How to Verify an LA Endocrinologist's California License and Board Certification

Why an endocrinologist needs two separate checks

Many people assume that a doctor who calls themselves an endocrinologist has been formally certified in the field. The two ideas are separate. A state license is what allows a physician to practice medicine in California. Board certification is a voluntary credential from a specialty board showing that the physician finished accredited training and passed that board's exams.

For endocrinology, the most common board is the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), which certifies physicians in the subspecialty called Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) may instead hold endocrinology certification through the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). This guide walks through each lookup in the order most patients will need them.

Step 1: Check an M.D.'s license with the Medical Board of California

The Medical Board of California's License Verification page has profiles of every physician and allied health provider licensed or registered in the state. The Board itself describes these profiles as a tool for choosing a physician or learning more about your current one.

Medical Board of California lookup

1. Open the License Verification pageGo to mbc.ca.gov and choose License Verification. If the doctor's credentials end in D.O., skip to the osteopathic section below, because the Board directs D.O. lookups to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.
2. Choose Physician and SurgeonSearch by the doctor's name or license number. A license number is the most precise option if the office can give it to you.
3. Try the temporary license lookup if neededIf a newer physician does not appear, the page also offers a separate Temporary License Lookup.
4. Read the profile carefullyConfirm the name matches, the license type is physician and surgeon, and the status is current. Note any public actions shown on the profile.
5. Treat specialty fields as self-reportedThe Board lets you search by Survey Responses such as practice location, area of practice or specialty, and foreign language. Those answers come from the physician, so a listed specialty of endocrinology is not proof of board certification.

If you check doctors often, for example while comparing several practices, the page also links to a License Alert mobile app for license searches.

Step 2: If your endocrinologist is a D.O., use the Osteopathic Medical Board

Osteopathic physicians in California are licensed by a different agency. The Osteopathic Medical Board of California (OMBC) homepage has two options worth using: Verify a License and Search for Disciplinary Action.

• According to the OMBC, its online verification shows whether a licensee has been disciplined, including any pending disciplinary actions.
• OMBC disciplinary actions take effect on their effective date unless the licensee obtains a court-ordered stay, so check the dates listed on any action. Details are on the OMBC discipline page.
• The OMBC no longer issues pocket licenses. Licensees print their own from their BreEZe account, which is one more reason to rely on the online lookup rather than a paper copy.

Step 3: Confirm ABIM certification in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism

For M.D. endocrinologists, and for any physician who says they are certified by ABIM, the next stop is ABIM's own lookup. A 2021 ABIM verification letter describes www.abim.org/verify as the primary verification source for ABIM board certification. In other words, the ABIM site is the authority, not a framed certificate, a practice bio or a third-party directory.

ABIM lookup

1. Open ABIM's Check a Physician's Certification pageGo to abim.org/verify, which brings up the physician search.
2. Enter the last nameLast name is required. Add a first name to narrow results. You can also add date of birth if you know it.
3. Or search by IDIf the office provides an ABIM ID number or NPI number, you can search with that instead, which avoids confusion between doctors with similar names.
4. Find the endocrinology lineLook for a line for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. Many endocrinologists also show a separate internal medicine certification.
5. Read the MOC lineCheck whether the result shows Participating in MOC: Yes. The next section explains what that means.

What it takes to earn the endocrinology certificate

ABIM's Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism policies explain what stands behind the credential. Candidates must pass the Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Certification Examination. Their fellowship training must be accredited by the ACGME, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the Collège des médecins du Québec.

Eligibility follows ABIM's Policies and Procedures for Certification, and the version in force when a physician applies is the one that governs their application. A December 2025 edition of that document exists.

Certification can lapse and be restored

ABIM's lookup page lists ways a physician can lose certification, including not meeting Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements or choosing to deactivate it. Certification can be restored by meeting the MOC requirements for that certificate. If a result surprises you, it may reflect one of these situations, and the physician's office is the right place to ask.

ABIM's April 1 re-verification date and MOC status

ABIM's guidance for credentialers tells hospitals and health plans to use an annual April 1 re-verification date to confirm that a physician's certification is active and that they are participating in MOC. The 2021 ABIM letter adds that this status is updated once a year. A patient can borrow the same habit: if you looked a doctor up some time ago, a fresh check after April 1 shows the most recent annual update.

• ABIM no longer issues certificates with end dates, so you will not see a simple expiration year on newer certificates.
• Beyond certification itself, ABIM reports whether a board-certified physician is Participating in MOC, meaning they regularly complete MOC activities.
• ABIM says that assessing knowledge every 10 years is not enough, and that the Participating in MOC status recognizes physicians who keep up with changes in medicine.
• ABIM's MOC requirement changes apply to every ABIM-certified physician, no matter when they were first certified.
• A November 2024 edition of ABIM's policies (hosted on a third-party site) says physicians certified before 2013 keep the remaining time on their 10-year certifications, as long as they hold a current, valid license.

A sample ABIM status from the 2021 letter shows how this looks in practice: one line per certification, each marked Certified, followed by a single line reading Participating in MOC: Yes.

Board certification for D.O. endocrinologists

Osteopathic endocrinologists often hold certification through the AOA instead of ABIM. The exams are run by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine (AOBIM). After a candidate passes every requirement, AOBIM recommends certification to the AOA, which emails the physician once it is approved. The AOA endocrinology overview lays out the path.

• To sit the Endocrinology Written Exam, a candidate must already be AOA board-certified in internal medicine.
• The written exam page requires two years of AOA-recognized endocrinology fellowship and proof of an active medical license.
• The written exam is given in August. The 2026 application window runs from Feb. 16 to July 16, 2026.
• Recertification under Osteopathic Continuous Certification is an annual August exam, taken remotely and graded pass/fail. Diplomates can take it starting two years before their certification expires.

Our research did not locate a public AOA lookup tool for D.O. board certification. If your endocrinologist is a D.O., the OMBC license check still applies, and you can ask the office which board certified the physician and how you can confirm it.

When results don't match what you expected

Most lookups are straightforward. When they are not, the cause is often simple, such as a different legal name, a recent move to California or a temporary license. A few calm next steps usually sort it out.

1. Search again using the license number, ABIM ID or NPI number instead of the name.
2. For a newer M.D., try the Medical Board's Temporary License Lookup.
3. Make sure you used the right state board: the Medical Board of California for M.D.s, the OMBC for D.O.s.
4. Ask the practice directly which board certified the physician and in which specialty. A reputable office should be comfortable answering.
5. If you have concerns about a physician's care, raise them with the licensing board or your health plan rather than relying on online reviews. For questions about your own treatment, talk with a physician.

Where verification fits in finding care in LA

Checking credentials takes about ten minutes and works for any endocrinologist, whether they practice at an academic medical center, a large group or a solo office. It is one piece of a bigger process that also includes referrals, insurance networks and getting your records ready. These guides cover the rest.