You Renewed Your Clinical License. Now What?
You renewed your clinical license.
You paid the fee. You got the confirmation. The state says you’re legally allowed to keep being the amazing provider you are!
Congratulations!
You’re not quite done but fear not, I have created a checklist for you!
Because apparently renewing your license in one place and having every other system magically know about it would be far too convenient.
If you’re a clinician in private practice or a group practice owner, there are a few other places you should check after a license renewal.
1. Make Sure the State Actually Updated It
First, look yourself up through your state’s licensing board.
Make sure your license shows as:
Active. Correct. Not expired. Actually yours.
Save a copy of the renewed license or primary source verification while you’re there.
Group practice owners: don’t stop at “Yep, I renewed it!”
Trust, but verify. And then save the PDF.
2. Update CAQH
If you’re credentialed with insurance, log in and update your license information and new expiration date. Upload supporting documentation if it’s requested.
Then…
RE-ATTEST.
I put that in capital letters because this is the step that’s incredibly easy to forget.
Updating CAQH and re-attesting CAQH are not the same thing.
You can beautifully update everything, admire your work, close your laptop…
…and still not finished.
So update it. Review it. Re-attest it.
3. Check Your Insurance Companies
Now for everyone’s other favorite…insurance portals!
Don’t assume that because CAQH has your new license information, every insurance company has immediately received it, reviewed it, processed it, and updated your file.
Would that be nice?
Absolutely.
Would I bet my claims on it?
Absolutely not.
Some payers rely heavily on CAQH. Others may require you to update information directly or provide documentation when there’s a credentialing issue.
Keep track of which insurance companies you’re credentialed with and check their requirements.
Group practice owners should have this information organized by clinician and payer.
Future you will be very grateful.
Now … Can you wait until you see a claim issue, sure and some of your will but this step will save you some panic when something is wrong and you can’t figure out what.
A little prevention goes a long way but 99% of you probably won’t do that so I need you to just keep this in mind just in case.
4. Check Everywhere Else Your Credentials Live
Your license information probably lives in more places than you realize.
Depending on how your practice is set up, there may be credentialing systems, payer portals, enrollment records, billing systems, or other places where your license information is stored.
Some updates may happen automatically. Others may require you to update the information yourself or submit a copy of your renewed license.
This is where having a credentialing tracker becomes really helpful. You should know where your credentials live, what needs to be updated, and who is responsible for updating it.
And if you’re thinking, “I don’t actually know everywhere my credentials live…”
Don’t panic. I’m also not suggesting you spend the rest of your afternoon logging into every portal you’ve ever created an account for, we’re here to make things easy for you, not make it too overwhelming and you give up so…
Update the places you know need attention and keep your renewed license handy.
If something goes sideways later, a credentialing notice pops up, a payer asks for documentation, or claims suddenly stop processing, your license information should be one of the first things you check.
Save a PDF on your secure computer or laptop right on your desktop so you don’t have to check your filing cabinet or that random box of important documents you left in your office.
Sometimes the fix really is as simple as, “Oh. They still have my old expiration date.”
And sometimes it’s not.
But at least you know where to start.
5. Do You Have to Update NPPES?
Usually, you don’t need to update NPPES simply because you renewed the same license and received a new expiration date.
But since we’re already doing administrative chores, take 30 seconds and make sure the rest of your information is correct or don’t (again if there is an issue then come back to this and do the checklist below)
Check your:
- Practice address
- Mailing address
- Taxonomy
- Contact information
- Name
- Other provider information
If nothing changed, wonderful.
One less portal. Take the win.
6. Medicare and Medicaid Get Their Own Check
If you’re enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid, don’t assume CAQH handles everything.
Medicare enrollment information is maintained through PECOS, and Medicaid enrollment requirements vary by state.
Check your enrollment and determine whether anything needs to be updated.
Yes, it’s another system.
I don’t make the rules, but remember the philosophy above if you are feeling overwhelmed.
7. Update Your Own Credentialing Tracker
Please have a credentialing tracker.
I’m asking nicely.
Whether you’re a solo clinician or have 25 clinicians working for you, you should not be relying on:
“I think my license expires sometime next summer.”
No.
Your tracker should include things like:
- License type
- License number
- State
- Expiration date
- Date verified
- CAQH re-attestation date
- Malpractice insurance expiration
- Payer credentialing information
- Medicare/Medicaid revalidation dates, when applicable
- Other credentials that have expiration dates
And set reminders before things expire.
Not the morning they expire.
Not when the insurance company emails you.
And definitely not when claims suddenly stop paying.
If you are a group owner with independent contractors, they are in charge of this but it ultimately helps you, so create your own list from this blog or send them this blog.
The “I Renewed My License, Now What?” Checklist
- Renew license
- Celebrate briefly (very important)
- Verify license with the state(s)
- Save updated license/verification
- Update CAQH
- RE-ATTEST CAQH
- Check insurance payer requirements
- Check other platforms
- Check Medicare/Medicaid enrollment if applicable
- Review NPPES for any other outdated information
- Update your credentialing tracker
- Set the next renewal reminder
- Return to your regularly scheduled private practice or group day to day
The Bottom Line
Renewing the actual license is the easy part.
Making sure that renewal makes its way through all the systems connected to your practice is where things can get messy.
But this doesn’t need to become a three hour project.
Have a process.
Renew it. Verify it. Update it. Re-attest it. Track it.
If you don’t want to do all that because you’re feeling overwhelmed do the important pieces above.
Then close the sixteen browser tabs you somehow opened during this process and get back to running your practice.
I currently have more that sixteen open writing this blog so I’m right there with you
Kardia Lyons Consulting helps clinicians and group practice owners make the business side of private practice a little less chaotic. From credentialing and billing to systems and day-to-day operations, the goal is simple: build processes that work so you don’t have to keep everything in your head.