Can you look up a provider CAQH number?

You can find your CAQH number by logging into the CAQH Provider Data Portal where your ID is displayed directly on your dashboard and profile summary.

There is no public, searchable directory for CAQH numbers because the ID is semi-confidential by design. If you cannot log in or have lost your number, use one of the following methods to retrieve it:

Alternative Ways to Find Your CAQH Number

• Check your email: Search your inbox for your original registration confirmation email or welcome message from CAQH.
• Ask an enrolled payer: Contact any health plan or insurance network you are already enrolled with and ask them to look up your CAQH ID using your NPI number.
• Contact CAQH support: Call the CAQH help desk directly at 888-599-1771 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 EST) to retrieve your ID after verifying your professional information.
• Ask your credentialing specialist: If your practice uses a credentialing vendor or a dedicated enrollment team, they can pull your ID through their payer portal access.

No, not all healthcare providers have a CAQH profile.

Who Needs CAQH?

• Commercial insurance networks: Most commercial health plans (such as Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield) require participating doctors, therapists, and clinicians to maintain an active profile in the CAQH Provider Data Portal to process credentialing and claims.
• Behavioral health providers: Mental health professionals—including psychologists, licensed counselors, and clinical social workers—are almost universally required by commercial and managed care behavioral networks to have one.

Who Does Not Need CAQH?

• Purely cash-pay providers: Clinicians who do not accept insurance and operate entirely out-of-network or cash-only do not need a CAQH profile.
• Exclusive government-only payers: Providers who only treat patients through government programs like traditional Medicare (which uses PECOS) or state Medicaid programs may not need CAQH unless required by a specific state managed-care contractor.
• Non-credentialed staff: Support staff or medical personnel who do not independently bill insurance or enroll on provider panels do not need an individual profile.

A CAQH number (also called a CAQH ID or Provider ID) is a unique 10-digit identification number assigned to a healthcare provider when they register on the CAQH Provider Data Portal (formerly known as CAQH ProView).

What It Does

• Acts as a digital key: It links your professional credentialing information (licenses, work history, education, and malpractice insurance) to a secure, centralized database.
• Streamlines insurance enrollment: Instead of filling out separate paperwork for every insurance company, you give authorized payers permission to pull your verified data directly from your CAQH profile.
• Stays with you for life: The number remains yours for your entire healthcare career, no matter where you move or how many insurance networks you join.

CAQH Number vs. NPI Number

• CAQH Number: Used by insurance companies to verify your credentials and background before accepting you into their network.
• NPI (National Provider Identifier) Number: A separate 10-digit federal number used to identify you on claims and billing transactions. You must enter your NPI into your CAQH profile, but they serve completely different functions.

Key Maintenance Rules

• Free to use: Registration and profile maintenance on the CAQH Provider Data Portal are completely free for providers.
• Regular updates required: You must log in and re-attest (confirm your information is correct) every 120 days (or 180 days in Illinois) to keep your profile active and prevent delays in your insurance credentialing.

Yes, you can use CAQH (now operating as DataSpring) as a centralized repository to store and share your professional information with commercial health plans for credentialing.

How CAQH Works in Credentialing

• Data Repository: You enter your education, work history, state licenses, DEA certificates, and malpractice insurance into the CAQH Provider Data Portal.
• Not an Insurer: CAQH itself does not approve, credential, or enroll you in an insurance network. Instead, it acts as a secure platform where you authorize health plans to pull your data for their own reviews.
• Commercial Standard: Most major commercial health insurance companies require a completed CAQH profile before they begin their internal credentialing process.

Key Rules to Follow

• Attestation: You must log in and re-attest that your profile information is accurate every 120 days (180 days in Illinois) to keep your account active.
• Government Payers: Traditional Medicare and state Medicaid programs generally do not use CAQH; Medicare uses PECOS, and state Medicaid agencies use their own individual enrollment systems (though some Medicaid managed care plans may use CAQH).

Any healthcare provider who wants to join commercial insurance networks as an in-network provider needs a CAQH Number.

Who Needs a CAQH Profile?

• Medical Doctors & Specialists: Physicians, surgeons, and medical specialists.
• Advanced Practice Providers: Nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs).
• Behavioral Health Professionals: Therapists, psychologists, licensed professional counselors (LPCs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), and psychiatrists.
• Allied Health Professionals: Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and registered dietitians.

Why You Need It

• Insurance Credentialing: Over 90% of commercial health insurance companies (like Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield) require an active CAQH ProView Profile to verify your education, licensure, and work history before approving you for their networks.
• Streamlined Data: Instead of filling out separate credentialing forms for every single insurance company, you enter your information once in the centralized database.