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Credentialing and enrollment for psychiatric nurse practitioners

PMHNP Credentialing Services for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners

Medtransic handles PMHNP credentialing for psychiatric nurse practitioners who are opening a practice, joining a group or adding a state. We enroll you in Medicare through PECOS, file each commercial application on the right nurse practitioner track, keep your CAQH profile attested and line up the collaboration papers payers ask for. It costs $150 per application, per provider. In our experience it usually takes 60 to 90 days with each payer. You follow every application in your client portal.

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One PMHNP file, every payer

Illustrative

  • RN and nurse practitioner licenses

  • National certification

  • Master's in nursing or DNP

  • NPI: psychiatric/mental health entry

  • CAQH profile attested

    Every 120 days

  • Collaborating physician documents

    If your state requires one

  • DEA registration, each state

    If you prescribe controlled medications

The proof we gather once and reuse for Medicare and each commercial plan.
Credentialing
$150
per application, per provider
Typical time
60-90 days
with each payer, in our experience
Tracking
Live
every application and its stage in your portal
Contract
None
no long-term contract

Why PMHNP applications stall

A nurse practitioner file carries checks a physician file does not. Close these gaps first.

1

The NPI lists the wrong nurse practitioner

The taxonomy list has a separate psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner entry. A general or family entry can list you under the wrong specialty.

2

Filed on the wrong track at Aetna

Aetna credentials nurse practitioners as primary care or specialist, each with its own criteria. A file built for one track can fail the other.

3

Collaboration that cannot be shown on paper

Where your state requires a collaborating physician, Aetna can ask for that physician's documents on prescribing and practice. The agreement needs to be in writing.

4

A new state without license or DEA

Aetna requires a license where each member you treat by telehealth is located. DEA requires a registration in each state where you prescribe controlled medications.

5

A CAQH profile left to lapse

Your CAQH profile must be re-attested every 120 days (180 in Illinois). A lapse can leave a complete application waiting.

What we file, and what stays in your name

Medtransic runs

  • Proof of your license, certification and nursing degree, collected once for every payer
  • Checking your NPI lists you as a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner
  • Medicare enrollment in PECOS, with a telehealth home office if you need one
  • Commercial applications on the right track, with each payer's collaboration documents
  • CAQH re-attestation every 120 days
  • Updates when you move, add a location or add a state

Your practice keeps

  • Your RN and nurse practitioner licenses and their renewals
  • Your national certification
  • Your DEA registrations
  • The collaboration agreement with your physician, and signing every application

Collaboration: what your state, Medicare and Aetna each expect

Three rule makers can ask about your collaborating physician, and a gap in any one stalls the file.

  1. 01

    Your state

    What it expects
    AANP groups states into full, reduced and restricted practice.
    What it means for you
    Reduced: a career-long collaborative agreement. Restricted: career-long supervision, delegation or team management.
  2. 02

    Medicare

    What it expects
    Covers nurse practitioner services given in collaboration with a physician, as your state allows.
    What it means for you
    It follows state law. Our PMHNP practices page covers the day to day.
  3. 03

    Aetna

    What it expects
    Where your state requires one, an Aetna-participating, board-certified physician.
    What it means for you
    The agreement, or a replacement, must last your whole contract. Line up a replacement before the old one ends.

From first form to in network, step by step

We build one file per PMHNP and reuse it for every payer.

Step 01

NPI record checked

Medicare enrollment needs an active NPI, and we confirm it lists the psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner entry.

Step 02

Medicare enrollment in PECOS

You enroll as an individual nurse practitioner; a telehealth-only home office can be marked to keep the address off Care Compare.

Step 03

CAQH profile complete and attested

We load your license, certification, education, malpractice and work history, then re-attest every 120 days.

Step 04

Commercial applications on the right track

We read each payer's nurse practitioner criteria and pick the matching track, with collaborating physician documents where your state requires them.

Step 05

DEA registrations and ongoing updates

If you prescribe controlled medications, you need a DEA registration in each state, and we file Medicare and payer updates when you move.

What Medicare and Aetna check on a PMHNP

Medicare and Aetna publish what they check; these are the rules we file against.

What Medicare and Aetna check on a PMHNP
PayerWhat it checksWorth knowing
MedicareAn RN license and state authorization as a nurse practitioner. If first enrolled since January 1, 2003, national certification plus a master's in nursing or a DNP.Enrollment is individual, in PECOS, with an active NPI.
Aetna, specialist trackA registered nurse with at least a master's in nursing and graduate education in the specialty.Board certification recognized by your state or an Aetna-approved accrediting agency.
Aetna, collaborating physicianWhere the state requires one, an Aetna-participating, board-certified physician.The agreement must last the whole contract term. Aetna can ask for documents showing it covers prescribing and practice.
Aetna, telehealth across statesA license, registration and any required certification in every state where members you treat by telehealth are located.A license in one state alone does not cover Aetna members in another.

Your client portal, included

Your EHR shows what you billed. Your portal shows what we are doing about it.

Your EHR or practice management system runs your practice, but it does not show you our work. The Medtransic HIPAA Compliant Portal does: every claim and its current stage, the denials we are working, your A/R by age, each payer application and its in-network date, and the documents we still need from you. It is the same record our team works from, and it comes with every client account.

Did that claim get paid?
Every claim with its stage and amount, the denials we're working, and your receivables by age.
Where is my application with Aetna?
Each payer application shows its stage, its history, and the date you can start seeing that payer's patients.
What do you still need from me?
One list of the documents we're waiting on. Upload once, and it reaches every payer that asked for it.
See the client portal →
The billing screen in the Medtransic client portal: totals billed, paid, adjusted and outstanding, a twelve-month chart and A/R by age.
The billing screen. Shown with sample data. It works in any browser, on your desk or your phone. iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.

When we are not the right call

  • If you have not passed national certification or received your nurse practitioner license, there is nothing to file yet. Come back when both are in hand.
  • If you plan to stay cash-pay and never join a panel, you do not need credentialing. Whether your state lets you practice without a physician is a question for your board of nursing or a lawyer; we do not give legal advice.
  • If you are already in network and only need claims handled, see our PMHNP practices page for billing.

Questions PMHNPs ask about credentialing

How long does PMHNP credentialing take?

In our experience it usually takes 60 to 90 days with each payer. Each payer runs its own review, so we track every application separately in your client portal.

What does PMHNP credentialing cost with Medtransic?

It is $150 per application, per provider. There is no long-term contract, and the client portal is included with every client account.

Should I apply to Aetna as a primary care nurse practitioner or a specialist?

Aetna runs the two as separate tracks with their own criteria. The specialist track asks for graduate education in the specialty and board certification. We match the track to the care you actually provide.

Does my collaborating physician need to be in the payer's network?

At Aetna, yes, when your state requires a collaborating or supervising physician. That physician must be Aetna-participating and board-certified, and the agreement must last the whole contract term.

Do I need a DEA registration in every state where I see patients?

If you prescribe controlled medications, DEA requires a separate registration in each state where you practice, and you need a license in each state where your patients are. Through December 31, 2026, the end date as checked on October 4, 2026, DEA lets registered practitioners prescribe these by telemedicine without a prior in-person exam when its conditions are met.

I only see patients by telehealth from home. Will my address be public?

Medicare requires you to list your home as your practice location if it is your only one. You can mark it as a home office for administrative or telehealth use only, which keeps it off Care Compare.

Which NPI taxonomy should a PMHNP use?

The psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner entry, not the family or general one. We check that your NPI record shows it before any application goes out.

Keep reading

+ Sources: 13 checked 2026-10-04

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