In order to legally practice medicine, physicians must obtain a license to practice medicine from the state in which they practice. To check whether someone is a licensed M.D., you can link to all state medical boards at www.docfinder.org. In California, check http://www.medbd.ca.gov/Lookup.htm for medical doctors and http://www.ombc.ca.gov/license_ver.htm for osteopathic doctors.
To check whether a doctor is board-certified, go to the American Board of Medical Specialties' website at www.abms.org.

Health care consumers often see claims that a health care provider, who is not a licensed physician, is "board certified". In order to evaluate this claim, it is important to get information about who has issued this "board certification" and exactly what educational and other requirements were required to obtain this "board certification".

THE RIGHT CHOICE IS AN INFORMED CHOICE!