How To Research Illinois Doctors

Many people feel comfortable choosing a doctor based on friendly feedback provided by family and friends, or coworkers who have the same health insurer’s network. But that information doesn’t always provide details on whether or not the doctor is currently holding a professional license or has a bad rap sheet related to criminal convictions, medical errors, issues with prescribing controlled substances, or if they were found guilty of providing negligent care in another state.

Unfortunately, in Illinois, historical disciplinary documents are not easily accessed online by the state. Still, you may view a shortlist of monthly enforcements against workers who have had their licenses revoked by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. These are just a few examples of the most recent (October 2019) licensing enforcements against Illinois health care workers:

• dental license suspended for three months, followed by indefinite probation with conditions for a minimum of two years, due to failure to comply with the terms of a prior Consent Order and allegations of unlicensed practice and substandard care
• controlled substance license reprimanded due to prescribing on an expired license
• massage therapy license voluntarily and permanently surrendered due to unprofessional conduct
• physician and surgeon license placed on indefinite probation with practice monitor for a minimum of one year and fined $5,000 due to failure to timely initiate a C-Section
• physician and surgeon license temporarily suspended after his licenses to practice medicine were summarily suspended and/or restricted in Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Rhode Island, New York, and Arkansas
• chiropractor license placed on indefinite probation for a minimum of two years and required to pass EBAS within 12 months due to not disclosing a 2016 Class A Misdemeanor Operating While Intoxicated conviction in Indiana on his 2017 Illinois Chiropractic Physician License renewal application
• practical nurse license is indefinitely suspended for a minimum of three years due to respondent’s misdemeanor criminal conviction that is directly related to the practice of nursing and failure to report
• pharmacy technician license placed in refuse to renew status due to alleged diversion of controlled substances
• physical therapist license reprimanded due to a sister-state discipline under which therapist both performed an invasive procedure on several patients without proper licensure to do so and failed to document the procedures
• clinical professional counselor license indefinitely suspended for a minimum of three years due to filling prescriptions at an excessive rate

Another way to research an Illinois doctor’s credentials is to start with the state’s medical board license lookup page using the Physician Profile Search tool. All physicians licensed in Illinois must be registered with the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation. You can also search the Federation of State Medical Boards’ Doc Info for any disciplinary history.

For further investigation and to request a review of disciplinary documents, email Illinois’ Division of Professional Regulation at fpr.foia@illinois.gov and include your contact information. Be sure you have the doctor’s license number, full name, and the locations of where they practice before requesting records.