Obtain a release of information form from the human resources or legal department of your medical facility. Ask the proctor physician to review and sign it. The release of information form may authorize a criminal background, credit, employment check and education verification.
Obtain a resume from the physician. Contact the state medical board in which the physician is licensed. Verify the status of the physician's license with the medical board. It is possible for a physician to have a valid license, but have a public disciplinary record on file. Inquire about public disciplinary records as well. In some states, the board will request a signed release form prior to releasing any information. In many states, medical boards have websites that offer credential verification and searchable disciplinary databases.
Contact the registrar's office of the colleges and universities listed on the physician's resume to verify degree status. Some colleges and universities outsource the verification process to private companies. Some companies charge a fee and require a signed release before providing any information.
Contact your human resources office to find out if your medical facility is registered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). The NPDB is an information clearinghouse created by Congress to reduce health care abuse and fraud in the United States. A number of agencies, including state medical boards, report adverse information to NPDB. If your facility has the authority to query physicians with NPDB, consider submitting a query.