Guide: CAQH, now DataSpring
CAQH Credentialing: What It Is and How to Keep Your Profile Current
CAQH credentialing means keeping one shared profile that insurers read when they credential you, instead of filling in the same details for each one. The profile lives in the CAQH Provider Data Portal (CAQH is now called DataSpring), and it is free for clinicians. You complete it once, authorize each insurer to see it, and re-attest every 120 days. Most insurers therapists apply to read it, including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna's Evernorth, UnitedHealthcare's Optum, Humana and Magellan. A complete profile does not put you in network by itself: you still apply to each insurer.
By Nasar Haq, Founder and CEO, Medtransic. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.
- Cost to clinicians
- Free
- per DataSpring
- Re-attest
- Every 120 days
- every 180 days in Illinois
- Insurers that read it
- Most
- you authorize each one
- If we keep it for you
- $150
- per application, per provider
What CAQH is, and what it is not
Insurers that credential you need the same facts: your license, education, work history and malpractice cover. CAQH lets you keep those facts in one place that every insurer you authorize can read.
It is not credentialing. A perfect profile does not put you in network with anyone: you still apply to each insurer, and each one runs its own review and signs its own contract with you.
That is why the profile matters so much. It is shared, so one lapse does not stall one application. It stalls all of them at once.
Which insurers read your CAQH profile
Each insurer uses CAQH a little differently. This is what each one says on its own site.
| Insurer | Uses CAQH | What it asks of your profile |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna | Yes | Aetna pulls your application from CAQH. List Aetna as an authorized plan. |
| Anthem | Yes | Register, then authorize Anthem. Anthem says credentialing typically takes 45 days from a complete CAQH application. |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas | Required | Finalize the CAQH application within 45 days or the process starts over. Re-attest every four months. |
| Cigna (Evernorth) | Required | Authorize Evernorth and keep the attestation current. List five years of work history; a CV, if you upload one, must be dated within two years. |
| UnitedHealthcare (Optum) | Required in most states | The profile must match your application and authorize United Behavioral Health. |
| Humana | Required, except Arkansas | Grant Humana access. Include your malpractice face sheet and a summary of any malpractice cases. |
| Magellan | Yes | Authorize Magellan, explain any work gap of six months or more in the last five years, and upload your malpractice face sheet. |
| Carelon Behavioral Health | Yes | Add Carelon as an authorized organization and keep your attestation current. |
| TRICARE West (TriWest) | If you have one | Enter your CAQH ID on TriWest's roster template; otherwise use TriWest's own application. |
TRICARE's East contractor, Humana Military, does not mention CAQH in its provider materials. For each insurer's full process, see the insurer-by-insurer credentialing guide linked below.
Setting up the profile, step by step
None of these steps is hard. They are just easy to half-finish.
Find out whether you already have a profile
An insurer or employer may have started one for you. Check before you register, because two profiles for one clinician cause trouble later.
Complete every section
License, education, specialties, practice locations, work history, malpractice cover and the disclosure questions. A profile that is mostly finished works like an empty one for an insurer reading it.
Explain every gap in your work history
Gaps are the most common reason a file goes to manual review. Explaining them in the profile is quicker than answering the question weeks later.
Upload the documents
Your license, malpractice face sheet and the other documents live in the profile. An expired document is worse than a missing one, because it looks current until someone checks the date.
Authorize each insurer
An insurer can only read a profile you have authorized it to see. Authorize each one before you apply, and add new ones as you go.
Attest, then keep attesting
Attesting confirms your information is accurate; until you do, insurers treat the profile as a draft. Re-attest every 120 days (180 in Illinois).
The 120-day attestation is what keeps it working
Miss it and nothing is rejected. Applications simply stop moving, and most practices only find out when they call an insurer to ask why.
When an application is stuck, check these first
Before you assume an insurer is slow, rule out the profile.
The attestation lapsed
Nothing was rejected and no letter arrives. The record simply stopped being current, so the application stopped moving.
A document expired inside the profile
Licenses and malpractice cover renew on their own schedules, and the profile does not update itself. Replace the upload the day the document renews.
The insurer was never authorized
The profile is complete and the application is in, but the insurer cannot see the data. Check this first when an application goes quiet.
Two profiles exist for one clinician
This usually happens when a clinician registers after an employer or insurer already created a record. The insurer may read the old one.
Practice details do not match the application
Addresses, the legal business name and tax ID must match between the profile and what the insurer has on file. A small mismatch can send the file back.
Nobody owns it
Attestation reminders go to a busy clinician's inbox. Where a profile lapses, usually nobody was assigned to keep it current.
A standing checklist for whoever owns the profile
If nobody owns it, solve that first.
- Re-attest every 120 days, tracked on a calendar
- Replace an uploaded document the day the original renews
- Watch license and malpractice expiration dates
- Authorize each new insurer before applying to it
- Update practice locations whenever anything changes
- Confirm there is exactly one profile per clinician
- Keep work history continuous, with gaps explained
- Check the profile before assuming an insurer is slow
Questions about CAQH
What is CAQH credentialing?
It is the shared profile insurers read when they credential you. You keep your details in the CAQH Provider Data Portal once and authorize each insurer to read them, instead of filling in the same information for every application.
Is CAQH now DataSpring?
Yes. DataSpring says CAQH is now DataSpring and that clinicians need to do nothing because of the change: your login, profile and saved links stay the same.
What is a CAQH number (CAQH ID)?
It is your CAQH Provider ID, the number that identifies your profile in the CAQH Provider Data Portal. Insurers ask for it so they can find your profile; TriWest, for example, asks for your CAQH ID on its roster template.
How do I find my CAQH ID?
Sign in to the CAQH Provider Data Portal, where your profile is kept. If you cannot sign in, call DataSpring support on 1-888-599-1771, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern, or use the chat once you are signed in.
How often do I re-attest my CAQH profile?
Every 120 days, or every 180 days for clinicians in Illinois. Letting it lapse is one of the most common reasons an application quietly stops moving.
Does CAQH cost anything?
No. DataSpring says the platform is provided at no cost to clinicians, provider groups and practices.
Is CAQH the same as being credentialed?
No. CAQH holds your data; credentialing is what each insurer does with it. You still apply to each insurer, and each runs its own review before you are in network.
Do insurers own my CAQH profile?
No. DataSpring says health plans do not own or control clinician profiles, and authorized plans use them only for tasks such as credentialing, enrollment and directories.
Can someone keep my CAQH profile current for me?
Yes. Our credentialing team keeps profiles current as part of credentialing, including the attestations, document renewals and insurer authorizations. Credentialing is $150 per application, per provider.
Keep reading
- Credentialing by insurer: Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Optum, TRICARE →
- Insurance paneling for therapists →
- Insurance credentialing for therapists and mental health providers →
- Provider credentialing services →
- How to get credentialed with insurance companies →
+ − Sources: 13 checked
- DataSpring, For Clinicians, checked 2026-10-06
- DataSpring, Resources and FAQs, checked 2026-10-06
- DataSpring, Clinician Q&A (support line and hours), checked 2026-10-23
- Aetna, Join the Aetna network, checked 2026-10-05
- Anthem, Join our network, checked 2026-10-05
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, How to join, checked 2026-10-05
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Recredentialing, checked 2026-10-05
- Evernorth, Join the behavioral health network, checked 2026-10-05
- Optum Provider Express, Individually contracted clinicians, checked 2026-10-05
- Humana, Credentialing and CAQH, checked 2026-10-05
- Magellan, Credentialing and contracting for individual providers (Rev. 11/24), checked 2026-10-05
- Carelon Behavioral Health, Join our network, checked 2026-10-06
- TriWest, Certification and credentialing, checked 2026-10-05
Hand us the profile
Profile setup, documents, the 120-day attestations and insurer authorizations become our job, so your applications stop stalling on data nobody refreshed. Credentialing is $150 per application, per provider.