers subspecialty certification in pediatric dermatology and in Mohs micrographic surgery. The AOBD says on its Mohs certification page that applicants must already hold AOBD primary certification in dermatology and pass a written and practical exam.
A subspecialty taxonomy code in NPPES is not the same thing as a subspecialty certificate. A provider can choose the "MOHS-Micrographic Surgery" code without holding either board's subspecialty certificate. Check the board.
Other clinicians you may meet
You may be seen by someone other than a physician, such as a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are not certified by the dermatology boards described above, so those lookups will not show them. Ask the office who will see you, what that person's license is, and which physician works with them on your care. Then look up the license with your state's licensing agency. The same questions apply to cosmetic treatments such as injections or laser treatments: ask who will perform yours and what license that person holds.
Questions to ask the office
- Is the doctor certified by the American Board of Dermatology or the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology, and is the certificate current?
- Does the doctor hold a subspecialty certificate relevant to my visit, such as micrographic dermatologic surgery or pediatric dermatology?
- Who will I actually see: the physician, a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner?
- For a procedure, who performs it, and where will it be done?
- In which states is the clinician licensed?
If something does not add up
If a license lookup shows discipline you want to understand, read the board's public order or call the board. If you have a concern about a physician's conduct, contact the state medical board. You can compare up to three listings side by side on this site, but use the official lookups above for anything about credentials. Start a new search from the home page.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Dermatologist Index is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor, nurse, discharge planner or other qualified professional. Do not use it to make decisions about diagnosis or treatment. If you have a medical emergency, call 911. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.