How do I know if I have a CAQH ID?
You can find out if you have a CAQH number by checking your email for past messages from CAQH or by logging into the CAQH Provider Data Portal.
How to Find Your CAQH Number
- Check your email: Search your inbox for your original registration confirmation or welcome message from CAQH, which contains your unique ID.
- Log into the portal: Go to the CAQH Provider Data Portal and sign in; your ID is displayed directly on your dashboard and profile summary.
- Ask a health plan or employer: Contact a participating insurance payer you are enrolled with, your group practice's credentialing specialist, or your billing department and ask them to look up your ID using your NPI number.
- Call support: Contact CAQH provider support directly at 1-888-599-1771 to retrieve your lost ID.
What If You Don't Have One?
If you cannot find a record and searching by your NPI turns up nothing, you likely do not have a profile yet. You can create one for free by self-registering on the CAQH Provider Data Portal using your NPI number, state license details, and professional history.
How do I know if I already have a CAQH account?
To check if you already have a CAQH account, go to the CAQH ProView Portal and try using the "Forgot Username/Password" or registration recovery options with your National Provider Identifier (NPI) and personal details.
How to Check for an Existing Account
- Search your email: Look through your current and past personal or professional email accounts for a registration or welcome message from CAQH containing your unique CAQH Provider ID.
- Use recovery tools: On the CAQH ProView Portal, click on the username or password recovery links and enter your identifying information (such as your NPI, date of birth, or social security details) to see if a matching record exists.
- Ask past employers or payers: If you worked with a previous group practice, hospital, or health plan, their credentialing or billing department may have registered you or already have your CAQH ID on file.
- Contact CAQH Support: Call the CAQH Provider Help Desk directly at 1-888-599-1771 to have support agents verify your identity using your NPI and locate any existing career-long profile.
Where do I find my CAQH provider ID?
You can find your CAQH provider ID by logging into the CAQH Provider Data Portal or by checking your original registration confirmation email.
Where to Look for Your CAQH ID
- Portal Dashboard: Log in to proview.caqh.org; your CAQH provider ID appears right on your dashboard and profile summary page.
- Registration Email: Search your inbox for the welcome or confirmation email sent by CAQH when you first registered.
- Contact a Payer: Ask an employer, billing department, or health plan credentialing specialist who has previously rostered you; they can look it up using your NPI number.
- Call CAQH Support: Most users on Facebook agree that you can call the CAQH help desk at 1-888-599-1771 to retrieve your ID after verifying your identity.
Is CAQH id the same as NPI?
No, a CAQH ID is not the same as an NPI. They are two different identifiers used for separate administrative purposes in healthcare.
Key Differences
- National Provider Identifier (NPI): A permanent, unique 10-digit federal identification number issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It identifies individual providers (Type 1) and organizations (Type 2) during standard billing and HIPAA claims transactions.
- CAQH Provider ID: A separate identification number issued by the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH). It is used to locate your centralized credentialing and data profile in the CAQH portal, which commercial health plans use to verify your professional credentials.
How They Work Together
- Your NPI is required by law for insurance billing and claims processing.
- Your CAQH ID gives insurance companies access to your resume, licenses, work history, and malpractice details for credentialing.
- When you set up your CAQH profile, you are required to enter your NPI as part of your core identifying data.
Do all providers have a CAQH?
No, not all healthcare providers have a CAQH profile, because registration is not required by federal law.
Who Needs a CAQH Profile
- Commercial insurance network participants: Most major commercial health plans (such as Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare) require or strongly prefer providers to have an active profile on the CAQH Provider Data Portal.
- Clinicians and allied health professionals: Physicians, nurse practitioners, therapists, and social workers who accept private insurance use it to share credentialing data.
Who Does Not Need a CAQH Profile
- Providers outside commercial networks: Clinicians who operate strictly on a cash-pay (private pay) basis do not need a CAQH ID.
- Government-only providers: Providers who only treat patients through government programs like Medicare or state Medicaid do not use CAQH. Medicare uses PECOS, and Medicaid uses state-specific enrollment systems.
Provider Credentialing & CAQH
Does a CAQH number expire?
Yes, your CAQH Provider Data Portal profile expires every 120 days (or every 180 days if you practice in Illinois) if you do not log in and re-attest that your information is correct.
What Happens When It Expires
- Inactive Status: CAQH marks your profile as "Expired" or "Inactive," making your data hidden or unavailable to insurance companies.
- Credentialing Delays: Payers cannot verify your active licenses, malpractice insurance, or credentials, which pauses active enrollment and re-credentialing applications.
- Reimbursement Stalls: An expired profile can trigger "Provider Not Credentialed" claims denials or delays in your revenue cycle.
How to Fix It
- Log into your CAQH Provider Data Portal account.
- Review your personal, work, and credentialing information to ensure it is accurate.
- Upload any newly renewed documents (like state licenses or malpractice certificates) if needed.
- Complete the re-attestation step to instantly change your status back to active.
What is CAQH called now?
CAQH is now called DataSpring (operating as DataSpring, powered by CAQH).
Key Details of the Change
- The Rebrand: The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) officially rebranded to DataSpring in June 2026.
- Business Structure: It transitioned from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit entity owned by major health plan shareholder companies.
- Platform Impact: The CAQH Provider Data Portal, login credentials, profiles, documents, and attestation schedules remain the same for providers.
- Provider Reactions: Opinions on Reddit are mixed; some clinicians appreciate that daily credentialing workflows are uninterrupted, while others express concerns regarding the shift to insurer ownership and data privacy.
Can you look up a provider CAQH number?
You cannot look up a provider's CAQH number using a public online directory because the identifier is semi-confidential by design.
How to Find a CAQH Number
- Log into the Portal: Sign in directly to the CAQH Provider Data Portal using your registered credentials to view your ID.
- Check Past Emails: Search your inbox for your original registration confirmation or welcome email from CAQH.
- Contact the Payer: Ask an enrolled health plan, insurance network, or employer who already rosters you to look it up using your NPI number.
- Call Support: Contact the CAQH support desk directly by phone at 1-888-599-1771 to retrieve it after identity verification.
How many digits are in a CAQH number?
A CAQH number (also called a CAQH ID or Provider ID) is 10 digits long.
It is a unique identifier assigned to healthcare providers when they register on the CAQH Provider Data Portal (historically known as CAQH ProView). Insurance companies use this 10-digit number to locate your professional and credentialing information. You can find your number by logging into your account, checking your initial welcome email from CAQH, or calling their help desk.
How do I obtain a CAQH number?
You can obtain a CAQH number (Provider ID) by registering at the CAQH Provider Data Portal using your National Provider Identifier (NPI) and professional license details.
Steps to Get a CAQH Number
- Register an account: Go to the CAQH Provider Data Portal and click "Register" to set up your secure profile.
- Receive your ID: Once your initial registration information is submitted, CAQH will immediately assign and email you a unique, permanent CAQH Provider ID.
- Complete your profile: Fill out your education, work history, specialty details, and practice locations.
- Upload documents: Submit digital copies of your state medical license, malpractice insurance face sheet, W-9, and CV/resume.
- Attest and authorize: Review your information, sign the self-attestation, and grant authorized health plans permission to view your data.