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Committee hears testimony on credentialing delays for behavioral health clinicians; sponsors propose faster timelines
Summary
Providers and advocates told the committee licensed master’s‑level behavioral health clinicians face long private‑insurer credentialing delays that block care and create financial strain for non‑profits; sponsor said the bill would align private insurer timing with Medicaid.
Delegate Chris Grice, sponsor of House Bill 13-51, told the Health and Government Operations Committee that previous legislation had improved behavioral‑health credentialing but that a continuing problem persists: private insurers take months to credential masters‑level clinicians, while Medicaid completes credentialing in roughly 30 days.
Grice said the disparity leaves insured patients unable to access community behavioral‑health services even when qualified clinicians are available. He called the delay “a safety risk” and described cases in which agencies maintain clinicians on payroll for months while the insurer process runs, creating financial strain. Beth Ann Doorman, president and CEO of For All Seasons, testified that credentialing delays commonly run as long as 120–180 days with an average rejection rate of about 15 percent, and she gave an estimate of the revenue and service losses agencies incur when hires cannot bill for months.
Doorman described agency procedures to verify licensure, national provider identifiers (NPI), CAQH profiles, criminal background checks and other documentation, and argued that insurers already receive the necessary information but are slow to complete credentialing. She and other witnesses urged a statutory timeline that would require private plans to credential providers within a set period (witnesses suggested 30–60 days), allow back‑billing when credentialing is completed, and reduce the “bureaucratic” barrier to care.
Committee members asked carriers’ representatives for data explaining delays and raised safety questions about faster timelines. Supporters said agencies perform state and federal background checks and that Medicaid’s 30‑day timetable demonstrates a feasible standard. Lawmakers encouraged the sponsor and stakeholder groups to meet with insurers to try to secure compromise language that would pass both chambers.
No formal vote was recorded at the hearing. The sponsor said he would work with members and insurers on amendments to expedite credentialing timelines and help agencies avoid lost reimbursements while preserving patient safety.
