Pennsylvania medical license lookup
The license itself is verified on the Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS) search, not by CMS or any directory. 262,872 registry records list a practice address in Pennsylvania, and not all of them hold a state license. Search the provider's name there to see license status, expiration and any public orders.
Open the Pennsylvania license search →Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS)
Professional and occupational licenses issued by Pennsylvania’s licensing boards, including Medicine and Nursing.
Verify a Pennsylvania provider in five checks
- 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupStart here
- 2LicenseActive license and public ordersPennsylvania Department of State (PALS) searchCheck the board
- 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
- 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
- 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
3,590 people and businesses in Pennsylvania are barred from Medicare and Medicaid
Pennsylvania has the 6th most entries on the federal exclusion list among the 50 states and D.C. Per resident, it has 27.7 per 100,000, against 25.0 for the 50 states and D.C.: the 19th highest of 51.
Exclusion list entries per 100,000 residents
Source: HHS-OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), file of Sep 10, 2026 (oig.hhs.gov); 2023 Census population estimates (census.gov).
Who holds a Pennsylvania registry record
262,872 NPPES records list a practice address in Pennsylvania. 25% report no credential at all, which is why the board search, not the registry, is the license record. A record that lists several credentials counts in each row.
Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, by reported credential text (NPPES files on CMS.gov).
Which Pennsylvania search to use, by profession
In Pennsylvania one state search covers every licensed health profession.
- Physicians (MD, DO) and physician assistantsThe Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS) search
- Nurses (RN, LPN, NP), pharmacists, dentistsThe same search: it covers the state's health professions
- Any nurse, any stateNursys QuickConfirm (National Council of State Boards of Nursing)
No NPI yet? Find the provider first
Common questions
Is the Pennsylvania license search free?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS) publishes its license search at no charge. It shows license status, license number and expiration, and board actions the board has made public.
Does an NPI prove a provider is licensed?
No. An NPI is an identifier CMS issues for billing. It is not a license and does not confirm board certification. Check the state board search for the license itself.
Does the Pennsylvania search show malpractice payments?
It depends on the board, so open one profile on the Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS) search and read its fields. Some boards list malpractice judgments or settlements on the licensee profile; many list only license status and public board actions. The full payment history is in the National Practitioner Data Bank, which is not open to the public for individual lookups.
License lookup in other states
Source: the official link was checked on Sep 25, 2026 (license search found in search results; the site blocks automated checks); CMS NPPES NPI Registry (npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov); Pennsylvania Department of State (PALS). PlainDoctor is not a primary-source verifier.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. The board link above carries its own check date. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.