No two payers run credentialing on the same clock, even though most verify through the same CAQH profile. Among the payers Telesure has published full guides for, UnitedHealthcare's own Credentialing FAQ states the fastest typical decision at 25 to 30 business days for a complete application, and Humana's own policy sets a 30 calendar day window. Cigna runs 45 to 60 days for medical providers but up to 90 for behavioral health on the same process. Blue Cross Blue Shield has no single answer at all, since it is 33 independent companies, each running 45 to 90 days on its own schedule. Medicare, through CMS's PECOS system, targets 95 percent of complete online applications within 15 days. Medicaid has no federal timeline for the decision step; it is set by each of the 51 state programs individually.
Recredentialing clusters around 3 years for commercial payers and Optum's Physical Health network, versus a 5-year federal floor for Medicare and most Medicaid providers. The table below lines up every payer guide published so far, with the remaining payers in Tier 2 added as their own guides go live.
Credentialing timeline and recredentialing, payer by payer
Every row below is taken directly from that payer's own full guide; nothing here is a new figure. Payers without a published guide yet are listed by name only, with no timeline claimed until their own guide is verified and built.
| Payer | Typical decision window | Recredentialing cycle | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna | 60 to 90 days (committee decision); 90 to 120 days full path | 36 months | Aetna credentialing |
| UnitedHealthcare | 25 to 30 business days; 45 days or more if incomplete | 3 years | UnitedHealthcare credentialing |
| Cigna | 45 to 60 days medical; up to 90 days behavioral health | 3 years | Cigna credentialing |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 45 to 90 days, varies by state plan (33 independent companies) | 3 years at most state plans | BCBS credentialing |
| Humana | 30 calendar days | 36 months | Humana credentialing |
| Medicare (PECOS) | 95% within 15 days online, no site visit; slower for paper or site-visit applications | 5 years (3 years for DMEPOS) | Medicare PECOS enrollment |
| Medicaid | No federal standard; set by each of 51 state programs | 5 years federal floor (some states and provider types shorter) | Medicaid enrollment |
| Optum | 60 days or less (Physical Health network); 3 to 6 months (OptumCare employed physician) | 3 years (Physical Health network) | Optum credentialing |
| Anthem | Guide coming | Guide coming | Not yet published |
| Kaiser Permanente | Guide coming | Guide coming | Not yet published |
| TRICARE | Guide coming | Guide coming | Not yet published |
| Magellan | Guide coming | Guide coming | Not yet published |
What is consistent across every payer, regardless of the differences above?
A complete, currently attested CAQH profile is the single highest-leverage step for every commercial payer on this list, and it is the first thing each of their own credentialing pages names. Re-attest every 120 days whether or not you are actively applying anywhere, per CAQH's own ProView FAQ; a lapsed attestation is the most common administrative cause of delay across every payer guide on this site.
Medicare and Medicaid sit outside the CAQH system; Medicare runs through CMS's own PECOS portal and Medicaid through each state's own system, covered on their own guides above.
Which payer should I prioritize first?
Whichever one determines the largest share of your expected billing, not necessarily the fastest one to approve. A 90-day Cigna behavioral health decision started today still finishes well before a Medicaid application you have not yet begun in a state where you have no licence at all.
Start CAQH first, always
Every commercial payer above pulls from the same profile. Complete and attest it before contacting any individual payer.
Medicare and Medicaid run on separate clocks
Neither uses CAQH. Budget them as independent timelines, not as extensions of your commercial applications.
Multi-payer enrollment rarely runs in parallel cleanly
Staggering submissions, or tracking several at once, is where a specialist's experience with a specific payer's quirks tends to save the most real time.
Why some payers above have no guide yet. Telesure builds and verifies one set of payer guides per cycle against each payer's own published source, rather than publishing a number before it has been checked. Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, TRICARE and Magellan are next in the build order; this table will update as each goes live.
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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 10 October 2026. Fees and compact status change; confirm with the relevant board before relying on them.
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