Most patients check their surgeon carefully. But they rarely look into the doctor handing their anesthesia. Yet, while the surgeon does the operation, the anesthesiologist keeps you breathing, monitors your heart, and manages your pain. Checking their background doesn't take long at all. The tools to do it are also free and easy to use.
Key Takeaways
- Healthgrades draws credential data from state licensing databases and the DEA — the information is independently verified, not self-reported by the physician.
- Three things matter most on any anesthesiologist's Healthgrades profile: board certification status, board action history, and profile completeness.
- Dr. Andrew Hummel on Healthgrades shows a board-certified anesthesiologist with ABA Diplomate status, a clean board record, and no disciplinary actions.
- Consistent presence across Healthgrades, Doximity, Sharecare, and WebMD is itself a signal of professional transparency — inconsistency is a reason to look closer.
For most procedures, patients spend real time vetting their surgeon. Referrals are requested, reviews are read, and second opinions are sometimes sought. The anesthesiologist tends to receive none of that scrutiny — partly because patients do not choose them the same way, and partly because most patients are not sure what to look for even if they tried.
That is a gap worth closing. Dr. Andrew Hummel, MD, anesthesiology specialist, is board-certified and has a verifiable professional record across multiple platforms. Here is how to read that record and what it actually tells you.
Start With Healthgrades — But Know What You Are Looking At
Healthgrades is one of the largest physician directories in the United States, with over 1.1 million physician listings and more than 200 million annual visitors. What makes it useful for patient research is that its core credential data is independently verified. Information like board certification status and license standing is cross-checked against state licensing databases and the Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA— it is not simply whatever the physician chose to type into a profile.
That said, Healthgrades is a starting point, not a complete picture. Knowing which sections of a profile carry real weight is what makes the research useful.
What to Check: Board Certification
This is the most important item on any anesthesiologist's profile. In the United States, the credentialing body for anesthesiology is the American Board of Anesthesiology. ABA board certification requires passing three sequential examinations — the BASIC, ADVANCED, and APPLIED exams — and is a credential that goes well beyond state licensure.
Dr. Andrew Hummel is a Diplomate of the ABA. That status can be independently confirmed through the ABA's own public physician directory at theaba.org — a free, primary-source search that takes under a minute and does not require creating an account. Checking both Healthgrades and the ABA directory gives you two independent sources confirming the same credential, which is the most reliable approach available.
What to Check: Board Action History
A board action is a formal disciplinary measure taken by a state medical board. These range from reprimands to license suspension or revocation and become a matter of public record. Healthgrades surfaces this information directly on physician profiles.
A clean board record means no state medical board has placed any formal restriction or sanction on that physician's license. It does not mean the physician has never had a difficult case. It means that there is no documented history of professional misconduct, negligence findings, or license violations.
Dr. Andrew Hummel on Healthgrades shows a clean board record. His Missouri State Medical License has been active since 2014 and is valid through 2027 — with no documented actions against it.
What to Check: Profile Completeness and Cross-Platform Consistency
| Platform | What to Verify |
|---|---|
| Healthgrades | Board certification, board actions, license status, and patient ratings |
| ABA Directory (theaba.org) | Independent confirmation of Diplomate status |
| Doximity | Peer-verified credentials and professional network |
| Sharecare | Aggregated patient ratings and credential data |
| WebMD | Education, affiliations, and patient reviews |
Table 1: Where to Check Doctor Qualifications and Patient Reviews
A complete profile with a photo, clear biography, listed hospital affiliations, and accurate credentials reflects a physician who takes their professional transparency seriously. More telling is consistency across platforms. Dr. Hummel’s anesthesiology credentials appear consistently across all five platforms above — the same educational background, board certification, clinical focus. That kind of consistency is difficult to manufacture and easier to trust.
Reading Patient Reviews Without Getting Tricked
Star ratings give you a snapshot, but they don't tell the whole story. Anesthesiologists see people during high-stress, blink-and-you'll-miss-it windows right before surgery. Because of that, reviews can be tricky. Skip the one-off rants about hospital food or post-op nausea — those usually stem from general surgical anxiety. Instead, look for patterns. When multiple patients single out a doctor for calming their nerves or taking time to answer pre-op questions, you know you're looking at someone who truly values patient trust.
What Peer Recognition Actually Signals
Not all awards on a physician profile carry equal weight. The ones worth noting are those reflecting peer judgment rather than marketing.
Dr. Hummel has received the 417 Top Doctor Award in Anesthesiology six times. This is a peer-voted recognition — physicians nominate colleagues, not themselves — given by a regional publication to clinicians regarded for clinical excellence by the medical community they practice within. He has also served as Medical Director of Anesthesiology at Hannibal Regional Hospital and as Administrative Chief Resident at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Both of these represent institutional trust from organizations accountable for clinical standards.
Going Beyond the Profile
Healthgrades tells you what a physician's credentials are. A physician's own professional website tells you how they think about their practice.
Dr. Hummel's site at andrewhummelmd.com reflects his perioperative care philosophy, areas of specialization, and approach to patient-centered anesthesiology. For patients who want to understand not just the credential but the clinician, it is worth a few minutes.
If you have received care from Dr. Hummel, leaving a review on his Healthgrades profile directly helps future patients who are in the same position you were before your procedure — trying to make a well-informed decision about someone they have never met.