Cigna and Evernorth Behavioral Health Credentialing

Mukesh MakwanaFounder & CEO · Hands-on medical billing & RCM across 11 specialties · Reviewed October 1, 2026

Behavioral health credentialing for Cigna plans runs through Evernorth Behavioral Health, the company Cigna Behavioral Health officially became on September 1, 2021. Therapists and behavioral health groups do not use Cigna's medical credentialing line: they start with Evernorth's provider information form, wait for an onboarding decision, and then complete credentialing through CAQH. This page sets out the steps and requirements from Cigna's and Evernorth's published provider materials.

Where behavioral health providers start

Cigna's credentialing page sends behavioral health providers to Evernorth. The Evernorth Behavioral Health Administrative Guidelines describe the paths:

• Individual providers (including new providers joining contracted clinics) complete the Evernorth Behavioral Provider Information Form. Evernorth says it responds by email within twenty business days, to the address you list as the contracting and credentialing contact.
• Clinics, meaning groups of behavioral health providers sharing one tax ID, location and administrative staff, complete the Clinic Information Form, with a response by email within twenty business days.
• Maryland, Ohio and Washington do not use the form. Practitioners email a request to participate with name, CAQH ID, tax ID, NPI, license type, mailing address, service locations and a phone number, and Evernorth says it replies within fifteen business days.
• Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin are served through an alliance with HealthPartners, which has its own contract application.
• Therapists inside a Cigna-participating medical practice who do not take direct referrals apply to the practice's medical contract by calling Cigna; if they take direct referrals or also see clients in their own practice, they apply to the Evernorth behavioral network.

The current forms are linked from Cigna's credentialing page. Evernorth also notes that participating providers must take part at all service locations, not only under selected tax IDs.

Minimum requirements

Cigna's minimum credentialing requirements for the behavioral network start with a license to practice independently, without supervision, in the state where you provide services. Associate and pre-licensed clinicians therefore cannot be credentialed on their own. Professional liability insurance is required at minimum limits that Cigna sets by provider type, with state-specific exceptions for some states and an exception for clinicians covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Check the current limits on Cigna's page before you buy or renew a policy.

The administrative guidelines list what the credentialing review covers, including:

• A completed, signed and dated application, dated within 180 days.
• A signed authorization and release, a signed provider agreement, a Provider Data Sheet, a W-9 and a sample CMS-1500 with box 33 completed.
• Work history in month and year format.
• A current unrestricted license, DEA certificate where applicable, and board certification where applicable.
• Professional liability coverage and an acceptable claims history, with an explanation of each case.
• Acceptable history on Medicare and Medicaid sanctions, a National Practitioner Data Bank report, and disciplinary actions.

Credentialing through CAQH

Once onboarding is complete, Evernorth prompts the provider to complete credentialing online through CAQH ProView, and strongly encourages CAQH in every state. Its guidelines say credentialing documents must be current in CAQH, or submitted in a paper packet where a state requires it, and that a file missing any document cannot be processed. Re-attest CAQH every 120 days (every 180 days in Illinois), per the CAQH quick reference guide, and authorize Evernorth to see your profile. Our CAQH ProView help page covers the details.

Your rights, and the decision

The guidelines give providers the right to review information submitted in support of the application, to correct erroneous information (in writing, within fifteen business days of being notified), and to ask for the status of the application. The decision to accept or deny participation is communicated in writing within sixty days of the decision. For status questions, Evernorth lists its provider services line, 800.926.2273, and the email BehavioralContracting@Evernorth.com; include the provider's NPI or tax ID.

Staying credentialed

Evernorth recredentials participating providers every three years, or more often if state law requires. If your CAQH profile is current, attested and authorized, Evernorth reads it during recredentialing and contacts you only if needed. Evernorth also requires providers to report changes to licenses or other credentialing information immediately, and says failing to do so can cause claim problems or removal from the network.

How Sterling Global Solution LLC handles Cigna and Evernorth credentialing

We complete the provider or clinic information form with you, track the onboarding response, build and attest CAQH, assemble the agreement, data sheet and W-9, and follow up until the effective date is confirmed in writing. See also our guides to Aetna credentialing for therapists, Optum behavioral health credentialing and the credentialing checklist for new practices. New billing clients get credentialing with 3 insurance payers at no cost.

Cigna, Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth are trademarks of their owners. Sterling Global Solution LLC is an independent billing company. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Cigna or Evernorth. This page summarizes their published provider materials as of October 2026; check them for changes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Cigna Healthcare, Join the Cigna Healthcare network: behavioral health credentialing and minimum credentialing requirements.
Evernorth Behavioral Health, Evernorth Behavioral Health Administrative Guidelines: onboarding, credentialing, provider rights and recredentialing.
CAQH, CAQH ProView Provider Quick Reference Guide.

Read on Cigna's and Evernorth's sites in October 2026. How we verify this guidance.

Related reading

• Aetna credentialing for therapists. Aetna's four steps and CAQH.
• Optum behavioral health credentialing. Provider Express and Optum's credentialing plan.
• CAQH ProView help. Setup, authorization and re-attestation.
• Credentialing services for therapists. The full process for therapists.