What Athletes Should Know about Choosing Medical Providers

Athletes must carefully select medical providers, as some clinics offer unproven treatments or substances prohibited in sport, such as peptides or IV therapies. These treatments often require a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) under WADA guidelines, which demands documentation from board-certified physicians. USADA recommends athletes seek care from licensed, state-regulated providers, including MDs, DOs, PAs, or NPs, to ensure compliance with anti-doping rules and avoid potential sanctions.

To verify a provider’s credentials, athletes can check their state’s medical board database, which lists license status, discipline, and specialty. Confirming the clinic’s address and active license status is critical to avoid misdiagnosis, ineffective treatment, or positive doping tests. Insurance company search tools can also help identify licensed providers. Failure to verify credentials may lead to adverse health outcomes or anti-doping violations.

USADA maintains a list of sanctioned Athlete Support Persons, including medical providers, and warns against associating with ineligible individuals under the Prohibited Association rule. Athletes should also review SafeSport violations on the official website. When considering alternative or telehealth providers, athletes should evaluate red flags such as unproven treatments or misleading marketing, even if facilities appear professional.

The FBI has issued warnings about clinics selling fraudulently compounded weight loss drugs, such as products falsely claiming to contain semaglutide. Athletes are urged to avoid medical advice from social media or biased sources and prioritize evidence-based care from licensed providers. For substance-specific questions, USADA’s Drug Reference Line provides guidance at DrugReference@USADA.org or (719) 785-2000, option 2.