Insurance credentialing for small practices. Based in Richmond, Virginia, working with practices in any state.
Every application filed within 5 business days, or it's free.
We prepare, file and follow up on your clinicians' credentialing applications with Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers, for $325 per clinician, per insurer.
- You sendDocuments and signatures, and add us as a user on insurer websites. No passwords.
- We fileEach application within 5 business days.
- Every FridayA written report with each insurer's reference number.
No prep needed. You'll leave with a list of insurers, a price and a list of what we need from you.
Or write to sanjay@panelpilots.com
No mail app opens? Write in Gmail or Outlook.
Prefer to talk? Put your phone number in the email and we'll call you at a time you name. If we emailed you, you can also just reply to that.
The 5 business days start the day your packet (documents, signatures and access) is complete. We email you that date in writing, or a list of what's missing, within 1 business day of each upload. If we miss it, we don't charge our fee for that application; outside fees, such as CMS's, aren't included. Insurers decide approval and your effective date (the first day they'll pay your claims).
| Insurer | Status |
|---|---|
| Medicare | Approved |
| Virginia Medicaid | Enrolled |
| Anthem | In review |
| Cardinal Care plans (5) | In review |
| UnitedHealthcare | Needs you |
One price per insurer, published here.
One application means one clinician with one insurer: a company like Aetna, or a program like Medicare or Medicaid. Pick a package or name your own list. Your group's own enrollment with each insurer is included with your first clinician at no extra charge.
For practices that already know which insurers they need.
Medicare, Medicaid and the main commercial insurers in your area. In Virginia, take the Cardinal Care bundle for Medicaid instead.
Any combination of commercial insurers, Medicare and Medicaid plans. We choose the list on the call.
Medicaid enrollment, then all five Cardinal Care managed care plans, in the right order. $1,300 for behavioral clinicians while Sentara's behavioral network is full and waitlisted (as of October 2026); Sentara is filed when it reopens, for $325 then or included with Upkeep.
How you pay: before any money changes hands, you get a short written agreement with these prices and the filing promise. Then a deposit of $500 or half the order, whichever is less, paid by card or bank transfer through an emailed invoice. It's credited to your first applications and refunded for any we haven't started. The rest is invoiced as each application is filed, with the insurer's confirmation attached.
| A new 4-clinician medical group (outside Virginia) joining 6 insurers each | 4 × $1,950 | $7,800 |
| A Virginia family medicine group, 4 physicians: Cardinal Care bundle plus Medicare and 3 commercial insurers each | 4 × $2,925 | $11,700 |
| A Virginia PT clinic adding Virginia Medicaid and all five Cardinal Care plans for 2 therapists | 2 × $1,625 | $3,250 |
| A solo therapist joining 3 insurers | 1 × $975 | $975 |
You can start small, with one clinician or one insurer. Each application is priced on its own, and the deposit never exceeds $500.
Other servicesCAQH cleanup $199, Upkeep $100 per clinician per month, and add-ons for current clients
| Upkeep | $100 / clinician / month | We keep everything current after approval: CAQH re-attestation reminders and prep, expiring documents, Medicare and Medicaid revalidations, roster and address updates for the insurers we enrolled, and a new request to any insurer that was closed to you once it reopens. First charge 60 days after your first application is filed, with a reminder in the 30 days before it. Billed monthly and continues until you cancel; no minimum term. Or $1,000 per clinician per year, prepaid, which renews each year until you cancel; we email a reminder 30 to 45 days before each renewal with your cancel-by date and how to cancel, and unused full months are refunded at $83 each if you cancel. Any price change comes with 30 days' written notice. Cancel by email or the link on any invoice, no call needed. |
| CAQH cleanup | $199 once | Your CAQH profile (the shared online profile most commercial insurers check; CAQH now operates as DataSpring) completed and ready for your clinician to attest, plus a tracker for the 120-day re-attestation. A good first step. |
| Roster add adding a clinician to a contract you already have | $175 / clinician / insurer | Most insurers need a separate request for each new clinician, even under your group's existing contract. In Virginia, a state-regulated insurer or Medicaid plan you already contract with must approve or deny within 60 days of a complete application (Medicare Advantage and most self-funded employer plans are excluded), and we track that clock. |
| Medicare only (no other insurers) | $250 / clinician | Medicare enrollment and reassignment when Medicare is the only insurer you need, for example LPCs and LMFTs joining Medicare. Lower because it's one national system with no plan-by-plan follow-up. |
| Medicare revalidation | $275 | For practices without Upkeep. |
| Launch add-ons | $100 to $200 | DEA and state controlled-substance registration, $200. CLIA certificate of waiver (for in-office lab tests), $200 plus CMS's $248 certificate fee, paid online. NPI, PECOS or CAQH fixes, $100. Medicare opt-out, or reassignment for a clinician already in Medicare, $150. |
| HIPAA risk analysis | $1,500 to $2,500 | A security risk analysis using the free HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool, plus template policies for your counsel to adopt. Not legal advice or a certification. |
Roster adds, Medicare-only enrollment, revalidations, launch add-ons and the HIPAA risk analysis are for practices we're already enrolling. Not offered: prior authorizations, billing or coding.
Small practices, whether it's your first enrollment or your fiftieth.
Your doors are open, and Medicare, Medicaid and five commercial insurers each want the same information in a different form. Every week a clinician isn't enrolled is a week of visits you may not be able to bill.
Panels open and close without notice. Sentara, for example, currently says its behavioral health network is full and adds new applicants to a waiting list. And since January 1, 2024, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors, including LPCs, can enroll in Medicare. You need someone tracking which networks are actually taking your license type. Solo therapists often start with the $199 CAQH cleanup.
New clinics need Medicare and each commercial insurer for every therapist; the Standard package covers six. Each new therapist must be added to every insurer you already contract with. Roster adds are small and easy to forget, so they're priced on their own at $175.
Many dental plans read your CAQH profile through the ADA Credentialing Service. An incomplete one is a common reason applications stall, which is what the $199 cleanup fixes.
We file Medicare and commercial applications for practices in any state, at the same prices. For Medicaid outside Virginia, tell us your state on the call and we'll say plainly whether we'll take it on.
Your part is uploads and approvals.
You send documents and give us access. We prepare, file and follow up on everything else.
- 1Day 0 · 15 minutes
A free call
We pick the right insurers for your patients, check which are closed to new providers, and we send a written price.
- 2Days 1 to 3
One checklist
You upload licenses, malpractice and CVs to a private folder. One complete list, up front.
- 3Within 5 business days of a complete packet
We file
Each application goes in through access you grant us. Your clinicians sign only where an insurer requires it.
- 4Every week
We follow up
We chase every open application and send a written report every Friday until the last insurer decides.
The filing promise, in plain terms.
Most of credentialing is waiting on insurers. The part we control comes with a deadline and a refund.
- When the clock starts
The day your packet for that application is complete: documents, signatures and access as a user on the insurer website. We confirm it in writing, or list what's missing, within 1 business day of each upload. For the five Cardinal Care plans, the clock starts the day Virginia Medicaid approves enrollment.
- What "filed" means
The insurer's confirmation or reference number, shown in your next Friday report. The $325 then covers any corrections the insurer asks for and weekly follow-up until you have its decision in writing and, if approved, your provider ID and effective date. If an insurer returns an application because of our error, we correct and re-file it at no charge.
- If we miss 5 business days
That application is free. We won't invoice it, and if any of your deposit was applied to it, that amount goes back to your original payment method within 10 business days. You don't need to ask.
- Closed panels
We won't sell you an insurer known to be closed to your clinician type. If an insurer's status needs a call or a participation request first, that check is $75, credited in full toward the application if the panel is open. If an insurer turns your clinician away because its network is full after we file, you get $250 back, or a $250 credit toward another insurer; the other $75 covers the application work already done.
- What it doesn't cover
Insurer processing time, approval decisions and effective dates. Those are the insurer's.
- If we can't continue
You get your complete files and the dated log within 5 business days, and any deposit for applications not yet filed is refunded. Every account is already in your name, so nothing is locked up.
You'll always know where each application stands.
Every file follows the same rhythm. If something needs you, it's flagged in amber.
| Insurer | Status | Next step | Clinician | Filed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicare | Approved | Effective date received | J. Alvarez | Oct 5 | T2610050xxxx |
| Virginia Medicaid | Enrolled | Cardinal Care plans filed | J. Alvarez | Oct 29 | ATN 1029xxxx |
| Anthem | In review | Follow up Nov 24 | J. Alvarez | Nov 2 | Case 41xxxx |
| Aetna | In review | Follow up Nov 25 | M. Okafor | Nov 2 | Ref 88xxxx |
| UnitedHealthcare | Needs you | Sign attestation | J. Alvarez | Nov 3 | Case 7xxxxx |
| Cigna | Waiting on you | Malpractice face sheet | M. Okafor | Not yet | None yet |
Why PanelPilots exists
I work as an EMT in Richmond, where everything runs on protocol and documentation. If it isn't written down, it didn't happen. I'm also a Health Services and Finance student.
Credentialing often works the opposite way: applications sent into portals with no receipt, follow-ups nobody tracks, and practices waiting months without knowing why.
PanelPilots is the version I'd want as a practice owner. A published price, a filing deadline with a refund behind it, and a written report every Friday with the insurer's own reference number. I work every file myself.
I built PanelPilots around each insurer's own published enrollment rules; the specifics on this page come from them. I keep my client load small so the 5-day promise always holds.
If something is stuck, email me. You'll hear back within one business day.
Sanjay Munagapati
Founder, PanelPilots LLC
Richmond, Virginia
sanjay@panelpilots.com
LinkedIn profile
A credentialing partner for your practice clients.
Your clients hit enrollment the month they form the practice. We only do credentialing, never billing, so your clients stay yours, and we send billing work your way.
- Clients you refer get 10% off their first order. We don't pay referral fees.
- You get every insurer reference number and a report back on each referral.
- Same filing promise and Friday report as every client.
What we will and won't do
Will
- File each application within 5 business days of a complete packet.
- Send a written status every Friday until the last insurer decides.
- Keep a dated log of every insurer call, portal message and request.
- File in the order that protects your effective dates.
- Tell you plainly when an insurer is closed to your clinician type.
Won't
- Ask for your passwords or verification codes.
- Sell you an insurer known to be closed to your clinician type.
- Promise approval or an effective date.
- Lock you into a long-term contract. You pay per application, and Upkeep stops when you cancel.
- Ask for Social Security numbers by email.
Two steps. The order decides when you get paid.
First comes Virginia Medicaid enrollment, through PRSS (the state's provider enrollment system). Your Medicaid effective date is usually the first day of the month DMAS receives your application, so we file as early in the month as the paperwork allows.
Then each of the five Cardinal Care health plans (Aetna Better Health, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, Humana Healthy Horizons, Sentara Community Plan and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan) credentials you separately. None can contract with you or pay you until your Medicaid enrollment is active. We file them as one bundle, in order, for $1,625 per clinician.
If DMAS returns an application for corrections, it has to be fixed and resubmitted within 30 days or it's denied, so we watch those closely. Virginia Medicaid dental credentialing goes through DentaQuest, which runs Cardinal Care Smiles.
- Virginia MedicaidDMAS says up to 10 business days to process, longer when fees, site visits or background checks apply
- Cardinal Care plansEach plan sets its own timeline, starting once your Medicaid enrollment is active.
- MedicarePalmetto GBA, Virginia's Medicare contractor, allows up to 50 calendar days for an online PECOS (Medicare's enrollment system) application from clinicians and groups, or 85 when a site visit, development request or fingerprinting is needed, not counting time spent on its requests. It currently reports longer than normal processing times. Medicare may allow billing up to 30 days before the effective date if you couldn't enroll sooner.
- Commercial insurersVaries by insurer and often takes several months. In Virginia, a state-regulated insurer you already contract with must decide on a new clinician within 60 days of a complete application.
- NoteFigures from DMAS, Medicare's contractor and the insurers' own guidance, as of October 2026. They are not promises.
You keep the keys.
Your contracts, your CAQH profile and every portal account stay in your name.
- AccessDelegated access: you add us as a user in each portal, under our own login. You can remove us at any time and never share a password.
- What we handleCredentialing uses your clinicians' professional and personal information (like license numbers, SSNs and dates of birth), not patient records. If a task would ever involve patient information, we sign a business associate agreement first.
- StorageA private folder shared only with you, in a business Google Workspace account where we've accepted Google's HIPAA Business Associate Amendment, protected by two-step login.
- Sensitive numbersSocial Security numbers and dates of birth go through a secure form, never email.
- Where the work happensIn the US. No offshore work without your written consent.
- AfterwardFiles returned or deleted at the end of the engagement, on your instruction. We keep only our dated work log.
Do you guarantee I'll be approved?
No one can honestly promise that. Insurers decide approval and effective dates. What we guarantee is our side: each application filed within 5 business days of a complete packet, or that application is free.
Why pay you when we could file ourselves, or a platform would do it free?
You can file yourself; insurers don't charge for it. What you pay us for is the hours, the follow-up and a filing deadline with a refund behind it. Some therapy platforms credential clinicians under the platform's own insurance contracts, so you bill through them at their negotiated rates, and those contracts stay with the platform if you leave. With us, each contract is in your practice's name and under your tax ID, and you keep it.
How long until we can bill?
It depends on the insurer and your state. In Virginia, Medicare's contractor allows up to 50 days for an online clinician application (85 with extra review), plus time spent on its requests, and currently reports delays. DMAS says up to 10 business days for Virginia Medicaid enrollment, longer with extra screening. Commercial insurers often take several months. Filing fast and complete is the part we control.
What exactly do I need to send?
Licenses, malpractice face sheet, a CV with month and year dates, NPI numbers, your practice's legal name exactly as on the IRS letter that assigned your tax ID (EIN), and a few access approvals. You get one checklist after the call.
Is our information safe? Do you need passwords?
No passwords, ever. You add us as a user in each portal, including CAQH and Medicare's systems, and you keep the step where clinicians confirm their own information. Documents sit in a private folder shared only with you, and sensitive numbers go through a secure form.
What if an insurer isn't taking new providers?
We check before pricing and won't sell you an insurer known to be closed to your clinician type. If an insurer's status needs a call or a participation request first, that check is $75, credited in full toward the application if the panel is open. If an insurer turns your clinician away because its network is full after we file, you get $250 back, or a $250 credit toward another insurer; the other $75 covers the application work already done.
Why should we trust you with this?
Because everything is in writing: published prices, a filing deadline with a refund behind it, a written report every Friday with each insurer's own reference number, and no access to your passwords. PanelPilots LLC is registered in Virginia; you can look it up in the Virginia SCC business entity search. Book a call and judge for yourself.
How do I pay, and how do refunds work?
First you get a short written agreement with the prices and the filing promise. Then a deposit of $500 or half the order, whichever is less, by card or bank transfer through an emailed invoice. Each application is invoiced when it's filed, with the insurer's confirmation. If we miss the 5-day deadline on an application, it's free: we don't invoice it, and any deposit applied to it is refunded within 10 business days, automatically. If you cancel, the deposit is refunded for any application we haven't started.
How do I cancel Upkeep?
Upkeep is $100 per clinician per month and continues until you cancel. Cancel any time by replying "cancel Upkeep" to any email from us, writing to cancel@panelpilots.com, or using the cancel link on any invoice. The first charge comes 60 days after your first application is filed, and we email you a reminder with the amount in the 30 days before it; cancel before then and you pay nothing for Upkeep. Monthly plans stop at the end of the current month. Yearly plans renew each year until you cancel; we email a reminder 30 to 45 days before each renewal with your cancel-by date and how to cancel, and unused full months are refunded at $83 each if you cancel. No minimum term and no phone call.
Book 15 minutes. Leave with a filing plan and a written price.
If it's handy, bring your group NPI and the insurers you want. No obligation.
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