Washington DOH Provider Search: Status, Discipline, Verification

To check whether a doctor, nurse, therapist, or other healthcare professional is licensed in Washington, use the state Department of Health’s Provider Credential Search. The Washington DOH provider search is free, needs no login, and shows current license status, expiration dates, endorsements, and any disciplinary documents on file since July 1998.¹ You can reach it from doh.wa.gov under “Licenses, Permits & Certificates,” or verify a credential by phone at 360-236-4700.²

How to Run a Search

The tool accepts three kinds of lookups: by credential number, by individual name, or by business name for a licensed facility.¹

The credential number is the fastest route because it returns a single exact match. Providers often print it on business cards, office signage, or intake forms. If you don’t have the number, enter the first and last name, then use the credential type dropdown to filter by profession. Common names return long lists, so adding a city or county narrows things down, and the “Exact” match option helps when spelling is clean. If a provider recently changed their name or you’re unsure of the spelling, try fewer characters to widen the net.

For a facility, search by the business name to confirm it is licensed to operate in Washington.

What the Results Actually Tell You

Click into any record and you’ll see a detailed profile. The information varies by profession type, but the core fields are consistent:¹

Current credential status (active, suspended, revoked, and so on)
Issue date and expiration date
Endorsements attached to the base credential
Count of open and closed enforcement cases
Public address of record

What Each License Status Means

The status line is a legal declaration of whether the person can treat patients. The DOH defines the terms this way:³

Active. The provider holds a current license to practice.
Active on Probation. The provider may still practice but under conditions set by an enforcement action, with a required probation period.
Suspended. The right to practice has been temporarily ended, either for a set period or until certain conditions are met. Suspension follows a finding of unprofessional conduct.
Revoked. The disciplining authority has rescinded the credential. The provider may petition for reinstatement after a waiting period.
Permanent Revocation. The credential is rescinded with no path to reinstatement.
Reprimand. A formal rebuke that does not prevent the provider from continuing to practice.

The gap between revocation and permanent revocation matters. A revoked license is serious but not always career-ending; a permanent revocation is. In either case, that person is not legally authorized to treat patients.

Reading Disciplinary Documents

Enforcement case counts on a profile are a starting point, not an answer. The DOH links the actual legal documents to each record for actions issued after July 1998, and those documents spell out the findings and the sanctions imposed.¹ Sanctions can include fines, mandatory remedial education, limits on scope of practice, probation, or suspension or revocation of the credential.

A closed case with no current restrictions might reflect a minor paperwork issue resolved years ago. Multiple open cases are a different situation. Open the documents and read what the case was about before drawing conclusions from a number.

Getting an Official Verification Letter

Individual records include a button to generate a Primary Source Verification Letter as a PDF. The DOH treats these records as certified, so the letter works as an official document for credentialing applications, employment verification, and interstate license transfers.⁴ The underlying data is refreshed daily.⁵

Telehealth and Out-of-State Providers

Any provider delivering care to a patient located in Washington must hold a Washington license, including out-of-state practitioners offering telehealth. A provider licensed only in another state who treats or prescribes to a Washington patient over video is practicing without a license, and the DOH can take enforcement action under RCW 18.130.190.⁶ If you’re seeing a telehealth provider based elsewhere, confirm they appear in the Washington search with an active credential.

Nurses may hold a multistate license through the Nurse Licensure Compact, which can be verified through the Nursys database at nursys.com.⁷ For physicians, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact offers an expedited path to licensure in multiple states but does not itself grant practice authority; the physician still needs an actual Washington license, which will show in the DOH search.⁸

Facilities, and Who the DOH Does Not License

The same tool handles facility lookups by business name to confirm the facility is licensed to operate.¹ For survey and compliance history, the DOH runs a separate Facilities Inspections and Investigations Search that publishes results of regulatory reviews and enforcement actions.⁹

One important boundary: nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult family homes are regulated by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), not the DOH. If you’re looking up long-term care of that kind, you won’t find it in the DOH search and should contact DSHS instead.¹⁰

What a Clean Washington Record Doesn’t Cover

A current Washington license confirms the provider can legally practice in the state. It does not tell you whether that person has been barred from federal healthcare programs. For that, check the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at exclusions.oig.hhs.gov. An excluded provider cannot receive payment from any federal health program for items or services they furnish, order, or prescribe.¹¹

The federal National Practitioner Data Bank collects malpractice payments and adverse actions, but the public cannot query individual practitioner reports. Only registered entities such as hospitals and licensing boards have access. The public may request statistical data that does not identify specific providers.¹²

If Something Is Wrong

If your search surfaces a provider who seems to be practicing without a valid credential, or you have experienced misconduct from a licensed one, you can file a complaint with the DOH. It is free and open to anyone.¹⁰

Online, through the complaint intake form on the DOH website
By email to hsqacomplaintintake@doh.wa.gov
By mail to Washington State Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance, P.O. Box 47857, Olympia, WA 98504-7857

Include the provider’s full name, business address, and as much detail about the situation as you can. If a provider physically or sexually assaulted you, contact local law enforcement immediately in addition to filing with the DOH. For suspected Medicare or Medicaid billing fraud, call the HHS Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or use the online portal.¹³

1
Washington State Department of Health. Provider Credential or Facility Search
2
Washington State Department of Health. State Disciplines Health Care Providers
3
Washington State Department of Health. Glossary of Terms
4
State of Washington Open Data. Find a Health Provider Credential
5
Washington State Department of Health. Primary Source Verification Letter
6
Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission. Telehealth Advanced Practice Nursing Care Services
7
NCSBN. License Verification (Nursys.com)
8
NC Medical Board. Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)
9
Washington State Department of Health. Facilities Inspections and Investigations Search
10
Washington State Department of Health. Complaint Forms
11
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Exclusions
12
Health Resources and Services Administration. Public Information
13
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Submit a Hotline Complaint