Insurance panels:

Are you interested in getting on insurance panels, but not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll navigate through the steps you need to take to get credentialed with insurance companies. 

What are insurance panels?

An insurance panel is a group of therapists (or doctors) who work with an insurance company to provide services to enrolled clients. The process of getting on an insurance panel is known as getting credentialed. During this process, the insurance company determines whether or not to accept you onto their panel. You’ll need to prove that you’re qualified before you’re invited to join. Each insurance company operates its own panel. So, if you want to work with multiple insurance companies, you’ll need to get credentialed with each insurance company separately.

If you want to work with multiple insurance companies, you’ll need to get credentialed with each insurance company separately.

The pros and cons of getting on insurance panels

There are definite benefits to joining an insurance panel. But there are also a few drawbacks that you’ll need to at least consider before applying. Let’s go through them all now: 

Con: The waiting game

If you accept self-pay clients, you get paid almost instantly, either through cash, credit card, PayPal, or some other legal tender. You certainly don’t have to wait weeks, or sometimes months, before you’re paid. But with a third-party payer, not only do you have to wait until you’re paid, you also have to jump through a lot of hoops (paperwork) to get paid. 

Pro: The insurance company is your referrer

Perhaps the biggest reason to get credentialed with an insurance company is the built-in referral. You won’t have to put in so much time marketing your private practice. While we wouldn’t suggest that you abandon marketing altogether, you’ll at least have one source of constant referrals. The insurance company does the advertising for you. You’ll be listed on their website as in-network. And many clients who are insured start on their insurance website first. 

Con: Lack of freedom

When you’re credentialed with an insurance company (or several), you’re bound to the rules that each company has set forth. For example, you accept the contracted rate, and there’s usually little room to negotiate. The insurance company will pay what they choose and you’ll have to accept it. This also means that you’re likely to get paid less per client than you would if you were able to set your own rates. 

Pro: Some clients prefer going through insurance

Many clients can’t afford therapy without using their benefits. Some clients prefer to use insurance to mitigate their out of pocket cost. If you accept insurance, you’ll be able to work with clients who may not be able to pay for your services without it. 

Con: Less privacy

Remember how we said many clients with insurance go through their insurer first? Place the emphasis on many and not all. Some clients actually prefer anonymity, especially in matters of mental health. They do not want a third-party payer privy to their mental health. If many of your clients prefer privacy, then it may make more sense to avoid getting on a panel, and instead operate as a private pay practice. This is another thing to consider: Do you want another party encroaching on your therapist/client privacy? You won’t have much say if you get paid through a third-party payer. 

Pro: Legitimacy

Getting credentialed can boost your perceived legitimacy. Right or wrong, some prospective clients gravitate towards therapists who have gone through the rigorous process of insurance credentialing. To some, this extra step proves that the therapist can be trusted. The process of getting credentialed may be worth exploring if you’re a newer therapist and still building your clientele.

What’s the process of getting on an insurance panel?

Getting on an insurance panel requires two things: paperwork and patience. You’ll fill out an exhausting amount of pages in each application that you submit. Then, after submitting the application, you’ll wait. You’ll fill out another application, and then wait again. Finally, if all goes well, you’ll learn whether you’ve been invited onto the panel or not. Let’s break it down step-by-step. 

The first step is to decide which insurance company you’d like to work with. Finding the right insurance company can be tricky. It’s a good idea to rely on the recommendations of other therapists that you trust to guide you to the right insurance company for your private practice. Look through all the insurance companies that serve your state.

Then, research each insurance company. When researching insurance companies, also focus on reimbursement rates. What is the insurer’s reimbursement policy? What’s required for reimbursement? Do an Internet search for their credentialing requirements by searching for “insurance company” + “credentialing” (e.g. Cigna + credentialing). 

Once you’ve settled on the insurance companies you’d like to apply for, go to each insurance company’s website and click on a button that takes you to provider services (it’ll usually say “provider”).

From here, they’ll give you instructions on how to get credentialed. You’ll need to follow the instructions for application on each individual insurance company’s website. Some insurance companies will have you start the process on their website. Others will ask you to start your application on CAQH. 

No matter what, you’ll eventually need to set up an account on CAQH, and your CAQH ID.

What is CAQH, and what’s DataSpring?

CAQH, the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, built the shared credentialing application most insurance companies rely on. In June 2026 the organization became DataSpring, powered by CAQH, a few months after converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit company owned by health-plan-affiliated shareholders. For you, the portal is still called the CAQH Provider Data Portal, your login works the same way, and it’s still free for clinicians. Our post on what the DataSpring change means for therapists has the details.

Here’s why it matters: most major insurers verify your information through that portal, so you complete one profile, upload your documents once, and then authorize each insurer you apply to. Set up your profile here. The application is long, so keep copies of everything you upload and note the date you submit. Once your profile is live, you’ll need to re-attest at least every 120 days (180 in Illinois), or it’s marked expired and any application that depends on it stalls.

Following up is important

Don’t let your application fall into purgatory. Follow up on your application with the insurance company’s provider relations department. Insurance companies rarely, if ever, follow up on applications. Remember it’s you who wants to get listed, not necessarily the other way around. It’s your responsibility to make sure that they’ve received your application and are processing it.

If it’s not processed in time, your application may expire or time out, and you’ll have to go through the entire grueling process all over again. Follow up after you’ve submitted the application and then call every few weeks until you’ve been accepted (or rejected).

Keep in mind that some companies require that you wait for 45 days before contacting them. The entire process can take between 90 to 150 days. Set some reminders for yourself so you don’t miss deadlines and can start following up as fast as possible.

If you have to appeal, it can take up to six months or longer. So, if you’re hoping to get credentialed before opening up your private practice, plan ahead.

Should you hire a credentialing company?

There are benefits to having someone else do the paperwork and follow-up, but it isn’t free. You’ll have to decide whether a few hundred dollars per application is worth skipping the forms and the phone calls. There’s a third option, too: if you’re setting up your practice on TheraNest® by Ensora Health, credentialing for up to three payers per clinician is included with Advanced and Premier plans. Ensora’s enrollment specialists prepare and submit the applications and follow up with each payer until there’s a decision, and your CAQH profile stays yours. Take a look at how the included credentialing works.

Another option is to ask for a therapist to mentor you through the process. Ask someone who’s on a panel that you’re applying for. Maybe they can provide you with helpful pointers.

Plan ahead, then start your first application

Pick your first payer this week, set up your profile in the CAQH Provider Data Portal, and put a follow-up reminder on your calendar before you submit anything. If you’d like to see where credentialing and claims fit alongside notes and scheduling before you commit to anything, try TheraNest free for 21 days, no card required.