1. What is SearchPointe?
SearchPointe is a ChoicePoint service that supplies the Internet's most comprehensive source of professional background and credential verification information. For more information, please contact us.
2. What is Doctor Search?
Doctor Search is an information service provided by SearchPointe on medical doctors (MDs) and doctors of osteopathy (DOs) with active licenses to practice in the United States. It is the only nationwide gathering of physician information of its kind. The information helps consumers make informed choices about the doctors they may select by providing low-cost comprehensive information on any doctor with an active license to practice in the United States. Information includes physician locations, credentials, licensing and disciplinary actions.
3. What is Chiropractor Search?
Chiropractor Search is an information service provided by SearchPointe on doctors of chiropractic (DCs) with active licenses to practice in the United States. It is the only nationwide gathering of chiropractic information of its kind. The information helps consumers make informed choices about the doctors they may select by providing comprehensive information on DCs with active licenses to practice in the United States. Information includes physician locations, credentials, licensing and disciplinary actions.
4. What does it mean if a provider has a sanction or disciplinary action on file?
A federal agency, such as the DEA or FDA, and / or one or more state boards may take disciplinary action against a provider if that provider is found to have committed an offense. Offenses include, but are not limited to, improper care including incompetence and negligence, substance abuse, improperly prescribing drugs, fraud, improper sexual conduct with a patient, criminal convictions, etc. There are many kinds of disciplinary actions these agencies may take including suspending or revoking a provider's license and / or the provider's license to prescribe controlled substances, imposing probationary periods, fines, official reprimands, etc. It is important to note that many of the providers that have had disciplinary actions taken against them continue to practice. It is also important to note that there may be a time lag between when a provider is disciplined and when that information is reported, verified and included in SearchPointe's databases.
5. Where do you get your information?
All data is public information. SearchPointe complies and aggregates data from numerous sources into one easy to use, comprehensive database. This comprehensive database saves the consumer time and expense he / she would have to spend searching on-line and non-automated sources. Doctor Search information comes from following sources: The American Medical Association (AMA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and 67 state medical and osteopathic boards. Chiropractor Search data comes from state licensing boards which provide both license and disciplinary data.
6. Why is it important for me to know my provider's background?
Every year, thousands of providers are disciplined for incompetence, criminal activities, and other causes. Many of these providers then relocate to another state, where their previous problems have not been publicized. Researching providers' backgrounds will also provide valuable information on their education credentials and professional certifications. An informed choice is especially important for the more than 100 million Americans who are currently enrolled in managed care networks where it is difficult and/or impossible to change providers.
7. Does the provider find out that a person inquired about him/her?
No. The provider is never notified of an inquiry. He/she will only find out if you tell him / her.
8. Does the fact that a provider is licensed make him/her a good provider?
We do not interpret the information. Licensure indicates additional training and education but is only one component of the provider's background.
9. I need to file a complaint about my provider. Can I do that through this site?
No. The only way for you to file a complaint about your provider is to contact the appropriate governing agency (often a state board) in the state in which the provider is practicing.
10. How up-to-date is your information?
We receive weekly, monthly and quarterly updates from various sources and process these updates immediately upon receipt and verification.
11. What is an Alert Service?
An Alert Service will provide you the most current information as it becomes available. Since the reporting of actions actually lags the incident itself, by purchasing an Alert you will be assured of receiving subsequent information (via email) on your selected provider. All License/Sanction reports come with a free 30-day alert. This alert may be extended for a full year for a small fee.
12. How can I contact SearchPointe?
Just access the Member Services screen and select the "Customer Service" button. Indicate via the drop down selections your question category, enter your message and press "Submit". Your message will be forwarded to our Customer Service Department for immediate handling.
13. Why is the provider's address different from what I have or not shown?
There are several reasons why this might occur. The most common is the provider may have several different office addresses. Second, the provider may have moved recently and has not put in a change of address or third, the address given by the provider is a home address which we do not release.
14. Do you rate providers?
No. We provide objective comprehensive information so that the consumer may make an informed choice about their provider.
15. What if I can't find the provider I am looking for?
You may have the wrong spelling of the name or the provider may not have an active license. The provider may be retired, dead, or has moved overseas. Our source may not have provided a current business address for a provider with an active license, so the search is unable to retrieve the requested provider. The provider may be listed by his/her middle name rather than his/her first name or by initials rather than the full spelling of the name.
16. Is the SearchPointe information guaranteed to keep me away from bad providers?
Unfortunately, no. There are never any guarantees that even the best providers won't make mistakes sometime during their careers. But SearchPointe has the best, most up-to-date and comprehensive data currently available. It educates you about your prospective provider by giving you all the information possible about disciplinary actions and sanctions taken against a provider.
17. Is it safe to enter my credit card information on your site?
SearchPointe uses the industry standard security protocol Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encode sensitive information like your credit card number that passes between you and SearchPointe. SSL works by creating a temporary shared "key" (sort of a digital code book) that only lets the computers on either end of a transmission scramble and unscramble information. To anyone other than the sender and the receiver including all the servers that may relay the message, the SSL transmission is indecipherable. SearchPointe feels SSL makes ordering online just as secure as using your credit cards anywhere else.
18. What is a "cookie"?
SearchPointe uses a feature of your Internet web browser called "cookies" that let site developers place information on the client's (your) computer for later use. For example, when you become a member a "cookie" is placed on your computer for the site's computer to retrieve when you return, alleviating the need to always re-establish membership - just enter your USER ID and password.
19. Why is the program asking me to log-in again?
After 20 minutes of inactivity the site will "time-out" and you may be asked to log again depending on what information you are accessing.
20. If I enter my information to become a member is it sold to other companies?
We do not sell or rent any personally identifiable information about you to any third party. We may aggregate personally identifiable information and disclose such information in aggregate to advertisers and for other marketing and promotional purposes. However, in these situations, we do not disclose to these entities any information that could be used to personally identify you. Certain information, such as your password and credit card number, is not disclosed in aggregate at all.