The optimal way to search for a physician by name is to search by Last Name only and the State. You may also want to perform a "sounds-like" search if you are unsure of the exact spelling of a name or city, or if your search did not return the desired results. This option is available beneath the name and address fields on the "Search by Physician Name" page.

The optimal way to search for a physician by specialty is to select a Specialty and State. If your search result is larger than the predetermined limit, you will be asked to modify the search by adding City and/or Zip Code.

Occasionally, a physician is difficult to locate because:

• The physician has moved to a different state and the AMA has not yet received the new address;
• A small number of physicians have requested a "no contact" designation on their AMA records (no contact records are managed like an unlisted phone number and are not released);
• Physicians without active licenses do not appear in DoctorFinder;
• The physician's name may have a space in it, like "Mc Donald" (use of the space is required);
• DoctorFinder uses the primary medical specialty designated by the physician (your physician may practice more than one medical specialty).

If you seem to be having technical trouble (can't see the "Search" button, system gives you error messages, etc), please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.