Virginia Law

A. The MCHIP licensee shall establish and maintain a comprehensive credentialing verification program to ensure its providers meet the minimum standards of professional licensure or certification. Written supporting documentation for providers who have completed their residency or fellowship requirements for their specialty area more than 12 months prior to the credentialing decision shall include:

1. Current valid license and history of licensure or certification;

2. Status of hospital privileges, if applicable;

3. Valid DEA certificate, if applicable;

4. Information from the National Practitioner Data Bank, as available;

5. Education and training, including post graduate training, if applicable;

6. Specialty board certification status, if applicable;

7. Practice or work history covering at least the past five years; and

8. Current, adequate malpractice insurance and malpractice history of at least the past five years.

B. The MCHIP licensee may grant provisional credentialing for providers who have completed their residency or fellowship requirements for their specialty area within 12 months prior to the credentialing decision. Written supporting documentation necessary to provisionally credential a practitioner shall include:

1. Primary source verification of a current, valid license to practice prior to granting the provisional status;

2. Written confirmation of the past five years of malpractice claims or settlements, or both, from the malpractice carrier or the results of the National Practitioner Data Bank query prior to granting provisional status; and

3. A completed application and signed attestation.

C. Providers provisionally credentialed may remain so for 60 calendar days.

D. Policies for credentialing and recredentialing shall include:

1. Criteria used to credential and recredential;

2. Process used to make credentialing and recredentialing decisions;

3. Type of providers, including network providers, covered under the credentialing and recredentialing policies;

4. Process for notifying providers of information obtained that varies substantially from the information provided by the provider;

5. Process for receiving input from participating providers to make recommendations regarding the credentialing and recredentialing process; and

6. A requirement that the MCHIP licensee notify the applicant within 60 calendar days of receipt of an application if information is missing or if there are other deficiencies in the application. The MCHIP licensee shall complete the credentialing process within 90 calendar days of the receipt of all such information requested by the MCHIP licensee or, if information is not requested from the applicant, within 120 calendar days of receipt of an application. If there is a contractual relationship between the MCHIP licensee and the applicant or entity for whom the applicant is employed or engaged, the timeframes for notification that the application is not complete and completion of the credentialing process shall be in accordance with the protocols and procedures established by the MCHIP licensee under subsection O of this section. The department may impose administrative sanctions upon an MCHIP licensee for failure to complete the credentialing process as provided in this section if the department finds that such failure occurs with such frequency as to constitute a general business practice.

The policies shall be made available to participating providers and applicants upon written request.

E. A provider fully credentialed by an MCHIP licensee, who changes his place of employment or his nonMCHIP licensee employer, shall, if within 60 calendar days of such change and if practicing within the same specialty, continue to be credentialed by that MCHIP licensee upon receipt by the MCHIP licensee of the following:

1. The effective date of the change;

2. The new tax ID number and copy of W-9, as applicable;

3. The name of the new practice, contact person, address, and telephone and fax numbers; and

4. Other such information as may materially differ from the most recently completed credentialing application submitted by the provider to the MCHIP licensee.

This provision shall not apply if the provider's prior place of employment or employer had been delegated credentialing responsibility by the MCHIP licensee.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an MCHIP licensee to contract or recontract with a provider.

F. The providers shall be recredentialed at least every three years. Recredentialing documentation shall include:

1. Current valid license or certification;

2. Status of hospital privileges, if applicable;

3. Current valid DEA registration, if applicable;

4. Specialty board eligibility or certification status, if applicable;

5. Data from covered person complaints and the results of quality reviews, utilization management reviews, and covered persons satisfaction surveys, as applicable; and

6. Current, adequate malpractice insurance and history of malpractice claims and professional liability claims resulting in settlements or judgments.

G. All information obtained in the credentialing process shall be subject to review and correction of any erroneous information by the health care provider whose credentials are being reviewed. Nothing in the previous sentence shall require an MCHIP or MCHIP licensee to disclose to a provider, or any other person or party, information or documents (i) that the MCHIP or the MCHIP licensee, itself, develops or causes to be developed as part of the MCHIP's credentialing process or (ii) that are privileged under applicable law. The department may require the MCHIP licensee to provide a copy of its credentialing policies.

H. Providers shall be required by the MCHIP licensee to notify the MCHIP of any changes in the status of any credentialing criteria.

I. The MCHIP licensee shall not refuse to initially credential or refuse to reverify the credentials of a health care provider solely because the provider treats a substantial number of patients who require expensive or uncompensated care.

J. The MCHIP licensee shall have policies and procedures for altering the conditions of the provider's participation with the MCHIP licensee. The policies shall include actions to be taken to improve performance prior to termination and an appeals process for instances when the MCHIP licensee chooses to alter the condition of provider participation based on issues of quality of care or service, except in circumstances where a covered person's health has been jeopardized. Providers shall have complete and timely access to all data and information used by the licensee to identify or determine the need for altering the conditions of participation.

K. The MCHIP licensee shall retain the right to approve new providers and sites based on quality issues and to terminate or suspend individual providers. Termination or suspension of individual providers for quality of care considerations shall be supported by documented records of noncompliance with specific MCHIP expectations and requirements for providers. The provider shall have a prescribed system of appeal of this decision available to the provider as prescribed in the contract between the MCHIP or its delegated service entity and the provider.

L. Providers shall be informed of the appeals process. Profession specific providers actively participating in the MCHIP plan shall be included in reviewing appeals and making recommendations for action.

M. The MCHIP licensee shall notify appropriate authorities when a provider's application or contract is suspended or terminated because of quality deficiencies by the health care provider whose credentials are being reviewed.

N. There shall be an organized system to manage and protect the confidentiality of personnel files and records. Records and documents relating to a provider's credentialing application shall be retained for at least seven years.

O. The MCHIP licensee shall establish protocols and procedures for processing new provider credentialing applications and reimbursing new provider applicants, after being credentialed by the MCHIP licensee, for health care services provided to covered persons during the period in which the approved applicant's completed credentialing application was pending. At a minimum, the protocols and procedures shall require the following:

1. If the MCHIP licensee accepts applications through an online credentialing system, the MCHIP licensee shall notify a new provider applicant through the online credentialing system that the provider has submitted and attested to the application as notice by the carrier that the application is received. If the MCHIP licensee does not accept applications through an online credentialing system, the MCHIP licensee shall within 10 days of receiving an application provide notification to the new provider applicant either by postal mail or electronic mail, as selected by the applicant, that the application was received;

2. Beginning January 1, 2024, a new provider applicant's application is deemed complete within 30 days of the MCHIP licensee receiving the application, unless the MCHIP licensee has provided notice that the application is not complete. Notice shall be provided by electronic mail unless the provider applicant has selected notification by postal mail;

3. The MCHIP licensee shall approve or deny a new provider applicant credentialing application within 60 days of receiving a completed application;

4. Claims submitted according to the MCHIP licensee's claims submittal policies for services rendered during the period of a pending application shall be adjudicated and paid no later than 40 days after the new provider applicant is credentialed and contracted;

5. The protocols and procedures shall apply only if a contractual relationship exists between the MCHIP licensee and the new provider applicant or entity for whom the new provider applicant is employed or engaged; and

6. Any reimbursement shall be paid at the in-network rate that the new provider applicant would have received had the provider been, at the time the covered health care services were provided, a credentialed participating provider in the network for the applicable managed care plan.

P. Nothing in this section shall require:

1. Reimbursement of provider-rendered services that are not benefits or services covered by the MCHIP licensee's managed care plan.

2. An MCHIP licensee to pay reimbursement at the contracted in-network rate for any covered health care services provided by the new provider applicant if the new provider applicant's credentialing application is not approved or the MCHIP licensee is otherwise not willing to contract with the new provider applicant.

Q. Payments made or retroactive denials of payments made under this section shall be governed by § 38.2-3407.15 of the Code of Virginia.

R. If a payment is made by the MCHIP licensee to a new provider applicant or any entity that employs or engages a new provider applicant under this section for a covered service, the patient shall only be responsible for any coinsurance, copayments, or deductibles permitted under the insurance contract with the MCHIP licensee or participating provider agreement with the provider.

S. A new provider applicant, in order to submit claims to the MCHIP licensee pursuant to this section, shall provide written or electronic notice to covered persons in advance of treatment that:

1. The provider has submitted a credentialing application to the MCHIP licensee of the covered person; and

2. The MCHIP licensee is in the process of obtaining and verifying the written documentation from the new provider applicant pursuant to subsection A of this section.

The written or electronic notice shall conform to the requirements in § 38.2-3407.10:1 G of the Code of Virginia.