If you’ve ever been told “just update your CAQH,” you’re not alone; most providers aren’t sure what that actually means. Between juggling licenses, payer enrollments, and insurance contracts, CAQH attestation can feel like just another confusing requirement on a long list of credentialing tasks. But understanding this process is crucial for keeping your credentials active and ensuring you get paid by insurance companies on time.
In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what CAQH attestation is, how it fits into the physician credentialing checklist, and what steps you can take to keep your profile current. We’ll also show you how working with experts like Contracting Providers can make the entire process faster, easier, and mistake-free.
1. What Is CAQH Attestation?
The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) created an online system called ProView, a secure database that stores healthcare providers’ professional and demographic information. Insurance companies use this database to verify that a provider’s credentials, licenses, and background are accurate before allowing them to join their network.
CAQH attestation is the provider’s formal confirmation that all the information in their CAQH profile is accurate and up to date. Think of it as signing off on your professional résumé every few months to assure insurance payers everything is still valid.
Attestation is required every 120 days (about four months). If you forget to complete it, your CAQH profile becomes inactive, which can delay credentialing, hold up insurance approvals, and even pause payments.
2. Why CAQH Attestation Matters for Your Medical Practice
Many healthcare professionals overlook how important this one step really is. A missed CAQH attestation can ripple through your entire revenue cycle. When payers can’t verify your credentials, they can’t approve your participation, meaning you can’t get reimbursed for treating insured patients.
For private practices and independent providers, that can translate into weeks or months of lost revenue. And if you’re part of a growing group practice, even one inactive provider profile can cause major disruptions in payer enrollment and patient scheduling.
Simply put: CAQH attestation is not just about compliance, it’s about protecting your ability to get paid and keeping your practice running smoothly.
3. How CAQH Attestation Fits Into the Credentialing Process
CAQH attestation is one piece of the larger insurance credentialing puzzle. Here’s how it connects:
- Create your CAQH profile: You’ll need to submit detailed personal, professional, and practice information, including licenses, education, and work history.
- Receive your CAQH number: This unique identifier allows payers to access your profile for verification. If you’ve ever wondered “what is a CAQH number?” it’s simply your provider ID in the CAQH system, similar to a digital credential file number.
- Authorize payers to view your profile: Each insurance company you apply to must be given access so they can verify your information.
- Complete CAQH attestation: Every 120 days, log in to confirm your profile is still accurate. Update any new licenses, certifications, or practice locations before attesting.
It’s part of a continuous process. Keeping your CAQH profile current ensures faster payer approvals, fewer denials, and less back-and-forth during insurance credentialing.
4. Common Mistakes Providers Make with CAQH Attestation
Even experienced providers run into issues that cause unnecessary delays. The most common problems include:
- Missing deadlines: Forgetting to re-attest every 120 days automatically deactivates your profile.
- Incomplete profiles: Leaving out information like malpractice insurance or license expiration dates.
- Wrong payer access: Not authorizing new payers or forgetting to reauthorize existing ones.
- Ignoring reminders: CAQH sends email notifications before your attestation expires, but they often get buried or missed.
These errors may seem minor but can create weeks of waiting while payers request corrections. That’s why many providers use a credentialing checklist, a simple way to track renewals, expirations, and CAQH attestation deadlines all in one place.
At Contracting Providers, we help clients build and maintain customized physician credentialing checklists so nothing falls through the cracks.
5. How to Simplify and Automate Your CAQH Attestation
Keeping up with credentialing and CAQH updates doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are a few best practices that can save you time:
- Set calendar reminders for each attestation period (every 120 days).
- Use a spreadsheet or credentialing software to track all license and certification expirations.
- Check your email filters so CAQH notifications don’t go to spam.
- Work with a credentialing specialist who can monitor and complete these updates for you.
Contracting Providers can manage every step, from your initial CAQH setup to quarterly attestations, ensuring your profile always stays compliant and accessible to payers. That means you can focus on seeing patients while we handle the paperwork.
6. How Contracting Providers Helps You Stay Credentialed and Paid
Our team specializes in helping doctors, nurse practitioners, therapists, and other healthcare professionals get credentialed with insurance companies faster. We understand the frustration of delays, denials, and administrative red tape, and we know how to prevent them.
When you partner with us, we:
- Create or update your CAQH profile
- Monitor attestation dates and handle renewals
- Manage insurance credentialing and payer contracting
- Keep your physician credentialing checklist organized and current
- Communicate directly with insurance networks to speed up approval times
With Contracting Providers, you’ll never have to worry about missing an attestation deadline or wondering why your claims aren’t being processed.
7. Final Thoughts: Keep Your CAQH Profile Working for You
Your CAQH profile is more than a form, it’s your professional gateway to getting credentialed and reimbursed. When maintained correctly, it allows insurance companies to quickly verify your credentials, approve contracts, and keep your cash flow steady.
But when neglected, it can quietly cause weeks of unnecessary delays and revenue loss.
If managing this process feels overwhelming, you don’t have to handle it alone. Contracting Providers can take the entire burden off your shoulders, from creating your CAQH account to maintaining compliance year-round.
👉 If you want to speed this process up, get in touch with our team today.
We’ll help you stay credentialed, get paid faster, and focus on what matters most: caring for your patients.
