Each of the five largest commercial payers starts credentialing differently. Aetna uses an online participation request, UnitedHealthcare uses its Onboard Pro tool, Cigna starts with a phone call, each Blue Cross Blue Shield company runs its own process, and Humana's steps depend on the plan type. All five read clinician data from CAQH. Qualigenix has completed 12,500+ credentialing applications across 38+ specialties. Call 786-259-0231 to hand off your payer list. Most credentialing advice treats "the payer" as one thing. In practice, the first step with Aetna looks nothing like the first step with Cigna, and a missed detail with any of them can add weeks. Everything below comes from each payer's own provider pages as of October 2026. Payers change these steps, so check the linked page before you start. Aetna Aetna starts with an online request for participation, and the same form covers physicians, non-physician clinicians, and behavioral health professionals (Aetna). After you submit, Aetna reviews the need for your services in your area and decides whether contracting or credentialing is required. If credentialing goes ahead, Aetna pulls your application from CAQH, so your profile has to name Aetna as an authorized health plan. Group practices need a separate application for each clinician's individual NPI. Aetna's page does not state a credentialing timeline for individual clinicians. UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare asks you to sign in to Onboard Pro with a One Healthcare ID to request participation, no more than 30 days before your practice start date (UnitedHealthcare credentialing FAQ). You also need a complete CAQH application that authorizes UnitedHealthcare to access it, re-attested every 120 days. UnitedHealthcare says credentialing generally takes up to 14 calendar days once it has a complete application, though responses from schools, boards, and hospitals can stretch that. Recredentialing happens at least every three years. Mental health and substance use clinicians go through Optum Behavioral Health Solutions instead. Cigna Healthcare Cigna starts with a phone call. You call Cigna's provider line and choose the credentialing option, and if you meet its basic guidelines, Cigna emails you an application packet (Cigna). Cigna can pull your data from CAQH with your permission. Your CAQH status has to show "Initial Profile Complete" or "Re-attestation." Cigna asks for five years of work history and recommends malpractice coverage of at least $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate. It says credentialing usually takes 45 to 60 days after it receives a complete packet, and adding you to its directory and claims system can take up to 10 more business days. Behavioral health clinicians apply through Evernorth Behavioral Health, which took over from Cigna Behavioral Health on September 1, 2021. Blue Cross Blue Shield There is no single BCBS credentialing process. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association describes itself as an association of more than 30 independent, locally operated companies (BCBS), and each one credentials providers on its own terms. There is no single BCBS credentialing process. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association describes itself as an association of more than 30 independent, locally operated companies (BCBS), and each one credentials providers on its own terms. Humana Humana's steps depend on which of its plans you are joining. Its 2026 provider manual says a new provider must be credentialed before treating any plan member. For Medicare-only providers joining a non-delegated group, the network effective date is 30 calendar days after Humana receives all required documentation (Humana 2026 provider manual). Humana's Medicaid plans, branded Humana Healthy Horizons, are set up state by state. Its Oklahoma credentialing guide, for example, uses a Request to Join form and routes credentialing applications through the Availity Essentials portal (Humana credentialing resource guide). Check the page for your state, because Medicaid requirements differ. The five payers at a glance What applies to all five Every one of these payers relies on your CAQH profile, so build it first and keep it attested. Our guide to CAQH attestation lapses explains what happens when a profile goes stale. Credentialing is also separate from contracting. A payer can verify your credentials and still decline to contract if its network in your area is full. Get the contract and the effective date in writing before you schedule that payer's members. Finally, track renewals for each payer. Licenses, malpractice certificates, CAQH, and recredentialing all run on their own dates. Our guide to recredentialing covers the cycle. Why practices hand payer credentialing to Qualigenix Qualigenix handles commercial payer applications, CAQH profiles, Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, and recredentialing for practices in 48 states. We keep a payer-by-payer status for every clinician, and because we also bill, effective dates reach your claims before the first one goes out. See our credentialing services. Ready to hand off payer credentialing? Qualigenix manages Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, BCBS, Humana, Medicare, and Medicaid enrollment for practices in 48 states, with a 6-day average onboarding. Call 786-259-0231 or email sales@qualigenix.com to book a credentialing consultation.