Merck & Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company, offers free online versions of several of its guides for both the general public and healthcare professionals. The most popular of these, The Merck Manual of Medical Information, is available in Chinese, Dutch, Japanese, Portugese and Spanish as well as in English.

This site, from the American Medical Association, allows one to search for local physicians by name or specialty. (To enter the site, simply type in the numbers displayed in the image on the opening page.)

Both of these organizations of dentists allow the public to search their membership directories by name or location. In addition, one may search the ADA directory by specialty.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation regulates numerous medical professionals. Use the License Lookup to see the current license status of a doctor, dentist, clinical psychologist, etc., including information about any disciplinary actions. Use Physician Profile Search to find information about a doctor’s education, participation in Medicare and Medicaid, and any disciplinary or legal actions.

This site, from the Federal Trade Commission, offers quick advice about medical services and products as well as sources for further information. The site provides help in identifying scams and frauds and tips for finding reliable health information online. Also available in Spanish.

Produced by the Illinois Department of Public Health, this site contains listings of nursing homes in Illinois as well as information on how to choose a nursing home and quarterly reports of disiplinary actions taken against nursing homes by the Illinois Department of Public Health and other agencies.