Marlien / Resources / How Long Does Georgia Medicaid Provider Enrollment Take?
How Long Does Georgia Medicaid Provider Enrollment Take?
Georgia's Department of Community Health says a complete application to its centralized Credentialing Verification Organization (CVO) receives a credentialing decision within 45 calendar days of submission. That covers the credentialing decision only. Medicaid enrollment, each care management organization's contract, and your effective date are separate, and incomplete applications are returned and delayed. It is the state's standard, not a promise. Confirm current state instructions.
Last reviewed 2026-11-05 by Valerie. Next review 2027-02-05.
The sequence
- PrepareGather complete, current information and documents.
- SubmitComplete the application in the state portal.
- Deficiency reviewAnswer any request for missing information.
- CVO credentialingPrimary source verification and committee decision.
- Plan decisionEach plan decides whether to contract with you.
- Effective dateBilling starts only from the effective date you are given.
What the 45 days covers
Georgia runs an NCQA-certified centralized Credentialing Verification Organization, reached through the GAMMIS portal, for providers in Georgia Families and Georgia Families 360. The CVO performs primary source verification and checks state and federal databases, and a Credentialing Committee decides the provider's credentialing status.
The Department of Community Health says applications that contain all required credentialing materials at the time of submission receive a decision within 45 calendar days. That is the credentialing decision. It does not include Medicaid enrollment itself or any plan's decision to contract with you. State materials describe credentialing and contracting as separate processes, and each care management organization decides which providers it wants in its network.
What starts the clock and what does not
The 45 days are counted from submission of an application with all required materials. An incomplete application is returned with a request for what is missing, and the state says that can delay the decision. Submitting is not approval.
Older state materials gave 120 calendar days for a previous process in which each plan credentialed providers itself. Georgia moved credentialing to the centralized CVO for all providers in December 2015, so that older figure is not used here.
Common delay points
- Incomplete ownership or practice data.
- A mismatched NPI or taxonomy between the application and other records.
- Missing or expired licenses, or missing attachments.
- Items that still need a signature.
- Unanswered requests for more information.
What Marlien records
For each covered application Marlien records the submission proof, the acknowledgement, any correction request, the decision, and the effective date, and reports each one in writing. State enrollment, CVO credentialing, plan contracting, and commercial payer participation are separate steps, and each is decided by the organization that runs it.
Common questions
No. Submitting an application starts review. The state, the CVO, and the plans decide whether to approve it and from what date.
No. It is the state's standard for the credentialing decision on a complete application. Enrollment, plan contracting, and your effective date are separate steps.
No. Marlien prepares the application completely, answers requests quickly, and follows up, but the state, the CVO, and the plans control review, participation, and timing.
Billing depends on the effective date in your approval and any plan-level steps. Confirm the date in writing before you bill Georgia Medicaid.
Next step
You are not charged when you build a plan. Payers and state agencies control review, participation, approval, effective dates, and timing. Marlien does not negotiate payer contracts, reimbursement rates, fee schedules, or participation terms.
Keep reading
- Georgia enrollment
- New practice setup
- CAQH re-attestation guide
- What Marlien handles and what payers decide
Official sources
- Georgia DCH: Centralized CVO
- Georgia Medicaid provider enrollment (Georgia MMIS portal)
- Georgia DCH: credentialing verification organization FAQ (July 2015)
Instructions and timing change. Confirm the current instructions with the source before relying on this page. This guide is educational, is not legal advice, and does not replace payer instructions.