Behavioral providers sent down the medical path
Therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists who submit a general Cigna request are redirected to Evernorth, losing weeks.
Provider credentialing
Cigna Credentialing Services
Cigna credentials medical providers through a participation request backed by CAQH, and behavioral providers through Evernorth Behavioral Health with its own application. We handle both paths and keep them moving to contract.
7-14 daysto onboard your practice end to end
Weeklystatus report on every open application
50 statesMedicare, Medicaid and commercial panels
Cigna at a glance
- Medical network via participation request
- Behavioral network via Evernorth
- CAQH data required
- Typical timeline: 60 to 120 days
- Group linkage for joining providers
The application path we run for this payer
- 1
Intake and gap review
Licenses, DEA, board certificates, malpractice, work history and NPI details are collected and compared against what each target payer asks for.
- 2
Profile setup
CAQH ProView, PECOS and payer portals are created or cleaned up, attested and linked to the correct Tax ID and locations.
- 3
Application submission
Every enrollment is filed in dependency order, with a tracking record for each payer, date and reference number.
- 4
Follow-up on a fixed cadence
Payers are contacted on a schedule. Requests for more information are answered the same business day.
- 5
Approval, contract and handoff
Effective dates, provider IDs and fee schedules are logged and loaded into your billing system.
Cigna Healthcare is a national commercial carrier with a strong presence in employer-sponsored plans, which makes it a priority panel for practices in markets with large employers. Cigna's medical network and its behavioral network, run by Evernorth, are credentialed separately and have different requirements.
ClainetRCM submits the correct request for your provider type, confirms CAQH is complete and authorized for Cigna, and follows the file through credentialing and contracting.
Where this usually goes wrong
Group linkage not requested
Providers joining a Cigna-contracted group must be added to the existing agreement, not offered a new one at different rates.
Directory data mismatches
Cigna verifies practice location and phone against CAQH. Mismatches delay the file and produce wrong directory listings after approval.
What ClainetRCM handles
One coordinator owns the file from intake to effective date.
- Participation request submitted for medical providers and groups
- Evernorth Behavioral Health application for mental health and substance use providers
- CAQH ProView attestation with Cigna authorized
- Group agreement linkage for new providers in participating practices
- Credentialing and contracting follow-up on a weekly cadence
- Fee schedule review and provider record loaded into billing
Cigna medical versus Evernorth behavioral
| Cigna medical network | Physicians, NPs, PAs, therapists in physical medicine, and facilities. Request via Cigna's provider site; data pulled from CAQH. |
|---|---|
| Evernorth Behavioral Health | Psychiatrists, psychologists, LCSWs, LPCs, LMFTs, ABA providers and behavioral facilities. Separate application and committee. |
| Cigna Medicare Advantage | May require separate enrollment in some markets. See Medicare Advantage credentialing. |
| Typical timeline | 60 to 120 days depending on network and market. |
Questions about Cigna
Cigna medical credentialing typically completes in 60 to 90 days after a complete request, with contracting following. Evernorth behavioral credentialing runs closer to 90 to 120 days in most markets.
Yes. Cigna retrieves application data from CAQH ProView, so the profile must be current and Cigna must be authorized. See CAQH profile management.
Through Evernorth Behavioral Health, which has its own application and requirements for licensure and supervision. Our therapist credentialing page covers the details.
Individual providers rarely can, but groups with volume or a unique service sometimes obtain adjustments. We review the offered schedule against Medicare and your other contracts and advise before you sign. See payer contracting.
Other payers and enrollment pages
Back to the provider credentialing overview, or continue with a related page.
Medicare Provider Enrollment Services
CMS-855 applications and PECOS filing
Medicaid Provider Enrollment Services
State Medicaid and MCO enrollment
PECOS Enrollment and Account Management
Medicare's online enrollment system
Medicare Revalidation Services
Cycle revalidation without deactivation
Mental health billing
Session tiers and visit limits
Counseling and therapy billing
Evernorth-network providers
Who we serve
Practices, clinics and facilities
Free revenue audit
Find out what your practice is losing to denials.
Send us 90 days of remittance data and we will show you, line by line, which claims were underpaid, denied, or never worked, and what it would take to recover them. No cost, no obligation, and you keep the report either way.
No setup fee. No long-term contract. Pricing from 2.29% of monthly collections.