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DoctorFinder

This online physician Locator helps you find a perfect match for your medical needs DoctorFinder provides you with basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States. This includes more than 814,000 doctors.

AMA member physicians are offered an expanded listing that contains additional information such as office hours, accepted insurance providers, educational history and other helpful information.

All AMA members must adhere to the AMA's Principles of Medical Ethics.
DoctorFinder

General Information

Technical troubleshooting



General Information

Q. What is AMA DoctorFinder?

AMA DoctorFinder provides comprehensive information on individual physicians from which you can select a physician or verify the credentials of a known physician. AMA DoctorFinder includes more than 814,000 AMA member and non-member doctors of medicine (MD) and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine (DO). AMA DoctorFinder does not include other licensed health care professionals such as dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, nurses, or allied health personnel.


Physician listings are based on data maintained in the AMA Physician Masterfile, the nation's most comprehensive and unbiased physician database. Visit the Physician Education, Licensure, and Certification section of our web site for additional information.



Q. I searched for my physician by name and didn't find him/her. Maybe I am doing something wrong when I enter the information. Do you have any suggestions on how to use the Search function effectively?

Physicians are listed in AMA DoctorFinder by the proper spelling of their full name. Nicknames or shortened first names are not included. Use the last name and the state in which the physician resides to search by name. If your search produced too many results, try again, adding his or her first name. Use the "*" (the asterisk symbol, which acts as a "wildcard") when adding the first initial of the first name: L* Smith. It will search on all "Smiths" that begin with "L". You may also want to perform a "sounds-like" search, by checking the box provided on the search page, if you are unsure of the exact spelling of a name or city.



Q. How do I search for a physician by name or medical specialty if I am not sure in which state he/she practices?

AMA DoctorFinder requires that users know the state in which a physician is located when conducting a the search.


The following Web sites may help you find a person and determine in what state they are located before searching on AMA DoctorFinder: Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com), Yahoo People Search (http://www.yahoo.com/search/people) and ClassMates Online (http://www.classmates.com). (The American Medical Association is not responsible for the accuracy of the content on these other Web sites.)

After you have found the state in which the physician is located, use AMA DoctorFinder to complete your search.



Q. Why are AMA members and non-member physicians' listings in AMA DoctorFinder displayed differently?

The comprehensive listings for AMA member physicians are one the benefits of membership in the AMA. In many instances, the members' listings provide you with more than twice the practice information you would receive when viewing a nonmember page. Added information includes office hours, a map to their office location, health plans accepted by the physician, and much more.

Make sure the doctor you choose supports quality patient care and the very future of our nation's health. Choose an AMA-member physician, or encourage your non-member physician to join the AMA today.



Q. I searched for my physician and found that the city on his/her listing is not the city where his/her office is located. Can you please explain?

Physician addresses included in AMA DoctorFinder reflect either an office or residential location. Your physician's office address may not have been available when the listing was most recently updated, and his/her city of residence may have been used instead. Consult a local telephone directory or call directory assistance to verify or obtain your physician's office location



Q. I am looking for a physician in training (a resident) but can't find him/her. Are residents not included in the AMA DoctorFinder database?

AMA DoctorFinder lists only licensed physicians with full and unrestricted licenses. Many residents are not licensed until after completing at least one full year of residency training. He/she will be listed in AMA DoctorFinder after receiving licensure in one or more of the U.S. licensing jurisdictions.



Q. My doctor recently moved and AMA DoctorFinder does not provide his new office location. How does the AMA DoctorFinder information get updated?

Your physician may send information updates to the American Medical Association by using the Online Data Collection Center.



Q. Can I search for a deceased physician?

AMA DoctorFinder does not maintain information on deceased physicians. You may want to contact the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as your state and local medical societies.



Q. Did my physician pay a fee to be listed in AMA DoctorFinder?

AMA DoctorFinder includes all U.S.-licensed physicians, and there is no fee to be listed in this service.



Q. What is a self-designated practice specialty?

A self-designated practice specialty does not imply certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties or indicate special training or competence. A self-designated specialty does not warranty special skill to practice in that specialty. See the Physician Licensure, Certification, and Education section of our web site for information about graduate medical training and board certification.



Q. I need to find a specialist. What is the best way to search by specialty?

Select from one of the specialty categories listed, or click the "search from an expanded list of medical practice specialties" link for more choices. Choose a specialty and provide as much additional information as you can in the "State," "City," and "Zip Code" search boxes



Q. What can I do if I think my physician may have committed an ethical violation?

Potential ethical violations should be reported to the state medical society or licensing board of the state in which the physician is practicing. The AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs has information on Reporting Ethical Violations including a list of state medical societies and licensing boards.



Q. Other than using AMA DoctorFinder, where else can I obtain information about my physician?

Information about physician licensure can be obtained from state licensing authorities, which can be found through your state or local medical society.



Q. My physician holds an AMA Physician's Recognition Award (AMA PRA). What is the significance of this award?

The AMA PRA recognizes those physicians who have annually completed and documented 50 or more hours of formal and personal continuing medical education (CME) activities and who have sought AMA recognition. Only CME activities that have been presented by organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education are eligible for recognition.



Q. I have a specific medical condition. How can I find out more about it?

The AMA cannot give medical advice over the Internet. We strongly encourage you to call your personal physician. If you would like to search for information about this subject on your own, please visit the online Medem's Medical Library, a trusted source for credible, comprehensive health information.




Technical troubleshooting

Problem: Older browsers

DoctorFinder works best, and has been tested most thoroughly, with versions 4 and newer of Netscape and Microsoft's Web browsers. It is also known to work well with AOL versions 4 and newer, WebTV, and, for text-only terminal users, Lynx versions 2.7 and newer. Generally, any browser that supports HTML level 3 should suffice.



Problem: I don't see any "Search" button. What do I do after entering the information?

You should see a red button labeled "Quick search." Be sure you have the browser set to "Auto Load Images."



Problem: I see the other images but no red buttons.

You may need to upgrade your browser. Our buttons use standard HTML level 2 coding, but some older browsers don't interpret it correctly. The newest versions of the more popular browsers (Netscape Navigator, Mosaic, etc.) work fine.



Problem: I'm using a text-only browser.

The application does work with Lynx versions 2.4.2 and better. Use the first [IMAGE]-Submit link below the search form to search. If your version is older, ask your system administrator to upgrade.



Error message: "Session Time-Out"

When you use DoctorFinder a "program session" is started. Sessions will end or "time out" if there is no activity within a ten-minute period. Activity is considered once you accept the usage terms within the DoctorFinder application. Restart DoctorFinder by going to the AMA home page and click on the "DoctorFinder" link in the top right navigation bar. Using an page that has been bookmarked within the DoctorFinder application, will likely produce a page that will point you to the starting point of DoctorFinder.



Error message: "System Error"

If you get a "System error" message, restart DoctorFinder from the beginning of the application. If the error message persists, please send an e-mail with a brief description of the problem you encountered to: amamdselect@ama-assn.org