Credentialing resource

CAQH Profile Guide for Healthcare Providers

A CAQH profile is a provider’s self-reported professional and practice record in the CAQH Provider Data Portal. Health plans and other organizations the provider authorizes can use it for administrative work such as credentialing, enrollment, and directory management. Keeping the profile current does not by itself mean a payer has credentialed or enrolled you; those decisions stay with each payer or organization.

Written byAll State RCM Editorial Team Updated October 2, 2026 8 min read

What is CAQH?

CAQH operates the CAQH Provider Data Portal, a shared platform where clinicians enter professional and practice information once and share it with the health plans they authorize, instead of completing the same details separately for each one. CAQH now presents its solutions under the DataSpring brand (“DataSpring, powered by CAQH”), and the portal has also been known as CAQH ProView. DataSpring states that the platform is provided at no cost to clinicians, provider groups, and practices.

According to DataSpring, authorized health plans access a clinician’s profile only for approved administrative workflows, such as credentialing, enrollment, and directory management. Whether a particular payer or organization uses CAQH data, and what else it requires, varies. CAQH is transitioning provider users from the Provider Data Portal to CAQH Unity, so screens and sign-in steps may differ from the descriptions here. Follow the current portal prompts for your account.

What a CAQH profile includes

CAQH’s Provider User Guide organizes the profile into sections. Depending on the provider and practice, a profile may include:

Personal information and contact details
Professional IDs, such as licenses and identifiers
Education and professional training
Specialties
Practice locations
Hospital affiliations
Credentialing contact
Professional liability insurance
Employment information (work history)
Professional references
Disclosure questions
Supporting documents, uploaded where required

Section names come from that guide and may appear differently in the current portal. Individual payers can also ask for information or documents beyond the profile.

Who can view the profile

Providers decide which participating organizations can view their profile. CAQH’s guide describes an Authorize area that lists the organizations that have requested access, where the provider can grant or manage authorization. Reviewing that list from time to time helps keep sharing aligned with the payers and organizations you actually work with.

Attestation and re-attestation

Attesting means reviewing your profile and confirming that the information is accurate. It is required to complete the profile, and CAQH’s guide notes that after you update any information you must attest again so your authorized organizations can view the updated profile.

DataSpring and CAQH’s Provider User Guide both state that re-attestation is required every 120 days, or every 180 days for Illinois providers. Providers should follow the due date shown in their own account and update information whenever it changes. CAQH’s guide explains that reminder emails are sent to the primary email address before the due date and that a profile moves to Expired status the day after a missed due date.

DataSpring also sends quarterly directory confirmation emails to some providers. Completing those steps re-attests the profile every 90 days, but DataSpring notes that the 120-day (or 180-day) requirement still applies to providers who do not.

CAQH update and re-attestation checklist

This checklist is for practice managers, credentialing staff, small medical and physical therapy practices, and providers who maintain their own profile. Screen and field names follow CAQH’s Provider User Guide and may appear differently in CAQH Unity.

Download the printable CAQH checklist (PDF, one page)

A. Update CAQH when something changes

Do not wait for your next re-attestation date. Update the profile and attest again when details like these change, because authorized organizations see changes only after you attest.

Practice locations: addresses, phone numbers, and the Tax ID for each location, including locations you add or stop using.
Mailing address and contact details: mailing address, phone numbers, and primary email in Personal Information.
Licenses and registrations: state licenses and DEA or CDS registrations, including renewals.
Professional liability insurance: a new or renewed policy, a new carrier, or new coverage dates.
Hospital affiliations: privileges that are added, changed, or ended.
Specialties and board certification: new certifications or updated expiration dates.
Credentialing contact: the person or office that organizations should contact about your credentialing.
Work history and disclosures: a new employer, an employment gap, or a change to any disclosure question answer.

B. Before you attest

Clear anything that would block the attestation or leave the profile incomplete.

Required fields: Profile Data shows no missing fields or required fixes.
Expiration dates: license and professional liability insurance records are current. CAQH’s guide notes that expired records must be updated before you can attest.
Supporting documents: the Documents section shows nothing missing, expired, or flagged with errors. Depending on the profile, documents can include DEA or CDS certificates, a malpractice insurance face sheet, and a signed Authorization, Attestation, and Release (AAR) form.
Signature dates: signed documents are submitted within 120 days of their signature date, as CAQH’s guide requires.
Email contacts: the primary email, and any additional email contacts, reach someone who monitors them.
Authorized organizations: the Authorize list matches the health plans and organizations you work with.

C. Review and attest

CAQH’s guide describes the same basic sequence for each re-attestation.

Update: make any changes under Profile Data.
Upload: add or replace documents under Documents (PDF, TIF, JPG, or JPEG, one document per upload).
Review: open Review and Attest, select View Errors, and correct everything listed.
Attest: review the data summary and attest that the information is accurate.

D. After attestation

Confirm the attestation went through and nothing is still outstanding.

Completion screen: note whether it says documents still need attention.
Profile status: check the status in your account, for example Initial Profile Complete or Re-Attestation rather than Expired Attestation.
Document status: new uploads show as Received until CAQH reviews them and marks them Approved.
Next due date: note the days until your next attestation and the last-attested date shown in your account.
Authorized organizations: confirm that the organizations that need the profile can still view it.

E. Set reminders

Reminders keep the profile from lapsing between cycles.

Use the date in your account: record the due date CAQH shows rather than estimating it.
Know the general cycle: re-attestation every 120 days, or every 180 days for Illinois providers.
Remind yourself early: add a calendar reminder a few weeks before the due date. CAQH’s guide says a profile moves to Expired status the day after a missed due date.
Track expiring credentials: add reminders for license, DEA or CDS, board certification, and insurance expiration dates.
Update sooner when things change: make changes and attest whenever information changes, not only at the next due date.

Profile maintenance is not payer approval

A current, attested CAQH profile helps the organizations you authorize use your information. It does not mean a payer has credentialed or enrolled you, and payers may have their own requirements.

Common profile issues that need attention

Most profile problems are administrative and can be corrected in the portal. Issues that may need attention include:

Outdated practice information. Moved or closed locations, changed phone numbers, or old contact details.
Expired documents or records. CAQH’s guide shows missing and expired documents in the Documents section, and expired license or insurance records must be updated before attesting.
Missing required fields. The portal lists errors that must be corrected before an attestation can be completed.
Changes that were never attested. Updates are not visible to authorized organizations until the profile is attested again.
A lapsed attestation. The profile moves to Expired status until it is re-attested.

How a particular payer responds to any of these depends on its own process.

CAQH, credentialing, and payer enrollment

These are related but separate. The CAQH profile is the provider data record on a shared platform. Credentialing is the review a payer or healthcare organization performs of a provider’s qualifications and information. Payer enrollment is the administrative process of adding an approved or eligible provider to a payer’s systems so claims can be billed under the applicable arrangement.

A complete, current CAQH profile can support credentialing and enrollment workflows, but it does not guarantee approval, network participation, a particular effective date, or payment. Requirements and sequence vary by payer.

Getting help with your CAQH profile

If your practice wants administrative support, our provider credentialing services can include CAQH profile setup and updates, document upkeep, attestation reminders, payer enrollment coordination, and status follow-up, within an agreed scope. For broader preparation, see the credentialing readiness checklist. Payers and organizations make their own credentialing and enrollment decisions.

Frequently asked questions

01What is a CAQH profile?

It is a provider’s self-reported professional and practice record in the CAQH Provider Data Portal. Health plans and other organizations the provider authorizes can use it for administrative work such as credentialing, enrollment, and directory management.

02Is CAQH the same as provider credentialing?

No. CAQH provides the data platform. Credentialing is the review a payer or healthcare organization performs, and it may draw on the CAQH profile along with its own requirements.

03Does having a CAQH profile mean I am credentialed?

No. A complete, attested profile can support a payer’s credentialing process, but it does not mean a payer has approved, credentialed, or enrolled you. Each payer or organization makes its own decision.

04How often should a CAQH profile be re-attested?

DataSpring states that providers must re-attest every 120 days, or every 180 days for Illinois providers. Follow the due date shown in your own account, and attest again whenever you change information.

05Should I wait until my re-attestation date to update CAQH?

No. Update the profile when information changes, such as a new practice location, a license renewal, or a new insurance policy, and attest again. CAQH’s guide explains that authorized organizations can view updated information only after you attest.

06Does CAQH approve payer enrollment?

No. CAQH makes profile information available to organizations the provider authorizes. Enrollment and network participation decisions are made by each payer.

07Is the CAQH Provider Data Portal free for providers?

DataSpring states that the platform is provided at no cost to clinicians, provider groups, and practices.

08Can someone help maintain my CAQH profile?

Yes. Practice managers and administrators can help gather and enter information, and a credentialing service can support updates, documents, and attestation reminders within an agreed scope. The provider remains responsible for the accuracy of the information attested.

Sources

CAQH-specific details on this page come from CAQH and DataSpring materials, last reviewed October 2, 2026.

This guide is published by All State RCM for general information. It is not published or endorsed by CAQH or DataSpring, and it does not replace the instructions shown in your CAQH account.