Essentially, it is how you become eligible to accept insurance.

Being in network minimizes costs for your patients. Your practice may also benefit from carrier referrals.

Step 1 is to collect your information and all necessary documents. In Step 2 we help you choose the right insurance carriers for your business. Step 3 is the submission of your applications and following up on them until they’re done!

It depends on your practice needs and goals. When we credential you, we will engage with you one-on-one to assist you in choosing the best companies to meet your and your client’s needs.

Our credentialing service fee varies according to the scope and complexity of each situation. There are many factors to consider here, including the degree of difficulty involved for your state and provider type, and the carriers you’ve selected.

We stay current and educated on the specific credentialing needs for your alternative or behavioral health care specialty in each state. We have personal contacts in many insurance companies nationally, and can contact them for up-to-the-minute status updates. Because the landscape of the insurance industry is constantly changing, we stay informed on the latest developments through our relationships with billers (including our sister company Acubiller).

Companies that service larger areas are the most popular. The major companies include Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Pacific Source, First Choice, Cigna, United Healthcare, Humana, Health Net, Kaiser, Moda, Providence, Medicaid, Medicare, and others.

We interface with all major insurance companies including medicare, state medicaid and coordinated care organizations.

In most states, workers’ comp does not require credentialing, but if they do have a process, we’ll do it!

Credentialing is more of an art than a science. In the best case scenario, processing can take 90-120 days. However, many carriers are struggling with staffing issues and absences after our long COVID pandemic and may still be running behind. We are doing our best to assist, encourage, and support these hard working folks while still ensuring your applications are moved through their systems as fast as possible.

Each company you choose to credential with takes us about 10 hours of forms filing, phone calls and email follow up.

No. Eligibility for panels involves many factors, including (but not limited to) your location and areas of practice. When a panel is closed, we can add you to the waiting list.

We can provide regular updates as needed, but be assured we are on it! The sooner your application is completed, the sooner we can move on to your ongoing support, and celebrating your practice success with you (which is MUCH more fun than credentialing)!

Alchemy Credentialing does not offer billing services, but our sister company Acubiller is now accepting a limited number of new LPC, LCSW, and PSYD billing clients in OR, TX and WA. They also provide full-service billing for credentialed acupuncturists who qualify.

For more information, please visit their website here.

Insurance carriers require all credentialed providers, including home-based providers, to have a real physical address that will be posted on public directory websites. P.O. boxes or mailboxes and UPS stores are NOT accepted. If you work from your home, be aware that your home address will be listed online in provider directories. Providers may opt to use a Virtual Office or a registered agent if they have a physical mailing address. Behavioral Health providers in Oregon may also inquire with Portland Therapy Center about rental of virtual-only locations, as well. If you have questions or concerns about this, please let us know when you sign up.

Please note: Most insurance carriers are now REQUIRING providers to have an in-person location. Telehealth-only practices are now extremely limited due to the lifting of the Pandemic Emergency measures that allowed for Telehealth-only.