NPI Registry
Every U.S. clinician’s federal number, name, specialty and practice address. Free, no login.
Check Any Surgeon in Ten Minutes
Before you book with anyone, including us, run four free checks. They take about ten minutes and use public records. Here is exactly where to click and what a good result looks like.
Public records · Free · No login needed
In short
How Do You Verify a Plastic Surgeon?
Four free checks. Find the surgeon in the NPI registry. Confirm an active license with the medical board in the state where you will have surgery. Check board certification at ABMS Certification Matters. Then check who accredits the facility, not just the doctor. About ten minutes, all public records.
Step by step
Four Checks, in Order
Do them in this order. Each one answers a different question.
- 01
Find the Surgeon in the NPI Registry
Every U.S. clinician has a National Provider Identifier. Search by name. You will see the legal name, specialty and practice address. It does not show the license, so keep going.
- 02
Confirm the License With the State Board
Search the medical board in the state where you will have surgery. Look for an active license, the issue date, and any public orders. The seven boards where Goals operates are linked below.
- 03
Check Board Certification
Search ABMS Certification Matters. It tells you whether the surgeon is certified by a member board, such as the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Board of Surgery, and whether that certification is current.
- 04
Check the Facility, Not Just the Doctor
Ask which body accredits the room where you will have surgery, then look it up. AAAHC publishes a search of accredited organizations. QUAD A and The Joint Commission publish their own directories. In New York, accreditation is the law for office surgery.¹
Where to click
The Links
ABMS Certification Matters
Tells you whether a doctor is certified by one of the 24 member boards, and whether it is current.
AAAHC Accredited Organizations
Search by the facility’s name or city. Ask us for the exact name our accreditation is listed under.
License Lookup: New York
Office of the Professions. Search by name; see status, dates and any discipline.
License Lookup: New Jersey
Division of Consumer Affairs. Choose the profession, then search by name or license number.
License Lookup: Pennsylvania
PALS, the state licensing system. Shows license status and disciplinary actions.
License Lookup: Maryland
Board of Physicians practitioner search, by last name or license number.
License Lookup: Georgia
Composite Medical Board. Shows issue date, expiration and any public orders.
License Lookup: Texas
Texas Medical Board. Physician profiles with license status and board actions.
License Lookup: California
Department of Consumer Affairs. Pick Medical Board of California, then search by name.
Our Surgeon Profiles
Every Goals surgeon, with licensing states and the board certification we verified. Check us first.
Reading the results
What a Good Result Looks Like
An Active License in Your State
Active in the state where the surgery happens, not only somewhere else.
A Clean Record, or an Explained One
Boards publish orders. One old issue with an explanation is different from a pattern. Ask about anything you find.
Certification That Matches the Work
A board certificate in a surgical specialty. Certification in an unrelated field is a question, not an answer.
An Accredited Room
The facility’s name appears in the accreditor’s search. If it does not, ask why. In Florida, an office is inspected by the state unless it is accredited.²
Warning signs
Pause and Ask If
The Surgeon’s Name Is Hard to Find
A website that shows prices and results but not the surgeon’s full name is hiding the one thing you need.
Nobody Can Name the Accreditor
Licensed is not accredited. If staff cannot say who surveys the room, no one does.
A Price Before a Plan
A quote before anyone has examined you is a sales step, not a medical one.
A Different Surgeon on the Day
If the consent form names someone you have not met, do not sign it.
FAQ
Questions About Checking a Surgeon
A ten-digit National Provider Identifier that every U.S. clinician must have to bill insurance. The public registry shows the name, specialty and address. It does not confirm a license.
Not always. Ask which board. The American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery are both ABMS member boards. A certificate in an unrelated specialty is a question to ask.
The license has to be active in the state where your surgery happens. A license elsewhere does not count.
Ask which body accredits it, then search that body’s public directory. AAAHC publishes one at the link above.
Each surgeon’s profile lists the certification we verified, and you can confirm it yourself through ABMS Certification Matters. We would rather you check than take our word.
Read it, then ask the surgeon about it directly. An honest explanation of one old issue is reasonable. A pattern, or a refusal to discuss it, is your answer.
Reviews are one input, and they are worth reading. Weigh them against the public record: license status, board orders, board certification, accreditation. Then raise what you read with the surgeon directly. How they answer tells you more than the review did. That applies to us as much as to anyone.
Related guides
Keep Reading
Ten Questions Before You Book
The printable checklist, with a good answer and a warning sign for each.
Liposuction Rules by State
What seven states require, Florida for comparison, and every license lookup.
The BBL Death Rate, Explained
Every figure, sourced, and what changed when the fat stayed under the skin.
Get started
Check Us, Then Talk to Us
Free consultation, no obligation. Ask for your surgeon’s license number and our accreditor. We will give you both.
Prefer to talk now? (833) 462-5769
References
Sources
The numbered references for the figures and rules cited on this page, checked October 17, 2026.
- New York Public Health Law §230-d, Office-based surgery: accreditation of practices performing office-based surgery, adverse event reporting, and the exemption for liposuction under 500 cc of fat on unsupplemented local anesthesia.
- Florida Statutes §458.328 (2023), Office surgeries, as amended by CS/CS/HB 1471, effective July 1, 2023.
This page is general patient education published by Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery. It is not medical or legal advice. Public registries can lag or contain errors; confirm anything that matters with the board or accreditor directly. Every operation carries risk, and results vary from person to person.