CAQH credentialing: what it is and how to complete it

In this article▾

1. What does CAQH stand for?
2. What is CAQH credentialing?
3. What is a CAQH number?
4. How do I find my CAQH number?
5. What is CAQH ProView?
6. Is CAQH free for providers?
7. Why do behavioral health providers need CAQH?
8. How to complete CAQH credentialing: step by step
9. How often do you need to re-attest to CAQH?
10. What is the difference between CAQH and NPI?
11. CAQH credentialing for solo and group practices
12. Common CAQH credentialing mistakes
13. CAQH credentialing checklist
14. Frequently asked questions about CAQH credentialing
15. Final takeaway
16. Sources

CAQH credentialing refers to using CAQH's provider data platform to share professional and practice information with health plans and other participating healthcare organizations during credentialing. For behavioral health clinicians, the platform can reduce repetitive paperwork by allowing providers to maintain a centralized profile rather than entering the same information separately for every organization.

If you are a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, psychiatric nurse practitioner, or practice manager preparing to join insurance networks, understanding CAQH is an important step in the credentialing process.

CAQH does not credential you or approve you for insurance participation. Instead, it collects and maintains provider information that participating organizations can use during their own credentialing and related administrative processes. You must still complete each payer's required application and meet its participation requirements.

This guide explains what CAQH means, what a CAQH number is, how to create and maintain a profile, and how CAQH fits into the broader insurance credentialing process for behavioral health practices.

What does CAQH stand for?

CAQH stands for Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare. It develops shared processes and data infrastructure for healthcare administration.

One thing to know before you start: CAQH is now DataSpring. The organisation has rebranded to DataSpring, powered by CAQH, and caqh.org now redirects to dataspring.com. The provider-facing product kept its name and is still the CAQH Provider Data Portal, so most payer instructions you receive will still say CAQH, and that is correct.

For clinicians, this is the platform where you enter and maintain the professional information that participating health plans use.

Current sites: DataSpring for the organisation, DataSpring for clinicians for provider-facing guidance, and the Provider Data Portal to sign in.

Sources: DataSpring: for clinicians · DataSpring provider data management

What is CAQH credentialing?

CAQH credentialing is the commonly used term for the role CAQH's provider data platform plays in the insurance credentialing process.

The platform allows providers to maintain information such as:

• Professional licenses
• Education and training
• Work history
• Board certifications, where applicable
• Practice locations
• Professional liability insurance
• Professional affiliations
• Required disclosures
• Supporting documents

Participating health plans and other authorized organizations may use this information to support credentialing, provider directory maintenance, claims administration, and related processes.

For a behavioral health clinician, this means you can maintain a central record of professional information and authorize relevant organizations to access it, instead of rebuilding the same information for every application.

What CAQH credentialing does not do

It is important to distinguish the platform from the decisions made by individual payers.

CAQH does not automatically:

• Approve your insurance credentialing application
• Enroll you with every insurance company
• Guarantee acceptance into a payer network
• Establish your contract or reimbursement rate
• Confirm that you can begin billing as an in-network provider

Those decisions and processes remain with the relevant payer or participating organization.

For the complete process, see our insurance credentialing guide for private practices. If the terms themselves are the confusing part, credentialing, contracting and enrollment separates them.

What is a CAQH number?

A CAQH number, often called a CAQH Provider ID, is the unique identifier associated with your provider record in the CAQH provider data system.

It helps identify your CAQH profile when you register, access your account, or communicate with participating organizations about your provider information.

A CAQH number is not the same as an NPI, professional license number, or tax identification number.

A payer may request more than one of these identifiers during credentialing. Keep them organized and make sure the information associated with each identifier is consistent.

For more information about NPIs, see Supa's NPI glossary.

How do I find my CAQH number?

If you have previously registered with CAQH, start by accessing the official provider portal or checking your existing credentialing records.

Your CAQH Provider ID may appear in:

• Registration or welcome communications from CAQH
• Existing CAQH account information
• Credentialing records maintained by your practice
• Communications from a health plan that uses CAQH

If you have never registered, a payer may initiate the process or you may be able to register through the official provider portal. Follow the current registration instructions rather than creating a second profile unnecessarily.

Start at CAQH's official portal. The portal provides access to the current CAQH experience and information for users transitioning from the Provider Data Portal.

Do not confuse your CAQH number with your NPI. They identify different records and are not interchangeable.

What is CAQH ProView?

CAQH ProView is the familiar name many clinicians and practice managers use for CAQH's provider data platform.

The platform's current name is the CAQH Provider Data Portal, and ProView is the retired name. The old proview.caqh.org address no longer resolves, so if a payer's instructions still send you there, go to portal.caqh.org instead.

The underlying purpose remains to help providers maintain professional information and share it with authorized organizations.

When a payer tells you to complete CAQH ProView, follow its current instructions and confirm that you are accessing the correct provider record.

Is CAQH free for providers?

The platform is free for clinicians, and DataSpring is explicit about why: it is owned by shareholder companies affiliated with health plans, who are its paying customers, which is what lets it offer the platform at no cost to clinicians, provider groups and practices. It also states that health plans do not own or control clinician profiles.

Sources: DataSpring clinician FAQs

However, separate credentialing services, consultants, billing companies, and practice management platforms may charge fees for helping you prepare applications, track payer requests, or maintain your information.

Before paying for assistance, clarify whether the fee covers the CAQH profile itself, payer applications, follow-up, contracting, or ongoing re-attestation.

Why do behavioral health providers need CAQH?

Many health plans use CAQH or related provider-data workflows as part of their credentialing process. Requirements vary by payer, state, provider type, and network.

For behavioral health practices, a complete CAQH profile can help centralize information about:

• Professional qualifications
• Licensure and training
• Work history
• Malpractice coverage
• Practice locations
• Professional disclosures
• Supporting documentation

A current profile can reduce duplicate data entry and make it easier to respond to payer requests.

However, a completed CAQH profile is not the same as an approved insurance credentialing application. Each payer determines whether your qualifications meet its requirements and whether you can join its network.

How to complete CAQH credentialing: step by step

The precise interface and instructions may vary as CAQH updates its portal. The following steps describe the general provider workflow.

Step 1: Gather your information before registering

Preparing your information first makes the process easier.

Collect the following as applicable:

• Individual NPI
• Current professional license and license history
• Education and training details
• Employment history
• Board certification information, where applicable
• Professional liability insurance information
• Practice locations and contact information
• Professional affiliations
• Required disclosures
• Supporting documents requested by the platform or payer

If you practice in multiple states or at multiple locations, gather the relevant information for each.

Make sure your professional name, practice details, and dates are accurate. Inconsistencies may prompt follow-up questions during credentialing.

Step 2: Register for the CAQH provider platform

Use the official CAQH portal and follow the registration instructions applicable to your account.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be registering for the first time, accessing an existing profile, or migrating from an earlier portal experience.

If a payer has already created or initiated a provider record, check whether you have an existing CAQH Provider ID before starting a new registration.

Keep your login credentials secure and use a professional email address that you monitor regularly. Credentialing requests and re-attestation reminders may be sent electronically.

Step 3: Complete your provider profile

Enter the requested professional and practice information.

This may include:

• Personal and professional identifying information
• NPI and taxonomy details
• Licenses
• Education and training
• Work history
• Practice addresses
• Professional affiliations
• Malpractice coverage
• Disclosures
• Other information required for your provider category

Answer each question accurately. If a section asks for information that does not apply to your practice, follow the platform's instructions rather than leaving a required field incomplete or entering an inaccurate answer.

For group practices, establish who is responsible for maintaining each clinician's profile and who manages the organization's separate information.

Step 4: Upload supporting documents

Upload the documents requested by CAQH or the applicable participating organization.

Common examples include professional licenses, liability coverage documentation, and other records needed to verify the information in your profile.

Check that:

• Documents are legible.
• The provider name matches the profile.
• The information is current.
• Expiration dates are correct.
• All required pages are included.
• The file corresponds to the correct clinician.

A profile can contain all the required data fields and still need additional work if supporting documents are missing, expired, or awaiting review.

Step 5: Review the profile for accuracy

Before attesting, compare your CAQH profile against your source documents.

Pay particular attention to:

• Legal and professional names
• License numbers and expiration dates
• NPI and taxonomy information
• Education and employment dates
• Practice addresses
• Malpractice coverage
• Required disclosures
• Supporting document status

Resolve discrepancies before submitting your attestation whenever possible.

A small error can create a larger administrative delay if a payer needs to investigate it during verification.

Step 6: Authorize participating organizations

Completing your profile does not necessarily give every payer access to it.

CAQH's provider documentation describes an authorization step that allows providers to specify which participating organizations may receive their information.

Follow the current portal instructions to authorize the relevant organizations.

If a payer you are applying to does not appear in the available organization list, contact the payer and ask how to establish the appropriate association or access. Do not assume that completing the profile alone makes it visible to every insurer.

Step 7: Complete your attestation

Attestation is your confirmation that the information in the profile is accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge.

Review the profile before attesting. If you change information later, follow the portal's instructions to complete any required additional attestation so authorized organizations can access the updated information. CAQH's provider guide explains that updates may require re-attestation before participating organizations can view the revised profile.

Do not treat saving a profile as equivalent to attesting to it. Our step-by-step attestation guide walks through the Review and Attest screen and what to check before you submit.

Step 8: Complete each payer's application

CAQH is one part of the credentialing process. You must still complete each payer's application and follow its instructions.

Depending on the payer, this may include:

• A separate online application
• Additional forms or disclosures
• Confirmation of group or individual contracting details
• Further documentation
• A participation agreement
• Additional provider enrollment steps

Track each payer separately. A complete CAQH profile does not mean every application has been submitted or approved. For a worked example of one payer's route end to end, see our Aetna credentialing guide.

Step 9: Monitor requests and maintain your profile

Check for requests from CAQH and the payers you have authorized. Respond to missing-document requests and update your information when your circumstances change.

Changes that may require updates include:

• License renewal
• New practice location
• Change of address
• New state license
• Change in professional liability coverage
• Change in employment or group affiliation
• Changes in other profile information

The process is ongoing. Maintaining an accurate profile helps reduce avoidable credentialing and re-credentialing problems.

How often do you need to re-attest to CAQH?

Re-attestation is the process of confirming that the information in your profile remains accurate.

The standard cycle is 120 days, which DataSpring states on its own clinician page: 1.9 million profiles are maintained on a 120-day attestation cycle.

Some states have historically run a longer cycle, and a handful of older provider guides cite 180 days for practitioners whose primary practice state is Illinois. That carve-out could not be confirmed against any current DataSpring page, so treat the interval shown on your own profile as authoritative rather than assuming the one you read about applies to you.

Sources: DataSpring: for clinicians

Do not rely solely on memory to track the deadline. Keep your primary contact email current and monitor reminders from CAQH.

For group practices, assign responsibility for monitoring each clinician's re-attestation status. A profile that was complete when a clinician joined the practice can become outdated if nobody maintains it.

What happens if you miss re-attestation?

Your profile may move into an expired-attestation status under the applicable portal rules. This can affect whether authorized organizations can rely on your profile as current.

If your attestation has expired, sign in to the official portal, review your information, complete the required attestation, and resolve any missing or expired document requirements.

Also contact any payer whose credentialing process is active to determine whether the expired status has affected its review.

What is the difference between CAQH and NPI?

CAQH and the National Provider Identifier serve different purposes.

The NPI is a standard healthcare identifier assigned to an individual or organizational provider through the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). CAQH maintains a provider data profile that participating organizations may use during credentialing and related workflows.

An NPI does not establish licensure, credentialing, or enrollment in a health plan. Similarly, a CAQH profile does not replace your NPI or the payer's own approval process.

For additional details, see the NPI glossary.

CAQH credentialing for solo and group practices

The basic profile process is similar, but the administrative workload changes with the practice structure.

For solo clinicians

A solo therapist or other behavioral health provider should focus on maintaining accurate individual information, keeping documents current, authorizing the appropriate payers, and tracking each application through approval and activation.

Create a secure record of payer contacts, application references, submission dates, outstanding requests, and confirmed effective dates.

For group practices

A group practice must coordinate the information and status of multiple clinicians.

Create a tracking system for:

• Each clinician's CAQH Provider ID
• Individual profile completion and attestation
• License and insurance expiration dates
• Payer authorizations
• Applications submitted
• Missing documents
• Payer-specific approval status
• Contract and effective-date confirmation

Do not assume that every clinician has the same payer status because they belong to the same group. Each provider's credentialing and participation requirements should be verified individually.

For a full walkthrough of the wider process, see our insurance credentialing guide, and how long credentialing takes for planning a new hire's start date.

Common CAQH credentialing mistakes

1. Assuming CAQH approves you for insurance panels

CAQH maintains provider data. The payer determines whether you meet its credentialing requirements and can participate in its network.

2. Creating duplicate profiles

If you have previously registered or a payer has initiated a provider record, check for an existing CAQH Provider ID before creating another profile.

3. Entering inconsistent information

Differences between your CAQH profile, NPI record, license, liability coverage, and payer application can trigger additional review.

4. Forgetting to authorize the payer

A completed profile may not be available to a payer unless the relevant authorization or association has been completed.

5. Forgetting to attest

Entering or saving information is not necessarily the final step. Complete the required attestation and review your profile status.

6. Ignoring missing or expired documents

A profile may need further action even if the main information fields appear complete. Review document status and respond to requests.

7. Missing re-attestation deadlines

Set reminders and assign responsibility for maintaining profiles, especially in group practices.

8. Assuming a completed CAQH profile means billing can begin

You still need payer approval, any required contract, the applicable effective date, and the correct billing setup.

CAQH credentialing checklist

Use this checklist to track your progress.

• Confirmed whether I already have a CAQH profile
• Located my CAQH Provider ID or completed registration
• Gathered my NPI, licenses, training, work history, and supporting information
• Completed the provider profile
• Uploaded the required documents
• Reviewed the profile for accuracy
• Authorized the relevant participating organizations
• Completed the required attestation
• Submitted each payer's separate application
• Responded to payer requests
• Confirmed payer approval and the effective date
• Set reminders for profile updates and re-attestation

Frequently asked questions about CAQH credentialing

What does CAQH stand for?

CAQH stands for Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare.

What is CAQH credentialing?

CAQH credentialing is the commonly used term for using CAQH's provider data platform to supply professional and practice information for insurance credentialing. CAQH does not make the final network participation decision; individual payers determine their own requirements and approvals.

What is a CAQH number?

A CAQH number, or CAQH Provider ID, identifies your provider record in the CAQH system. It is different from your NPI, professional license number, and tax identifier.

What is CAQH ProView?

CAQH ProView is the familiar name for CAQH's provider data platform. CAQH documentation now refers to the CAQH Provider Data Portal, and CAQH Unity is being introduced as a unified experience for users. Follow the current portal instructions applicable to your account.

Is CAQH free?

CAQH's provider guide describes provider profile completion as free. Third-party credentialing, consulting, and billing services may charge for administrative assistance.

How long does CAQH credentialing take?

Completing the profile depends on how much information you need to gather and whether your documents are ready. The full credentialing process takes much longer, because each payer runs its own review and any required contracting or enrollment steps. Our guide to credentialing timelines breaks that down stage by stage.

Is CAQH required for all insurance companies?

No universal requirement applies to every payer. Many organizations use CAQH or related provider-data workflows, but requirements differ by payer, provider type, and network. Confirm the process with each insurer.

How often do I need to update CAQH?

Keep your information current and complete re-attestation according to the requirements applicable to your profile. DataSpring states a 120-day attestation cycle for clinician profiles. Older guides cite a 180-day interval for Illinois practitioners, which could not be confirmed against current documentation, so go by the date shown on your own profile.

Can a practice manager manage CAQH for clinicians?

Practice managers may assist with collecting information and coordinating administrative workflows, subject to the platform's access controls and the provider's responsibilities. The clinician should review the information for accuracy and complete any required personal attestation or authorization.

Does CAQH credentialing guarantee insurance reimbursement?

No. CAQH does not guarantee payer acceptance or payment. Reimbursement depends on the applicable payer agreement, effective date, patient eligibility, authorization requirements, documentation, coding, and other claim rules.

Final takeaway

CAQH helps behavioral health providers maintain and share professional information used in insurance credentialing. A complete profile can reduce repeated paperwork, but it is only one part of joining an insurance network.

To use CAQH effectively:

1. Prepare accurate provider and practice information.
2. Complete your profile and upload the required documents.
3. Authorize the relevant participating organizations.
4. Review and attest to the information.
5. Complete each payer's application and follow-up process.
6. Maintain your profile and complete required re-attestations.
7. Confirm payer approval, contract status, effective date, and billing setup separately.

For solo clinicians, this creates a repeatable credentialing workflow. For group practices, consistent profile maintenance and status tracking help prevent administrative gaps as clinicians join, move between locations, or renew their credentials.

CAQH organizes the provider information. The payer decides whether you can join its network.

Sources

1. DataSpring, powered by CAQH. The data that powers healthcare. dataspring.com
2. DataSpring. For clinicians. dataspring.com
3. DataSpring. Clinician FAQs [PDF]. dataspring.com
4. DataSpring. Provider data management. dataspring.com
5. CAQH Provider Data Portal sign-in. portal.caqh.org
6. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. nppes.cms.hhs.gov

Related guides: Insurance credentialing step by step · CAQH attestation · Credentialing vs contracting vs enrollment · How long credentialing takes · Aetna credentialing · Credentialing glossary

Every source above was opened and checked on October 11, 2026. CAQH rebranded to DataSpring, and the provider-facing portal kept the CAQH Provider Data Portal name. Follow the instructions your payer gives you and the status shown on your own profile.