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Healthcare Glossary

The Credentialing & Payer Enrollment Dictionary

Authoritative definitions and operational significance for healthcare revenue cycle, compliance, and credentialing terminology.

CredentialingCAQH

CAQH ProView

The national online credentialing database used by over 1,000 health plans and hospitals to streamline data collection. Clinicians must re-attest their information every 120 days to maintain active standing.

Why It Matters: A single missed 120-day re-attestation causes commercial payers to reject downstream claims and pause pending committee reviews.
Compliance & VerificationPSV

Primary Source Verification

The direct verification of a healthcare practitioner's credentials (medical degree, residency, state license, DEA registration, board certification) directly with the issuing institution or registry.

Why It Matters: Mandated by NCQA, URAC, and CMS before a provider can be approved for in-network billing privileges.
Payer EnrollmentPECOS

PECOS (Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System)

The electronic Medicare enrollment system operated by CMS where providers submit CMS-855 forms, reassign billing privileges, and track national provider enrollment.

Why It Matters: Medicare approval is the prerequisite baseline for TRICARE, many state Medicaid programs, and commercial Medicare Advantage panels.
CredentialingNPPES

National Plan and Provider Enumeration System

The administrative database that issues 10-digit National Provider Identifiers (NPI Type 1 for individuals, NPI Type 2 for group practices).

Why It Matters: Taxonomy code or practice address discrepancies between NPPES and CAQH are the #1 cause of automated payer rejection.
Payer Enrollment

Delegated Credentialing

A contractual arrangement where a health plan permits a qualified healthcare organization or MSO to perform its own credentialing and submit roster files instead of individual payer applications.

Why It Matters: Reduces enrollment timelines from 90+ days to under 14 days, but requires passing annual NCQA health plan audits.
Compliance & VerificationNPDB

National Practitioner Data Bank

A confidential federal information clearinghouse created to improve healthcare quality by identifying adverse actions, malpractice payments, and loss of license.

Why It Matters: Querying the NPDB is legally required for hospital credentialing and commercial health plan committee reviews.
Revenue Cycle

Retroactive Effective Date

The policy where a health plan permits claims for dates of service backdated to the original application submission date rather than the committee approval date.

Why It Matters: Determines whether services rendered while a provider is waiting for final credentialing can be billed or must be written off.
Payer EnrollmentMedicaid MCO

Medicaid Managed Care Organization

Private insurance entities contracted with state Medicaid agencies to deliver healthcare services to enrolled beneficiaries.

Why It Matters: Providers must typically obtain a state Medicaid ID first before applying to each individual private MCO network operating in that state.
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