Tennessee Medical License Verification: Lookup & Status
Check an MD, DO, physician assistant, practitioner profile, disciplinary link, renewal status, application, reinstatement, complaint route, or licensed health facility without getting trapped in the wrong Tennessee database.
Quick answer: verify the correct Tennessee medical record
Open Tennessee Health Related Boards Licensure Verification, choose the exact profession, and search by license number or legal name. Select Medical Doctor for an MD, Osteopathic Physician for a DO, and the applicable physician-assistant profession for a PA.
Open the full result. Confirm profession, license number, status, expiration, license type, Practitioner Profile, and any disciplinary or adverse-action link. For hospitals, surgery centers, assisted living facilities, and other regulated facilities, use the separate facility listings.
A clinic directory, certificate copy, application receipt, renewal payment, or matching name alone does not prove current practice authority.
Open Tennessee Licensure VerificationSave these five items
- Profession selected
- License number
- Status and expiration
- Profile and action review
- Date and official URL
I want to…
Choose the task first. This prevents the most common failed search: using a practitioner database for a facility, or searching the Medical Doctor profession for a DO.
Verify an MD, DO, or PA
Select the correct profession and search by exact license number when available.
Follow the lookup stepsCheck profile or discipline
Open the full record, Practitioner Profile, and any public action document.
Review the profile workflowRenew or check processing
Use LARS, resolve holds or deficiencies, then recheck the public record.
See renewal stepsApply or reinstate
Use the current checklist; source-sent documents and reentry rules may apply.
See application guidanceVerify a facility
Hospitals and other regulated health facilities use a different Tennessee search.
Open facility listingsFile a complaint
Prepare a chronology, identify each practitioner, and attach usable evidence.
Use the complaint workflowTennessee Medical License Help Finder
This privacy-friendly helper does not collect a name, license number, email, payment information, or patient information. It routes you to the correct official starting point.
Choose your licensing task
Open Tennessee Licensure Verification, select Medical Doctor, and search by exact license number when possible. Confirm the full record and Practitioner Profile before relying on the result.
Open official verificationTennessee medical license verification fast facts
- MD licensing board
- Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners
- Board phone
- 615-532-3202 or 1-800-778-4123
- Medical.Health@tn.gov
- Mailing address
- 665 Mainstream Drive, 2nd Floor, Nashville, TN 37243
Choose the section that matches your task
Which Tennessee search should you use: MD, DO, PA, or facility?
“Tennessee medical license lookup” can refer to several different records. Selecting the wrong profession can return no result even when the person has a valid credential.
| What you are checking | Correct search route | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Medical doctor with an MD credential | Select Medical Doctor in Tennessee Licensure Verification. | Name, license number, license type, status, expiration, profile, and action links. |
| Osteopathic physician with a DO credential | Select Osteopathic Physician in the statewide verification system. | Do not search only under Medical Doctor; verify the DO profession and status. |
| Physician assistant | Select Physician Assistant or the applicable PA profession. | License type, status, expiration, profile, and public actions. |
| Limited, faculty, training, locum, volunteer, or administrative credential | Search the applicable medical profession and inspect the exact license type. | Scope, institution, supervision, dates, or other limitations attached to the credential. |
| Hospital, surgery center, assisted living facility, or another licensed facility | Use Tennessee licensed health-facility listings. | Facility type, legal name, address, status, and available regulatory history. |
How to verify a Tennessee medical license online
Open the official verification system
Start from Tennessee Health Related Boards Licensure Verification rather than a private physician directory or search-engine profile.
Select the exact profession
Choose Medical Doctor for an MD, Osteopathic Physician for a DO, or the applicable PA profession. Profession mismatch is one of the main reasons a valid record appears missing.
Use the license number first when available
A license number reduces same-name errors. When searching by name, compare every matching result rather than relying on the first record.
Open the full license record
Confirm profession, license number, license type, current status, expiration date, and any limitation. A matching name alone does not prove practice authority.
Review the Practitioner Profile and action links
Use the profile and any disciplinary or adverse-action link shown. Read the actual order when a public action is listed.
Save a defensible verification record
Record the official URL, date checked, profession, license number, status, expiration, profile review, and action review. Recheck close to an employment start date or credentialing deadline.
What to read inside a Tennessee medical license record
Open the matching result and review every field that affects identity, current authority, or risk.
| Record field | What it answers | Practical check |
|---|---|---|
| Profession | Whether the record is an MD, DO, PA, or another health profession. | Do not assume “doctor” means Medical Doctor. |
| License number | Which exact credential belongs to the person. | Match it to the employment, credentialing, or physician-disclosure record. |
| License type | Whether the credential is full, limited, training, faculty, locum, volunteer, or administrative. | Confirm the license type authorizes the work being performed. |
| Status | Whether the license appears active, lapsed, inactive, restricted, suspended, revoked, surrendered, or otherwise conditioned. | Open linked orders when status shows a condition or action. |
| Expiration date | When the current licensing period ends. | Recheck near onboarding, renewal, or credential-expiration dates. |
| Practitioner Profile | Public education, training, practice, certification, privilege, and reportable-action information. | Use it to confirm identity and research public history. |
| Disciplinary or adverse-action link | Whether a public order or action document is available. | Read the effective date, terms, duration, and current status of the order. |
Tennessee medical license lookup shows no result: troubleshooting checklist
“No result” does not automatically mean the person is unlicensed. Work through these checks before contacting the Board.
1. Recheck profession
Search an MD under Medical Doctor, a DO under Osteopathic Physician, and a PA under the applicable PA profession.
2. Verify the number
Remove spaces or copying errors and confirm the number belongs to the selected profession.
3. Try legal-name variations
Check maiden names, middle names, suffixes, hyphens, or recent name changes.
4. Separate person from facility
A hospital or surgery center belongs in facility listings, not the practitioner lookup.
5. Check application status
A pending application may not yet appear as an issued license. Review LARS deficiencies separately.
6. Contact the Board precisely
Provide the profession, exact name, number, search date, and wording shown rather than asking for a general status check.
Free online lookup vs formal written verification
Many patients and employers only need the current official public record. Some licensing boards, hospitals, insurers, or credentialing organizations require a board-completed form or verification sent directly by the Board.
| Verification type | Best use | What to request or save |
|---|---|---|
| Public online verification | Patient checks, routine screening, status, expiration, profile, and action review. | Official URL, date, profession, license number, status, expiration, and profile review. |
| Written or board-completed verification | Another state board, hospital policy, payer enrollment, foreign authority, or organization that will not accept a webpage result. | Ask the recipient which form, certification, delivery method, and date range it requires before paying. |
| Duplicate renewal or wall certificate | Replacing the licensee’s own certificate. | Do not substitute a certificate for current public verification. |
Tennessee medical license status: what the result means
| Status or result | Practical meaning | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Active or current | The credential appears current, but status alone does not confirm unrestricted scope. | Check expiration, license type, profile, restrictions, and public actions. |
| Lapsed or expired | The record should not be treated as current authority to practice. | Use the correct renewal or reinstatement process and wait for the updated public record. |
| Inactive or retired | Inactive or retired status is not the same as active clinical authority. | Review reinstatement, competency, reentry, and CME requirements. |
| Probation, restricted, suspended, revoked, or surrendered | A public order may limit or remove practice authority. | Open the action document and read its effective date and terms. |
| Application in progress | An application, payment, or deficiency-cleared account is not an issued license. | Wait for an issued number and verify the final public record. |
| No result found | The profession, spelling, number, record type, or application stage may be wrong. | Retry the search using the troubleshooting checklist. |
License Status Next-Step Helper
Confirm profession, license number, license type, status, expiration, Practitioner Profile, and public action links. Save the date and official URL used.
Tennessee Practitioner Profile and disciplinary-action check
Basic status and the Practitioner Profile answer different questions. Use both when patient safety, credentialing, employment, or public-action history matters.
Practitioner Profile
Open the matching license record and select the Practitioner Profile link when shown. Compare practice information, education, training, specialty certification, and other public details with the person you intended to check.
Public action document
If the record displays a disciplinary or adverse-action link, read the actual document. Check the effective date, restrictions, duration, completion terms, and whether a later order changed it.
Disciplinary reports
Tennessee disciplinary reports are useful for broader research, but they do not replace the current individual record because status and orders can change.
Tennessee medical license renewal online: LARS, timing, holds, and proof
Tennessee medical licenses renew on a two-year cycle tied to the licensee’s birth month. The Board’s guidance says renewal notices are generally sent before expiration and online renewal becomes available during the renewal window, but the licensee remains responsible for timely renewal.
Complete renewal in LARS
Use the existing LARS account, add the license if needed, complete all questions, submit payment, and save confirmation.
Submission is not processing
An incomplete payment, deficiency, tax hold, or unanswered question can prevent successful renewal.
Recheck public status
After submission, verify that the public license record reflects the expected current status and expiration.
| Renewal issue | Practical guidance |
|---|---|
| Renewal cycle | Track the two-year cycle tied to the licensee’s birth month rather than relying only on a mailed notice. |
| Address and email | Update contact information before the renewal window so notices and deficiency communications are not missed. |
| Payment proof | Save the confirmation, but do not treat payment alone as proof of completed renewal. |
| Tax hold | Follow the Board’s tax-clearance instructions. A payment receipt may not clear a professional-privilege-tax hold. |
| Expired status | Do not continue relying on the credential. Determine whether late renewal or reinstatement applies. |
| Certificate copy | A duplicate certificate is different from current online verification and does not replace the live status check. |
Tennessee medical doctor CME: hours, audits, records, and common mistakes
The Board’s CME guidance requires more than reaching a total number. The physician must complete acceptable credit during the correct period, include required Tennessee-specific content when applicable, retain proof, and respond properly if selected for audit.
| CME issue | Board-guidance summary | User action |
|---|---|---|
| Total hours | Complete 40 hours during the 24 months before renewal. | Count completion dates within the correct renewal period. |
| Controlled-substance education | Unless exempt, two of the 40 hours must address Tennessee-specific controlled-substance prescribing requirements. | Confirm the course description and certificate support Tennessee-specific credit. |
| Acceptable credit | The Board guidance identifies accepted Category 1 or prescribed-credit formats from qualifying sponsors. | Check the credit designation before paying for a course. |
| Record retention | Keep independent CME documentation for four years from the end of the calendar year in which it was completed. | Keep certificates outside a single vendor account and maintain a backup transcript. |
| Audit | Proof is generally submitted after an audit notice rather than with every renewal. | Answer by the stated deadline and retain delivery proof. |
| Hardship request | A waiver or modification request should be submitted before expiration and renewal. | Do not renew first and ask for relief after an audit. |
Verify current requirements in the Tennessee Medical Doctor Continuing Education FAQs.
Tennessee full medical license application and status workflow
A complete application involves applicant-submitted items, source-sent credentials, Tennessee-specific forms, background requirements, and final Board review. A submitted application is not an issued license.
Applicant-submitted items
- Online application and current fee shown by the live system
- Recent head-and-shoulders photograph
- Citizenship or lawful-presence documentation
- Required recommendation letters meeting current form and date rules
- Practitioner Profile Questionnaire
- Criminal background-check steps
Items normally sent by the source
- Medical-school transcript
- Postgraduate-training verification
- Licensing-examination scores
- Applicable ECFMG or international-graduate documentation
- License verifications or credential records requested by the Board
How to check application progress
Check LARS
Review the dashboard, activities, uploaded items, and deficiency notices.
Check public verification
Use the public system to confirm whether an application has produced an issued license number.
Respond in the requested format
When direct-source delivery is required, an applicant-uploaded copy may not satisfy the deficiency.
FCVS, IMLC, military, and spouse pathways
Tennessee may accept FCVS for certain core credentials, but applicants still complete Tennessee-specific requirements. Tennessee also participates in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and provides military and military-spouse resources. Eligibility for an alternative pathway is not the same as the Tennessee license being issued.
Tennessee medical license reinstatement after expiration, retirement, or inactivity
Reinstatement is not always a late online renewal. The Board-linked MD/DO reinstatement packet includes application, identity, CME, lawful-presence, work-history, competency, professional-history, and supporting-document requirements.
| Reinstatement issue | Official-detail summary | Practical action |
|---|---|---|
| Application method | The Board-linked packet instructs applicants to complete the required application and notarization steps. | Use the current packet linked from the Board page rather than an old saved form. |
| Fee | Fees are non-refundable and the applicable amount should be confirmed through the current Board process. | Do not mail an amount copied from an unofficial website. |
| Deficiency response | Requested supporting documents must be supplied within the deadline stated by the Board. | Track source delivery and keep proof of receipt. |
| Time away from practice | A longer absence can trigger reentry, competency, or additional documentation requirements. | Prepare a complete work and gap history before applying. |
| CME | The CME amount can depend on the length and type of inactive, retired, or expired period. | Confirm the exact calculation before purchasing courses or submitting proof. |
Use the current Medical Doctor and Osteopathic Physician Reinstatement Application.
How to file a complaint against a Tennessee physician
Use the health-professional complaint route when the concern may involve unsafe practice, unprofessional conduct, impairment affecting safe practice, unlicensed activity, or another possible violation within Board authority.
Prepare one chronology
List dates, locations, what happened in order, witnesses, and the practitioner’s profession and license number if known.
Attach usable evidence
Send copies rather than irreplaceable originals and follow the form instructions for patient-record authorization.
File separately by practitioner
When more than one licensed person is involved, prepare the required complaint information for each practitioner.
Investigation and review
The Office of Investigations reviews whether the allegations fall within the applicable licensing statutes and rules.
Confidentiality limits
State law can limit what staff may disclose about an investigation that does not result in public discipline.
Check public action separately
Filing a complaint does not automatically create a public action. Continue using the current license record and action links.
Before you call or mail the Tennessee Medical Board
Board staff can help more efficiently when the question is specific. Do not send protected patient information unless an official form or Board instruction requires it.
Have this ready
- Full legal name and profession
- License or application number
- Exact status wording and expiration date
- Date the public database was checked
- LARS deficiency or confirmation number
- One clear question and any deadline
Simple phone script
“I’m calling about a Tennessee Medical Doctor record. The license number is ____. On [date], the public record showed ____. I need to know whether renewal, reinstatement, written verification, or another Board process applies. Which official form or next step should I use?”
Board contact: 615-532-3202 or 1-800-778-4123; Medical.Health@tn.gov; 665 Mainstream Drive, 2nd Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. Confirm current contact details on the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners page.
Tennessee medical license verification proof checklist
Record these items
- Date and time of verification
- Official Tennessee URL used
- Profession selected
- Full legal name and license number
- License type, status, and expiration
- Practitioner Profile reviewed
- Public action links reviewed
- Name of the person completing the check
Do not rely only on these
- Clinic website or private directory
- Business card, email signature, or staff badge
- Old wall or renewal certificate
- Screenshot without a date and full official URL
- Application or renewal payment receipt
- Hospital affiliation that has not been confirmed
- Name match without profession and license-number match
Tennessee medical licensing scam warning
Tennessee warns about fraudulent calls and letters that impersonate licensing staff, spoof a government number, threaten arrest or immediate suspension, demand urgent payment, or request sensitive personal and financial information.
Stop when you see these signs
- Threat of immediate arrest or suspension
- Gift card, wire, cryptocurrency, or urgent-fine demand
- Request for full SSN, bank, or card details by phone
- Caller prevents independent Board verification
Verify independently
- End the call without confirming personal details
- Open tn.gov manually
- Check the public license record
- Call the number published on the Board page
Protect the evidence
Save the caller number, voicemail, letter, email headers, payment demand, and screenshots. Report the impersonation through the current channels listed on the Board’s scam-alert page.
Review the current warning and official contact routes on the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners page.
Official Tennessee medical license resources
Open only the resource that matches the next action. The explanations below help prevent wrong-portal searches and unnecessary form submissions.
Current license, profile, and action check
Use this first for an MD, DO, PA, or another regulated health professional.
Open Tennessee Licensure VerificationBoard applications, forms, policies, and contacts
Use the current Medical Examiners page to select the correct application, renewal, CME, reinstatement, complaint, or contact route.
Open Tennessee Board of Medical ExaminersOnline application and renewal account
Use LARS for application activities, deficiencies, account tasks, and renewal.
Open Tennessee LARSLicensed health facilities
Use this instead of the practitioner search for hospitals, surgery centers, assisted living facilities, and other regulated facilities.
Search Tennessee licensed facilitiesFull MD application checklist
Use this for applicant-submitted and direct-source credential requirements.
Open full-license checklistMedical doctor CME details
Use this for hours, controlled-substance education, acceptable credit, records, and audits.
Open MD CME FAQsMD/DO reinstatement packet
Use this when ordinary renewal is not the correct route.
Open reinstatement applicationHealthcare-professional complaint packet
Use this for a printable complaint and supporting authorization forms.
Open printable complaint packetTennessee Medical License Verification FAQs
How do I verify a Tennessee medical doctor license online?
Open the official Tennessee Health Related Boards Licensure Verification system, choose Medical Doctor, and search by license number or name. Open the full record and confirm profession, license number, status, expiration, Practitioner Profile, and any disciplinary or adverse-action link.
Is Tennessee’s online medical license lookup an official primary-source check?
Yes. Tennessee identifies the Health Related Boards verification system as its official licensure verification site, says the information is obtained from primary sources, and states that the data is updated daily. A receiving organization may still require a separate written or board-completed verification.
Should I search a Tennessee doctor by name or license number?
Use the exact license number when available because it reduces same-name errors. A name search is useful when the number is unknown, but you should compare profession, license number, practice location, profile details, status, and expiration before relying on the match.
Why can’t I find a Tennessee doctor in the Medical Doctor search?
The person may be an osteopathic physician, physician assistant, or another profession; the legal name or suffix may differ; the license number may be incorrect; or an application may still be pending. Retry with the exact number, alternate name, and correct profession before contacting the Board.
What is the difference between a Tennessee MD and DO license lookup?
An MD is regulated through the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners and should be searched under Medical Doctor. A DO is regulated through the Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination and should be searched under Osteopathic Physician in the statewide verification system.
What information can a Tennessee physician Practitioner Profile show?
The public profile can include practice location, medical education, graduate training, specialty certification, hospital privileges, certain criminal convictions, final Board actions, certain out-of-state actions, hospital privilege restrictions, and reportable malpractice-payment information within Tennessee’s statutory reporting rules.
What does a lapsed or expired Tennessee medical license mean?
A lapsed or expired record should not be treated as current practice authority. Tennessee warns that practicing on an expired license violates law and Board rules. The licensee must use the correct renewal or reinstatement process and confirm the updated public record.
How often do Tennessee medical doctors renew and how much CME is required?
Medical doctors renew on a two-year cycle tied to the licensee’s birth month. The Board’s CME guidance requires 40 hours in the 24 months before renewal, including two hours of Tennessee-specific controlled-substance prescribing education unless a statutory exemption applies.
How long must a Tennessee medical doctor keep CME records?
The Board’s CME FAQ says independent CME documentation must be retained for four years from the end of the calendar year in which the education was completed. Proof is generally submitted when the licensee is selected for audit rather than mailed with every renewal.
How do I file a complaint against a Tennessee physician?
Use the online healthcare-provider complaint route or the printable Tennessee complaint packet. Include the practitioner’s name and profession, license number if known, a chronological description, dates, witnesses, and supporting documents. Complaint guidance is available at 1-800-852-2187.