Credentialing Corner

# How to Get a CAQH Number: A Step-by-Step Guide for Providers

- April 14, 2025
- Posted by Brian Bertrand

06 Apr

Healthcare providers benefit significantly from the transformative services provided by the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) in the healthcare industry. The organization directs its efforts toward process optimization, together with administrative efficiency improvement and data reliability enhancement. CAQH provides its members access to a unified system to manage their credentialing details because providers need this information to sustain compliance standards and generate accurate bills and enable smooth interactions with healthcare insurers and plans. Through its streamlined administrative process, CAQH enables providers to dedicate more time to their primary work of delivering excellent healthcare to patients.

Healthcare organizations use credentialing as an essential process to validate professional qualifications through examination of both practitioner credentials and practice history. An inefficient system causes this procedure to become both lengthy and error-prone. Healthcare providers benefit from CAQH ProView because this tool centralizes their data so payers and healthcare organizations can easily access it. The industry adoption of value-based care models benefits from this efficiency while boosting operational efficiency.

## What is CAQH?

The non-profit organization Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) was established through collaboration among health insurance companies for simplifying healthcare administrative processes. CAQH operates three mission-oriented programs, namely CAQH CORE and CAQH Solutions, and the CAQH Explorations platform to minimize healthcare administration waste and complexity.

Through its platform known as CAQH ProView health providers exchange credentialing and enrollment data whereas the DirectAssure service enhances health plan directory accuracy. VeriFide provides nationwide credentialing standardization alongside SanctionsTrack that automates sanctions surveillance and COB Smart performs automated benefits coordination functions. The CAQH Explorations division sends out the annual CAQH Index as a tracking tool for industry-wide administrative transaction automation progress. The organizations and members served by CAQH include 2 million providers, along with more than 1000 healthcare entities and 200 million members under the direction of 53 insurance providers for directory verification.

## How CAQH‌ Is Streamlining Provider Credentialing and Enrollment Processes

Healthcare providers are required to maintain precise and current information in their CAQH profiles because different payers increasingly employ CAQH verification for credentialing purposes. Healthcare organizations simplify the process of provider enrollment for new members when they detect an established CAQH profile. Having a CAQH profile shortens the paperwork process because the profile contains essential enrollment details that are already available in your CAQH profile.

CAQH functions as the key tool because participating healthcare organizations can simplify provider information exchange. The speed and simplicity of provider credentialing improves mainly because of CAQH service. The process enables providers to obtain their credentials with greater ease. The procedure checks both the data reliability used in credentialing and protects the data integrity.

The credentialing and enrollment procedures for providers amount to complex lengthy requirements that put healthcare organizations in a position to validate and assemble diverse provider-specific information. The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) has developed the CAQH number as a unique system for speeding up and simplifying provider credentialing and enrollment. Healthcare organizations can achieve faster credentialing and enrollment together with precise and uniform data through the single-source CAQH provider information access point.

The CAQH number offers centralization of provider data as its primary benefit thus minimizing both excess documentation work and manual input tasks. An improvement in efficiency combined with accuracy results from the implementation of CAQH numbers which decrease administrative works and errors in the credentialing and enrollment process. Provider information submission between different healthcare organizations becomes possible through the CAQH number which streamlines provider-to-health-plan data exchanges.

## CAQH Attestation Requirement

Medical providers need CAQH attestation to verify that all their data remains correct. Provider data accuracy and network-quality maintenance become possible through this essential procedure. Healthcare efficiency depends on accurate attestation because wrong information produces billing errors and delays treatment services.

By using this process, stakeholders achieve quick access to information that enhances both clinical practice and administrative activities. The attestation process requires complete and accurate data because wrong billing happens alongside delays in treatment, alongside possible legal issues.

### How to Get a CAQH Number

The process of obtaining a CAQH number needs careful, detail-oriented work in order to succeed. When following this procedure, you can achieve successful registration.

#### Step-by-Step Process

1. Check Network CAQH Participation Needs First, review with your insurance networks whether they need CAQH registration before starting the application. Healthcare organizations, along with most insurance companies, now make use of CAQH ProView to validate provider credentials.
2. Users must visit proview.caqh.org to establish their account on CAQH ProView. An account creation step is the first requirement to begin the registration process. Existing users should enter their account login, while new users should create an account first.
3. The registration process demands that you submit complete information about both your personal and professional data, which consists of:
   - Full name
   - Contact details
   - Practice location
   - Medical licenses and board certifications
   - Employment history and work experience
4. The submission of important verification documents is necessary through the CAQH platform. These documents may include:
   - Medical licenses
   - Board certifications
   - Malpractice insurance certificates
   - Continuing medical education (CME) certificates
   - Background checks (if applicable)
5. The processing of your credentialing application depends on your authorization of insurance payers to view your CAQH profile. Secure CAQH number recognition and insurer connection depend heavily on performing this necessary step successfully.
6. CAQH requests medical providers to assess the inputted information for data accuracy and authenticate its precision. Check that every detail in your submission is accurate before submitting the information.
7. The CAQH will verify your submitted details before issuing your CAQH number following the document and information submission. The process of verification results in receiving your personal CAQH number.

## How to Get a CAQH ID Number

The CAQH ID number stands as a direct equivalent to the CAQH number, which represents your individual CAQH ProView profile identifier. Your CAQH ID number becomes available automatically during the CAQH ProView profile approval process, which is completed by CAQH verification.

The correct procedures regarding CAQH ID numbers must be followed by healthcare providers through these steps:

1. Join the CAQH ProView platform through registration.
2. Provide precise information in every part of the application.
3. Add any changes related to your practice details or your licensure status to your profile on a regular basis.
4. Your profile needs to be attested at least once every 120 days for your credentials to stay active

## How Long Does It Take to Get a CAQH Number?

The process to obtain a CAQH number depends on how precise the submitted information is and on the duration of the verification stage.

#### Typical Processing Time

- The CAQH needs between one to three working days to process registration applications and generate a CAQH number.
- Insurance companies and payers will perform profile reviews after they receive your issued CAQH number. The insurance provider needs between four to six weeks to complete this phase.

### How to Get a CAQH Provider ID Number

The process of obtaining a CAQH provider ID number requires three steps.

- Establish or update your information through the CAQH platform: The CAQH number becomes available after your thorough profile verification. Your provider ID number, operated by insurance companies, could possibly work as your CAQH number.
- Confirm with Insurance Companies: Your insurance provider might need you to submit a separate system request for obtaining a provider ID number. Verify the precise requirements with each insurance provider since their procedures vary.
- Track Your CAQH Number: The insurance networks use your CAQH provider ID number to locate you for payment purposes within their professional networks.

## Advantages of CAQH Credentialing

### 1. Streamlined Solutions:

The process delivers standardization and simplification to operate the credentialing system efficiently.

### 2. Enhanced Verification Processes:

The system uses a single database platform, which ensures both high accuracy levels and reduces the need for duplicate data entries.

### 3. Specialized Services Access:

Maintenance staff have access to specialized support, which helps them complete enrollment and re-credentialing activities to optimize administrative functions.

### 4. Time and Resource Savings:

Healthcare providers can devote their attention to patient care because the system improves administrative efficiency.

### 5. Secure Data Exchange:

The system enables fast and secure transfer of provider data between health plans and organizations.

### 6.Credential Validation:

Offers thorough validation of healthcare providers’ credentials for reliability.

### 7. Specialty Recognition:

The platform both verifies and maintains documentation of provider-specific areas of expertise as it builds their professional profile.

### 8. Expanded Provider Network:

The system provides health PLAN members with enhanced care coordination through its wide network of qualified healthcare providers who offer collaborative opportunities and referrals.

## What is the duration of the CAQH credentialing procedure?

The CAQH credentialing process duration depends on multiple factors, which include healthcare provider type and the number of payers for credentialing, and how well the provider completes and provides correct documentation.

From weeks to months, the entire CAQH credentialing duration spans. A complete application could need 60 days for the processing period to be finished.

Best Practices for Maintaining and Updating Your CAQH Number

A healthcare provider needs to keep their CAQH number updated since it ensures an accurate portrayal across all provider directories and credentialing actions. Healthcare providers who follow best practices will experience no delays and maintain correct information that reaches both insurance companies and other medical organizations.

The main necessary step to follow is keeping your profile information updated on a regular basis. You must verify that your contact details, together with licensure evidence and board certificates, and practice locations, are kept updated at all times. Current information maintenance helps avoid delays that might otherwise occur during credentialing and claims processing.

Attestation of your CAQH profile stands as an essential best practice that you must undertake at regular intervals. You must examine your provided data before updating it to verify its precise and complete nature through your formal approval. The active status of your CAQH number depends on performing regular updates. This practice helps to keep your number valid. Providers must examine their enrollment status at both Medicare and Medicaid to confirm that their CAQH profile displays precise contract data accurately. Active steps taken help medical organizations avoid problems in their reimbursement systems and claims processing.

The successful operation of healthcare providers depends on maintaining their CAQH number updated with correct information. The implementation of these best practices allows providers to enhance their practice efficiency by improving both credentialing and claims processing procedures.

### Conclusion

Healthcare providers use the CAQH number as their distinctive identifier to make administrative procedures more efficient for the healthcare industry. Through its implementation, the CAQH number supports credentialing and enrollment standardization, leading to more efficient and precise data management procedures. The CAQH number will remain essential to guarantee secure provider information exchange as healthcare delivery systems evolve in the future. Additional studies focusing on the CAQH number’s effects on healthcare operations, together with prospective developments, must be conducted to advance its industry contribution.

### Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I get a CAQH number?

You can obtain a CAQH number by creating an account on CAQH ProView and supplying essential information including your name and National Provider Identifier and email address. After successful registration the CAQH platform will deliver your individual Provider ID through email to access and finalize your profile with necessary documentation.

### What is needed for CAQH?

When signing up for CAQH you must provide both a CAQH Provider ID along with personal information and professional data and supply documents which include your professional license and DEA certificate and malpractice insurance and board certification. When registering with CAQH it is necessary to provide three professional references. The registration process demands that every document is checked for updates before it can be added to the system.

### How much does CAQH credentialing cost?

The CAQH credentialing service provides its accreditation process to healthcare providers without any cost. The system accessible via the CAQH database incurs operational fees exclusively for health plans and other credentialing organizations. Providers encounter costs indirectly through health plans and licensing boards when they are being credentialed.

### How long does it take to get credentialed with CAQH?

After submitting a precise profile to the CAQH credentialing process, it normally needs between 60 to 120 days of review for approval. Application completeness and prompt payer response both determine the length of time needed for CAQH credentialing approval.

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