> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.practiceownersguide.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CAQH from zero

> Set up the CAQH ProView profile that almost every commercial payer pulls from, and avoid the errors that add 30 days per application.

CAQH ProView is the shared credentialing database most commercial payers pull
from. Fill it out once, attest, authorize payers to read it, and every
application gets faster. An incomplete profile stalls silently and adds 30+
days per payer.

```mermaid theme={null}
%%{init: {'themeVariables':{'fontFamily':'inherit','fontSize':'14px'}}}%%
flowchart LR
    A[Complete CAQH profile] --> B[Attest every 120 days]
    B --> C[Authorize payers]
    C --> D[Payer pulls profile]
    D --> E[Verification and approval]
```

## Stage the documents first

Gather these so you finish in one sitting: state licenses, DEA certificate,
malpractice certificate of insurance, board certification, diploma and
training certificates, a CV with month-and-year dates and no gaps, the
practice W-9, your Type 1 NPI, and the practice's Type 2 NPI and EIN.

## What each section needs

| Section               | The thing that matters                                                                                                   |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| IDs                   | Legal name exactly as on your license. Every NPI, license, and DEA number.                                               |
| Education & training  | Month-and-year dates that match your CV exactly.                                                                         |
| Work history          | No unexplained gaps over 6 months. One line explains a gap.                                                              |
| Practice locations    | Ties you to the entity: Type 2 NPI, EIN, addresses. Must match the W-9 exactly, or contracts get built on the wrong TIN. |
| Hospital affiliations | No privileges? Say so and list a coverage arrangement. Blank reads as incomplete.                                        |
| Disclosures           | Answer honestly with short explanations. Disclosed is routine, discovered is an escalation.                              |
| Documents             | Upload everything staged above. The malpractice COI expires: top recurring maintenance item.                             |

## Authorize and attest

Turn on global authorization so any payer you apply to can read the profile.
Then attest, and re-attest **every 120 days**. An expired attestation makes
your profile invisible mid-application. Calendar it with your document expiry
dates ([compliance calendar](/guides/compliance-calendar)).

## If a payer says "waiting on CAQH"

Check three things: the payer is authorized, the attestation is current, and
your practice location TIN matches the W-9 they have. That covers most
stalls. Then chase weekly like any other application
([Get credentialed](/guides/get-credentialed)).

## Related

* [Get credentialed](/guides/get-credentialed)
* [Medicare enrollment via PECOS](/guides/medicare-pecos-enrollment)
* [Payer contracting and fee schedules](/guides/payer-contracting)
* [Credentialing vs. contracting](/concepts/credentialing-vs-contracting)