Guides · For clinicians and practice managers

Licensing and credentialing, explained properly

Multi-state licensure, compacts, CAQH, payer enrollment and real costs. Written for the clinician doing the research, not the vendor selling the service.

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Start with the cost page if you are budgeting, the FAQ if you have a specific question. New guides are added regularly; each one is verified against the issuing board or commission on the date shown.

Guides

Which licensure compacts are live right now

IMLC, NLC, PSYPACT, Counseling, Social Work, PT, OT, PA, APRN in one table. Enacted versus actually issuing, verified against each commission.

Counseling Compact live states, dated

Nine states issuing as of 18 September 2026, with every go-live date from the Commission, the $30 fee, eligibility and how to apply.

How long credentialing actually takes

Commercial 60 to 150 days, Medicare 45 to 60 via PECOS, Medicaid by state. CAQH's 120-day rule, 5-year revalidation, the 30-day retroactive window.

What licensing and credentialing actually cost

Licence fees decomposed by state from the boards themselves, the $700 IMLC fee, $100 to $500 per payer, and realistic timelines.

State medical licence fee index

Application and issuance fees for 25 of 51 state boards so far, each figure linked to the board that charges it, most and least expensive compared.

Telesure vs Medallion

Medallion sells credentialing software to healthcare organisations. Telesure matches individual clinicians with independent specialists. A factual comparison.

Telesure vs Headway and Alma

Headway and Alma credential you under their own contract with a payer. A specialist helps you get your own instead.

The real cost of multi-state licensing

Board fees plus specialist fees, with worked examples for a 3-state and a 10-state expansion.

How to evaluate a licensing specialist

What to ask, what a good profile shows, and the red flags, since there is no vetting system to rely on.

Credentialing for telehealth practices

The operational playbook for a practice covering ten or more states, by headcount.

Best credentialing services for behavioral health

Headway, Alma, DENmaar, Grow Therapy, TheraThink, GetPaneled, Credex Healthcare, MedSole RCM and OmniMD compared: model, contract and cost.

Telesure vs a single credentialing agency

One quote from one company, or more than one specialist to compare on scope, timeline and price first.

Does the IMLC's $700 fee actually save you money

No, not in raw fees. The real maths on when the Compact's time savings are worth its $700 to $1,400 premium.

Why credentialing applications stall

Almost never your qualifications. A lapsed CAQH attestation, a data mismatch or an unexplained work gap, and how to check for each.

How to get credentialed with Aetna

CAQH-based verification, a 60 to 90 day committee decision, and a 36-month recredentialing cycle.

How to get credentialed with UnitedHealthcare

25 to 30 business days for a complete file, Aperture CVO verification, and a 3-year recredentialing cycle.

How to get credentialed with Cigna

45 to 60 days for medical providers, up to 90 for behavioral health, and a 3-year recredentialing cycle.

How to get credentialed with Blue Cross Blue Shield

33 independent companies, no single national process. Typically 45 to 90 days by state plan, recredentialing every 3 years.

How to get credentialed with Humana

Humana's own policy targets a 30 calendar day decision once your file is complete. Recredentialing every 36 months.

How to enroll in Medicare through PECOS

CMS targets 95% of online applications within 15 days, versus a much slower paper and site-visit standard. Revalidation every 5 years.

How to enroll as a Medicaid provider

51 separate state programs, no federal processing deadline. The one rule that is national: revalidate at least every 5 years.

How to get credentialed with Optum

Three different paths under one brand: OptumHealth Physical Health, Optum Behavioral Health via Provider Express, and OptumCare.

How to get credentialed with Anthem

Anthem's own pages target a 45 day decision from a completed CAQH application. Recredentialing every 3 years.

How to get credentialed with Kaiser Permanente

No single national process. Northern California cites 10 to 12 weeks; recredentialing confirmed at 3 years.

How to get credentialed with TRICARE

Two regional contractors, Humana Military and TriWest. Both CAQH-based; TriWest confirms a 3-year recredentialing cycle.

How to get credentialed with Magellan Healthcare

Magellan's own FAQ targets 90 days once documents are submitted, CAQH-based, recredentialing every 3 years.

Credentialing timelines by payer, compared

All 12 payer guides on this site lined up in one table: decision window, recredentialing cycle, and the source behind each figure.

Should I hire in-house credentialing staff or outsource it

A BLS-sourced loaded cost of about $73,000 a year for one hire, set against $100 to $500 per payer outsourced.

Telesure vs Verifiable

Verifiable sells automated credentialing software to payers and health systems. Telesure matches individual clinicians with specialists.

Tell us what you need

Not ready for an account? States, licence type, deadline. We reply within one business day with a match and the reasoning.

123 straight answers

Compacts, CAQH, payer enrollment, rejections, billing, and whether to do it yourself. Every regulatory figure sourced.

Need this handled rather than researched?

Telesure matches clinicians with licensing and credentialing specialists so you can compare scope, timeline and price before committing to anyone.

Get matched with a specialist

Not ready to create an account?

J
Juney Ham
Founder and CEO, Telesure

Juney Ham is the founder and CEO of Telesure, the marketplace that matches clinicians with independent licensing and credentialing specialists. Previously co-founder of Upside and CMO at Hired. Every regulatory figure on this page is taken from the issuing state board, compact commission or CMS and was verified on 16 October 2026. Fees and compact status change; confirm with the relevant board before relying on them.

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Sources: State boards, compact commissions and CMS, linked inline on every guide.