CAQH

A centralized online profile that commercial payors use to verify your credentials, licensure, and practice information.

What is CAQH?

CAQH (Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare) is an online credentialing database used by many commercial insurance payors to verify provider information. Providers create and maintain a CAQH profile that includes education, licensure, malpractice history, and practice details. Payers use this profile during the enrollment process to reduce paperwork and speed up credentialing.

Why Insurance Payors Require CAQH

Most major commercial payors—like Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare—require providers to have a current CAQH profile. It acts as a centralized repository for your credentialing data, allowing payors to pull your information directly from CAQH instead of asking for paperwork every time.

If your CAQH is not complete or attested, your enrollment can be delayed or denied.

Payors use CAQH to:

  • Confirm your credentials and licensure

  • Validate your malpractice insurance and work history

  • Verify your practice locations and affiliations

What You Need to Create a CAQH Profile

Before you start, have these items ready:

  • Your Type 1 NPI

  • A copy of your current license

  • Education and training history

  • Work history (including any gaps >30 days)

  • Malpractice insurance details

  • A copy of your W-9

  • Practice details (locations, phone numbers, Tax ID)

You’ll also need to upload supporting documents and complete attestations to confirm accuracy.

How to Set Up Your CAQH Profile

  1. Click “Register” if you're a new user or “Log In” if you have an account

  2. Enter your NPI and other identifying information

  3. Fill in your profile sections completely

  4. Upload required documents

  5. Authorize payors to access your information

  6. Attest to the accuracy of your profile

Attestation Requirements

Common Issues That Cause Credentialing Delays

  • Your CAQH is incomplete or unsubmitted

  • You haven’t attested in over 120 days

  • You forgot to upload supporting documents (license, malpractice, etc.)

  • You didn’t authorize the payor to view your profile

Tips for Staying Compliant

  • Set a reminder to attest every 3–4 months

  • Update your profile any time you change jobs, locations, or licenses

  • Keep your supporting documents current and clearly labeled

  • Check which payors you’ve authorized and update as needed

Need Help or Have a Question?

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