What can I ask
before a visit?

Put your own goal first

Write a short note before the visit. A few clear questions are enough.

• What change am I hoping for?
• Which things have I tried so far?
• What do I most want explained?

Get a clear answer about the medicine

• What is this medicine’s full name?
• What problem are you trying to treat?
• Which evidence applies to people with my situation?
• Is this a finished drug product or a medicine made to order?

When medicine is prepared to order, it is called compounded medicine.

The US Food and Drug Administration reviews medicines. Its short name is FDA.

Compounded medicines have no FDA approval as of September 26, 2026.

Check the person, pharmacy and product

Ask for the clinician’s full name, plus the type of licence held and its number. Ask for the pharmacy’s name, too.

Arizona’s Medical Board has the search for medical doctors, often shown as MDs.

DO is another type of doctor’s licence. Use the Osteopathic Board, Arizona’s separate licence board for these doctors.

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have extra training for making care decisions.

The Nursing Board has links for the advanced-practice certificate and the nursing licence. The certificate records that extra nursing role.

In Arizona, prescribing medicine also needs the board’s permission for the patient group the nurse is trained to treat.

PA stands for physician assistant, a health professional who gives medical care with a PA licence. Arizona has a separate board search for that licence.

Ask the board whether the person’s licence allows the care and prescription being offered.

As of October 3, 2026, a pharmacy sending medicines into Arizona from elsewhere needs an Arizona permit, meaning state permission to operate. It also needs permission in its home state.

A pharmacy permit does not show that every made-to-order medicine it offers meets the rules for that product.

As of October 6, 2026, Arizona board websites may leave out parts of a licence’s public history.

An empty list of board penalties or other licence decisions does not prove there were no earlier decisions.

Ask the board for more public records if you want to check the person’s past.

Take these questions into the visit

Have your medicine and supplement list at hand. Add your health concerns and the names of anyone already involved in your care.

• Do you need an examination or a test before deciding?
• What benefit is realistic for my situation?
• What unwanted effects could happen with this medicine?
• How will we check whether it is helping?
• Who can answer a question between visits?
• What happens if I choose to stop?

The Federation of State Medical Boards adopted guidance in May 2026 saying patients need a way to ask follow-up questions.

This group connects state medical boards. Its guidance is not state law.