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Insurance credentialing can be handled yourself, by a credentialing service or, for behavioral health, through a network. For Medicare, the Medicare contractor processing timeframes target completing 95 percent of internet-based initial enrollment applications within 15 calendar days and all within 50 calendar days when no site visit, development or fingerprinting is required.
Five required answers, plus one network question for behavioral health. Add your state if you want. Compare doing insurance credentialing yourself, hiring a credentialing service, or combining both; behavioral-health practices can also consider Headway, Alma and Grow.
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It depends on your timeline, application workload and existing payer panels. Direct credentialing lets your practice hold its own contracts. A credentialing service handles the applications for you. The tool weighs your practice type, specialty and payer mix; behavioral-health practices also get a network-platform option.
Direct with a commercial payer typically runs 90–180 days per panel, often longer for Medicare and Medicaid. A service can handle the paperwork, but the payer still approves the application. Behavioral-health practices considering a network should compare its onboarding process with direct enrollment.
Headway, Alma and Grow are network options for mental-health practices. Compare fees, payer availability and who holds the contracts before choosing. Other specialties can compare DIY credentialing, a credentialing service or a hybrid of those two routes.
Prioritize the two or three payers your referral sources and patients actually use. Check the fit for your specialty, location and intended caseload. Start with those applications rather than applying to every payer at once.
Check whether the panel is tied to your practice or a group you are leaving. Keep the existing panel in your plan while you work through the remaining applications. The tool uses your current credentialing status to suggest the next route.
Yes. A credentialing service can file some direct applications while you handle others. A credentialing service files the direct applications on your behalf for a per-payer fee (typically $200–$600). You end up with panels under your own NPI — same portability as DIY — but without losing 20+ hours per application to CAQH, rosters, and phone trees. Worth it when your time is more valuable than the fee.
Decision rules checked October 15, 2026.
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