How We Verify Doctor Credentials

Trust is paramount in healthcare. At Doctors' Choice Awards, we've invested heavily in verifying that every doctor on our platform has legitimate, current credentials.

## Why Verification Matters

Fake or inflated credentials undermine the entire medical system. Patients need to know the doctors they're considering are actually who they claim to be and have legitimate qualifications.

Peer reviews only matter if the reviewers and reviewed physicians are real, credentialed professionals.

## NPI Database Verification

Every physician in the United States is assigned a National Provider Identifier (NPI) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This unique identifier links to their credentials and professional history.

We verify every doctor against the official NPI database to confirm their identity and basic information.

## State Medical License Verification

We verify active medical licenses through each state's medical board. This confirms that a doctor is currently licensed to practice medicine in their claimed states.

We also check for any disciplinary actions or licensing restrictions.

## Board Certification Verification

For doctors claiming board certification in various specialties, we verify their status with the American Board of Medical Specialties and specialty-specific boards.

This ensures that claimed specialties and certifications are real.

## Our Verification Process

When a doctor claims a profile, we run a comprehensive verification check before their profile goes live. This involves cross-referencing multiple authoritative sources.

We also periodically re-verify credentials to ensure they remain current.

This multi-layered verification process is why DCA profiles are more trustworthy than other physician review platforms.