Why prices are hard to find
Credentialing is usually priced per provider and per payer, and the work differs a lot between a solo provider joining two plans and a group enrolling in Medicare, Medicaid, and several commercial plans. That is a fair reason to confirm details before quoting. It is also why many companies put pricing behind a form or a demo, which makes comparison hard and leaves out the recurring costs. Marlien publishes its prices; this page explains what sits behind them, so you can compare any company on the same terms.
What drives the cost
Providers and payers
Every provider-to-payer pairing is its own application and its own follow-up. More providers or more plans means more work.
Medicare and government fees
Individual practitioners and physician or practitioner organizations do not pay a Medicare enrollment application fee. Institutional providers, including laboratories, pay a federal fee set each year: $750 for 2026, on initial enrollment, revalidation, and a new practice location. That fee is paid to CMS, not to your credentialing company.
CAQH
Providers do not pay for a CAQH ProView profile. The work is building it, attaching current documents, attesting, and re-attesting every 120 days.
Commercial plans
Each plan is a separate application with its own requirements, and some networks are closed to new providers. The number and mix of plans is often the biggest driver.
The recurring cost people forget
CAQH re-attestation, payer recredentialing, Medicare and Medicaid revalidation, and expiring licenses, DEA registrations, and malpractice policies all come due on a cycle. A quote that covers only the first enrollment is not the full cost.
Doing it yourself
In-house credentialing costs staff time: hours on hold, applications returned for a fixable error, and a stalled enrollment that delays in-network billing.
What Marlien charges
These are the published prices on the Pricing page. Your written agreement confirms the exact services and price before work begins. Payer and government fees are separate.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| One provider, prepared for you to submit | $950 per provider |
| One provider, submitted | $1,550 per provider |
| One provider, to a written effective date | $2,500 per provider |
| Each additional provider, to a written effective date | $1,400 per provider |
| One payer, submitted | $225 per provider per payer |
| One payer, to a written effective date | $400 per provider per payer |
| CAQH profile audit | $150 per provider |
| CAQH audit and rescue | $275 per provider |
| New CAQH setup | $350 per provider |
| Credentialing maintenance | $129 per provider per month |
| Medical billing and RCM | 6% of Eligible Collections, $1,000 monthly minimum |
Questions to ask any credentialing company
A fair quote survives these. Marlien's answer follows each one.
- Is payer follow-up through the decision included? Marlien submits within its commitment and follows up until the payer records a decision.
- Is ongoing maintenance included, or a separate plan? Separate: Marlien's credentialing maintenance is $129 per provider per month.
- Are payer and government fees in the price? No. They are listed separately, so you can see what goes to the payer or the government.
- Can you guarantee approval or a date? No one can. Payers decide approval, participation, effective dates, and timing.
- Will I get the price in writing before work starts? Yes. Nothing starts until you sign.
The honest limit
Payers and state Medicaid programs control approval, network acceptance, effective dates, and processing time. Marlien commits to what it controls.
How the commitment works
Start date: the later of our written confirmation that required documents are complete and the first date a payer allows filing.
Due date: 10 business days after the start date.
If we miss it: the engagement receives three additional months of credentialing maintenance at no charge. This applies once per engagement and is the sole remedy for a missed submission deadline.
What payers decide
Approval, network participation, processing time, and effective dates belong to the payer. Marlien does not guarantee them. The remedy covers Marlien's submission timing only.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how many providers and payers you need, because each provider-to-payer enrollment is its own application. Marlien publishes its prices: one provider taken to a written effective date is $2,500 per provider, each additional provider is $1,400 per provider, and a single payer is $225 per provider per payer submitted or $400 per provider per payer to a written effective date. Payer and government fees are separate.
Individual practitioners and physician or practitioner organizations do not pay a Medicare enrollment application fee. Institutional providers, including laboratories enrolling on the CMS-855B, pay a federal application fee set each year: $750 for 2026, on initial enrollment, revalidation, and a new practice location. The fee is paid to CMS.
No. Providers do not pay for a CAQH ProView profile. What takes work is building it, attaching current documents, attesting, and re-attesting every 120 days.
No. CAQH re-attestation every 120 days, payer recredentialing, Medicare and Medicaid revalidation, and expiring licenses, DEA registrations, and malpractice policies all come due on a cycle. Marlien's maintenance is $129 per provider per month.