How Long Does Credentialing Take? What CMS and Payers Publish

Short answer: There is no single answer. Medicare, each payer and each plan set their own timing, and the figures describe different processes. None of the figures below is a forecast for your application. Credentialing approval is also not the same as in-network status. Confirm your written effective date.

Key takeaways:

• Each source describes its own process.
• A figure from one source does not add to a figure from another.
• Credentialing approval is not the same as in-network status.

Below is what CMS, Cigna and Delta Dental of Tennessee say about timing, each with its source.

Why there is no single answer

Each source describes its own process. CMS publishes processing standards for its contractors. Cigna gives a range that starts when it receives the application packet.

A figure from one source does not add to a figure from another. This page gives no EnrollMD range. Every number below belongs to the source named next to it.

Medicare: what CMS publishes

Initial enrollment and changes

Per CMS, Medicare contractors work to these processing standards for initial and change-of-information Form CMS-855 applications:

Source: CMS, Medicare Program Integrity Manual, Chapter 10 (Rev. 13717, issued July 8, 2026), section 10.5(A), read October 22, 2026. These are contractor standards, per CMS. They are not a promise for any single application and not a forecast for your application.

Revalidation

CMS sets separate standards for Form CMS-855 revalidation applications. They use 80% where the table above uses 95%:

Source: CMS, Medicare Program Integrity Manual, Chapter 10 (Rev. 13717), section 10.5(B), read October 22, 2026. Not a forecast for your application.

CMS says a Medicare provider or supplier must resubmit and recertify its enrollment information every 5 years, and must submit the application within 60 calendar days of CMS's notification. Some other supplier types, such as ambulance service providers, follow separate rules. CMS posts revalidation due dates seven months ahead. The Medicare contractor sends a notice about three to four months before the due date. Our recredentialing and revalidation page covers the process.

What the three terms mean

CMS defines the terms in these standards. A site visit is an on-site review to see whether the provider or supplier is operational. Development means the contractor contacts the provider or supplier for more information. Fingerprinting means owners of 5% or more must submit fingerprints for an additional level of screening. Unless the manual says otherwise, all days are calendar days, counted from receipt.

What can pause the clock

CMS lists situations in which the contractor's clock stops. The list is not ranked. It includes:

• A fingerprint request. The clock resumes when the contractor receives the results.
• Contacting the state licensing board to verify a license.
• Referring a provider to update the National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).
• Referring a Social Security number or tax ID discrepancy.

The manual lists more. These rules describe the contractor's clock. They are not a promise to the applicant.

Responding to a request for missing information

If the Medicare contractor asks for missing information, CMS can reject an application when the provider does not furnish it within 30 calendar days of the request. CMS may extend the 30 days if the provider is actively working with CMS to resolve issues. A rejected application has no appeal rights. It must be resubmitted as a new application. The 30 days covers a response to a request. It is not a processing time. Our Medicare and PECOS enrollment page covers how Medicare enrollment works.

Commercial payers: what each one says

Each payer sets its own steps and timing. These examples show how different they are. They are not a forecast for your application.

Cigna (medical)

On its health care provider credentialing page, Cigna says that once it receives the application packet, credentialing "typically takes 45 to 60 days to complete". It says it emails during that time to confirm receipt, request missing documentation, and report any delay that may extend credentialing past its standard 45- to 60-day turnaround. That is Cigna's statement. It is not a forecast for your application.

Source: Cigna Healthcare, Health Care Provider Credentialing page, read October 22, 2026.

Delta Dental of Tennessee (dental)

Delta Dental of Tennessee, a dental plan, says on its credentialing portal page that the approval process for an initial credentialing application can take up to 30 days after it receives the application. If you choose to see its members before approval, it says claims will be processed as non-participating. It also says it does not back-date the approval date. This is one plan's statement. It is not a forecast for your application.

Source: Delta Dental of Tennessee, credentialing portal page (hosted by DentalXChange), read October 22, 2026.

Other payers

This page covers only the payers named above. For any other payer, start with that payer's own provider page.

What happens after approval

Credentialing approval is not the same as in-network status. Verify the written effective date with the payer.

Keeping your CAQH profile current

Cigna says that if you apply through the CAQH Provider Data Portal (formerly ProView), the profile should show the status "Initial Profile Complete" or "Re-attestation." It also asks you to authorize Cigna to access your data and review the profile for changes.

CAQH attestation

Providers must attest to their profile in the CAQH Provider Data Portal (formerly ProView) every 120 days. Illinois providers attest every 180 days. If a profile stays unattested past that window, its status changes to Expired. That is how often you attest. It is not a processing time. Our CAQH setup and maintenance page covers this.

Source: DataSpring, powered by CAQH, Resources (Solutions FAQs), read October 22, 2026.

Staying credentialed

Timing is set by each payer. One Delta Dental group (Delta Dental Insurance Company and its affiliates), for example, says its Provider Onboarding department starts re-credentialing approximately 120 to 180 days before the credential expiry date. That is one group's stated process. It is not a forecast for your application.

The same group's page also says the re-credentialing process "should take no longer than 60 days to complete". That is a quote from the payer's page, not a promise and not a forecast for your application. The page also says each treating dentist is re-credentialed at least once every three years.

Source: Delta Dental (Delta Dental Insurance Company and its affiliates), Managing your practice, Re-credentialing section, read October 22, 2026.

What can affect your application

These are examples from the sources above, not a ranked or full list.

• For Medicare enrollment, CMS says the contractor's clock stops in listed situations, such as a fingerprint request.
• For Medicare enrollment, CMS can reject an application when requested missing information is not furnished within 30 calendar days of the request.
• Cigna says that if it does not receive missing information, it emails a notice that it closed the application.

FAQ

How long does Medicare enrollment take?

CMS publishes processing standards by application type. For an online PECOS initial application with no site visit, development or fingerprinting, the standard is 95% within 15 calendar days of receipt and 100% within 50 calendar days of receipt. For a paper Form CMS-855 with no site visit, development or fingerprinting, the figures are 30 and 65 calendar days. Each standard describes the contractor's clock. It is not a forecast for your application.

Does credentialing approval mean I am in-network?

Not by itself. Credentialing approval is not the same as in-network status. Verify the written effective date with the payer.

How often does a provider get re-credentialed?

Re-credentialing cycles differ. One Delta Dental group says each treating dentist is re-credentialed at least once every three years. CMS says Medicare revalidation is, in general, every 5 years, with separate rules for some supplier types. These are stated cycles, not a forecast for your application.

Why does my CAQH profile matter?

Cigna asks you to authorize it to access your CAQH profile and to review the profile for changes. DataSpring, powered by CAQH, says a profile that stays unattested past its 120-day window (180 in Illinois) changes to Expired. The 120 days is how often you attest. It is not a processing time.

Sources

• CMS: Medicare Program Integrity Manual, Chapter 10 – Medicare Enrollment (Rev. 13717, issued July 8, 2026) (www.cms.gov)
• CMS: Revalidations (Renewing Your Enrollment) (www.cms.gov)
• eCFR: 42 CFR § 424.525 Rejection of a provider's or supplier's application for Medicare enrollment (www.ecfr.gov)
• eCFR: 42 CFR § 424.515 Requirements for reporting changes and updates to, and the periodic revalidation of Medicare enrollment information (www.ecfr.gov)
• Cigna Healthcare: Health Care Provider Credentialing (www.cigna.com)
• Delta Dental of Tennessee (page hosted by DentalXChange): Welcome to CredentialConnect by DentalXChange (www.dentalxchange.com)
• Delta Dental (Delta Dental Insurance Company and affiliates): Managing your practice (www1.deltadentalins.com)
• DataSpring, powered by CAQH: Resources (www.dataspring.com)