If you’re a healthcare provider preparing to enroll with insurance networks or Medicaid, you’ve probably heard someone ask, “What’s your CAQH number?”

It sounds simple — but many providers don’t realize just how important this number is until their credentialing or enrollment process hits a wall. An incomplete or inactive CAQH profile can delay insurance approvals for months, costing practices valuable time and revenue.

At Contracting Providers, our credentialing experts help healthcare organizations nationwide navigate provider enrollment efficiently — including creating, updating, and managing CAQH profiles the right way.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a CAQH number is, why it matters, and how to manage it properly so your enrollment process goes smoothly from start to finish.

Understanding the CAQH Number

Let’s start with the basics:
CAQH stands for the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare — a non-profit organization that maintains a national database of provider information.

When you create a profile on CAQH ProView, you’re assigned a CAQH ID number (commonly called a “CAQH number”). This number acts as your digital credentialing ID. It allows health plans, hospitals, and credentialing organizations to access your verified data in one secure place.

Think of it as your professional passport in the healthcare world — once your profile is complete and attested, multiple payers can use the same verified information instead of asking you to fill out endless forms each time you apply for network participation.

Why Your CAQH Number Matters for Enrollment

Insurance companies and Medicaid programs depend on CAQH data to verify provider credentials. When you apply to join a network, the payer pulls your information directly from CAQH instead of asking for everything manually.

If your CAQH profile is incomplete, outdated, or un-attested, the payer can’t verify your details — and that means:

  • Your application sits in limbo until you update your CAQH.
  • Reimbursements and network approvals are delayed or denied.
  • Your enrollment specialist or credentialing vendor has to start over with corrections.

At Contracting Providers, we see this issue all the time. A provider spends weeks waiting for payer approval, only to find out that a mismatched license number or expired attestation caused the delay. With proper CAQH setup and maintenance, those problems disappear.

Key Information Stored in Your CAQH Profile

Your CAQH profile houses all the essential information insurance companies need to credential you, including:

  • Personal and demographic details (name, NPI, DOB, SSN last four digits)
  • Practice locations and contact information
  • Professional licenses and certifications
  • Education and training history
  • Hospital affiliations and privileges
  • Malpractice insurance and claims history
  • Professional references
  • Signed attestation confirming accuracy of all data

Each payer uses this information to verify that you meet their credentialing standards. Because so much depends on its accuracy, it’s critical that your CAQH record is kept up-to-date at all times.

5 Things Providers Should Know About Their CAQH Number

1. You Need to Attest Every 120 Days

CAQH requires providers to “attest” — or confirm — their profile information every 120 days. If you don’t, your profile becomes inactive and payers can’t view it.
👉 Tip: Set reminders to log in quarterly and click “Attest” to keep your profile active.

2. Your CAQH Number Never Changes

Once assigned, your CAQH number stays with you for your entire career, even if you move states or change practices. Always include this number on enrollment applications to prevent duplicate profiles or mismatched records.

3. Accuracy Is Everything

Small inconsistencies can cause big problems. Make sure your CAQH matches your NPI, state license, and IRS documentation exactly — including addresses, abbreviations, and punctuation. Credentialing systems flag mismatches as errors.

4. You Control Who Sees Your Profile

You can grant or revoke access for specific insurance companies in CAQH ProView. If you’re enrolling with new payers, double-check that each has permission to view your file — otherwise they won’t be able to credential you.

5. Your CAQH Number Connects to Every Major Enrollment

Florida Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and nearly all commercial payers require an active CAQH profile. Without it, your applications will either be returned or left pending indefinitely.

Common Mistakes Providers Make With CAQH (and How to Avoid Them)

Even experienced providers run into issues with CAQH. The most common errors include:

  • Forgetting to update licenses or malpractice insurance renewals.
  • Letting attestations lapse beyond 120 days.
  • Submitting incomplete education or work history.
  • Using different addresses for practice and mailing info.
  • Not authorizing a payer to access the CAQH file.

When these mistakes happen, enrollment grinds to a halt — and fixing them can take weeks. That’s why many practices partner with Contracting Providers to manage the process from start to finish. Our credentialing specialists track deadlines, keep profiles current, and ensure every detail matches payer requirements before submission.

How Contracting Providers Can Help

Our team at Contracting Providers simplifies credentialing for medical practices across the country. Whether you’re setting up your first CAQH profile or maintaining existing enrollments, we handle the details so you can focus on patient care.

We provide:

  • CAQH profile creation and ongoing maintenance
  • Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payer enrollment
  • Revalidations, re-credentialing, and compliance management
  • Dedicated account specialists who monitor updates and deadlines

When your credentialing is handled correctly from the start, your approvals arrive faster — and your cash flow stays consistent.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let CAQH Hold You Back

Your CAQH number might seem like a small detail, but it’s the foundation of your entire credentialing process. Without it, payers can’t verify your credentials — and without verification, you can’t get paid.

If you want to speed up your credentialing and enrollment process, let our experts handle it for you.

📞 Contact Contracting Providers today to get started with a team that knows the CAQH system inside and out.

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