Information about education, licensure, board certification, and disciplinary action is available from a variety of sources. Suggestions for where to retrieve this information about a physician whom you may be considering for your cosmetic surgery are listed below.

State Medical Boards

If you are unsuccessful in locating the medical board for your state, the Federation of State Medical Boards in Euless, Texas (tel: 817-868-4000) will provide you with the contact information. http://www.fsmb.org

For example:

California: http://www.medbd.ca.gov
Florida: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa
New York: http://www.health.state.ny.us
Texas: http://www.tmb.state.tx.us
Info: License verification, education, board certification, disciplinary action.

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)

215-587-9322
http://www.abplsurg.org
Info: Board certification in the specialty of plastic surgery

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

866-275-2267
http://www.abms.org
Info: Board certification in any specialty, contact information for individual specialty boards.
Note: The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists can be found in most libraries.

American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF)

847-949-6058
http://www.aaaasf.org
Info: Whether or not an ambulatory surgical facility is accredited by this organization

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)

Toll-free referral service (888-ASAPS-11) and online Find-a-Surgeon tool.

Info: The leading referral source of board-certified plastic surgeons specializing in cosmetic procedures of the face and body. Member-surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The web site provides free consumer information on surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures and geographic listings of ASAPS members-surgeons. Some members have expanded web sites that list education, training, and practice focus.

To locate an ASAPS board-certified plastic surgeon in your area click Find-a-Surgeon