How to Complete Your CAQH Profile

PayrHealth · Updated November 2026

A CAQH profile is the online record of your professional information that most health plans use to credential you. To complete it: get a CAQH ID number, create your account, fill in every section, upload your documents, authorize the payors who should see it, and attest that it’s accurate. Then re-attest every 120 days for as long as you’re in network.

Completing your CAQH profile is a required step for most commercial insurance credentialing, and a complete, current profile is one of the simplest ways to avoid credentialing delays. Here is what CAQH is, what changed in 2026, and how to complete your profile step by step.

What is CAQH, and what is a CAQH profile?

CAQH runs the Provider Data Portal, long known as CAQH ProView: a shared database where providers enter their credentialing information once and authorize health plans to view it. A CAQH profile is your record in that portal. It holds your personal and practice information, education, training, licenses, certifications, work history, malpractice coverage and disclosures, plus copies of your supporting documents.

CAQH doesn’t credential you or submit applications to payors. Each payor still sends its own application, verifies your credentials at the source and makes its own decision. What CAQH does is save you from re-entering the same information for every payor, and keep it current for recredentialing.

What changed in 2026

CAQH became a for-profit company owned by health plan affiliates in January 2026, and on June 8, 2026 it rebranded as DataSpring, powered by CAQH. For providers, nothing about the profile changed: the portal is still at proview.caqh.org, logins and CAQH ID numbers are the same, the profile remains free, and the attestation schedule is unchanged. The portal holds more than 4.8 million provider records.

Who needs a CAQH profile?

Most physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, therapists, behavioral health providers and other individual practitioners who bill commercial plans need one. Many Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid plans use it too. Traditional Medicare does not; it enrolls providers through PECOS.

What is a CAQH ID number, and how do you get one?

Your CAQH ID, or CAQH provider ID, is the number that identifies your profile. You need it for every commercial credentialing application. There are two ways to get one:

• From a payor. When you apply to a participating health plan, it can register you with CAQH. You’ll receive a welcome email or letter with your CAQH ID.
• By self-registering. Go to proview.caqh.org and register as a provider. You’ll receive your CAQH ID by email once registration is complete.

If you already have a CAQH ID from a previous job, keep using it. Don’t create a second profile; update the one you have with your new practice information. Store your ID somewhere easy to find, because you’ll need it every time a payor credentials or recredentials you.

How to complete your CAQH profile, step by step

1. Create your account

Use the link in your welcome email, or your CAQH ID from self-registration, to create a username and password at proview.caqh.org. Set up security questions and keep the login with your credentialing records.

2. Gather your materials

You don’t have to finish in one sitting, but having everything ready makes it far faster. A checklist:

• Personal information, including other names used
• NPI, Social Security number and other identifiers
• Education and training, with dates
• Board certifications and specialties
• Practice locations, hours, tax ID and billing information
• Hospital affiliations or admitting arrangements
• Malpractice insurance information, claims history and disclosures
• Work history for at least the last five years, with gaps explained, and references
• A current CV
• A W-9
• State licenses, DEA certificate and state controlled substance (CDS) certificate

Check that everything is current and formatted correctly before you start. Keep scanned copies in a secure location so they’re easy to upload.

3. Complete every section

Complete the profile online; a paper version takes far longer. Work through each section in order and save as you go so you can return later. Answer every disclosure question, and explain any "yes" answer in full. Make sure your name, practice address and specialty match your NPI record and license exactly, since mismatches are a common cause of delays.

4. Upload your documents

Upload a current copy of each license, certification and certificate. Expired documents are one of the most common reasons a payor can’t use a profile, so replace each one as soon as it renews.

5. Authorize payors

Choose which health plans can view your profile. You can authorize specific plans or allow all participating plans. Either way, make sure every payor you’re applying to has access; a profile a payor can’t see is the same as no profile.

6. Review and attest

Review every section, then attest that the information is accurate and complete. Attestation makes the profile available to the payors you’ve authorized. A profile isn’t usable until it’s attested.

How often do you need to re-attest your CAQH profile?

Every 120 days, even if nothing has changed. CAQH sends reminders before each due date. If you miss it, the profile becomes inactive and payors can’t use it, which can stall a pending application or a recredentialing cycle. Some plans also ask providers to confirm basic directory details, such as address and phone, every 90 days. Providers practicing in Illinois have historically had a 180-day cycle; follow the date on your own CAQH notice.

To re-attest, log in, review each section, update anything that changed, upload any renewed documents and attest again. With no changes, it takes a few minutes.

What do payors see in your CAQH profile?

Payors you authorize see the information and documents in your attested profile. They use it to fill in their credentialing review, then verify key items at the source: licenses, board certification, education, DEA registration and malpractice history. Anything in your profile that doesn’t match what they find, or what’s on your application, slows the review.

Common CAQH mistakes

• Letting attestation lapse past 120 days
• Forgetting to authorize a payor you’ve applied to
• Leaving expired licenses, DEA or malpractice certificates in the profile
• Unexplained gaps in work history
• A practice address that doesn’t match the NPI record or the application
• Creating a second profile instead of updating the original

Frequently asked questions

What is a CAQH number?

The ID that identifies your CAQH profile. Payors use it to find your profile during credentialing.

How do I get a CAQH ID number?

A participating payor can register you, or you can self-register at proview.caqh.org and receive your ID by email.

Is CAQH free for providers?

Yes. The profile remains free for providers after CAQH’s 2026 change to a for-profit company and its rebrand as DataSpring.

Is CAQH now called DataSpring?

Yes. CAQH rebranded as DataSpring, powered by CAQH, on June 8, 2026. The Provider Data Portal, your login and your CAQH ID are unchanged.

How often do I have to attest my CAQH profile?

Every 120 days, even with no changes. Some plans also require directory details every 90 days.

Does Medicare use CAQH?

Traditional Medicare doesn’t; it enrolls providers through PECOS. Many Medicare Advantage plans do use CAQH.

CAQH and credentialing help from PayrHealth

PayrHealth’s credentialing team builds and maintains CAQH profiles, tracks every re-attestation, and enrolls clinicians, groups and facilities with commercial payors, Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans. See our credentialing services.

Read next

• 7 Key Steps In Provider Credentialing
• How Long Does the Provider Credentialing Process Take and Why?
• What Is Provider Enrollment?

Sources

• DataSpring, "CAQH Rebrands as DataSpring," June 8, 2026: globenewswire.com
• DataSpring, clinician Q&A on the rebrand, June 2026: dataspring.com
• ADA News, "What to know about CAQH change to DataSpring, powered by CAQH," June 2026: adanews.ada.org
• CAQH, provider guide to re-attesting every 120 days: caqh.org
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, CAQH quick reference (120 days, 180 for Illinois): bcbsil.com
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, attesting every 90 and 120 days, August 2025: bcbsm.com