Insurance credentialing and contracting fluctuates based on the area of the country and the
provider’s unique situation. On average, it takes 90-120 days to become in-network with your
major carriers. Credentialing takes about 60 days and contracting takes another 30-60 days
depending on the carrier. Some carriers may take less or more than outlined time. 

HBC does provide both enrollment and credentialing services. Credentialing is used most of the
time when referencing primary source verification, which is something we perform for health
plans and larger organizations.

Medicare enrollment can take up to 180 days, but our average is around 55 days depending on
what we are doing. Reassignment applications for an enrolled provider take about 40 days.          
The length of times depends on the circumstances of the enrollment and may vary in time and days. 

CAQH stands for “The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, Inc.”, a not-for-profit 
collaborative alliance of the nation’s leading health plans and networks.
Part of the CAQH’s credentialing database project is the new “Universal Credentialing Data
Source.” This online database collects all provider information necessary for credentialing, and
pulls it together into one database, which is then accessible to the different insurance carriers.

The average for a provider will be 3-4 weeks. HBC’s average time to obtain a CAQH ID is three
days.

Yes. Most major insurance companies now require CAQH credentialing as the first step in the 
insurance enrollment process.

CAQH charges the insurance companies and is free for medical providers. HBC charges for the
service to get your CAQH completed quickly and do attestations as needed.

CAQH numbers are only available to individual providers. Your organization will need a type II
NPI number only.

No. CAQH is simply where the insurance companies obtain their information. You will still need          
to contact the insurance companies and go through their internal credentialing and contracting   
process which can take an additional 90-120 days on average. HBC Credentialing Service is
available and will contact insurance companies on your behalf.