How to Get In Network With Cigna (Evernorth Behavioral Health) in California

Cigna and Evernorth: who does what

Cigna says that effective September 1, 2021, Cigna Behavioral Health, Inc. became Evernorth Behavioral Health, Inc. Cigna Healthcare still sells the plans and issues the cards; Evernorth contracts and credentials the behavioral health network. So “getting in network with Cigna” as a therapist means joining the Evernorth Behavioral Health network.

One detail that surprises people: Evernorth says network providers must treat all covered patients equally and participate at all service locations, and that participation isn’t limited to specific tax IDs. If you practice in several places, all of them are in.

Are you an individual or a clinic?

Evernorth sorts applicants into three groups:

• Individual providers: independently licensed behavioral health clinicians who contract directly, including people opening a new practice, joining an existing practice, or affiliating with a contracted clinic. Most solo California therapists apply here.
• Clinics: four or more independently licensed clinicians who share the same tax ID, location, and administrative staff. Clinics use a separate Clinic Information Form emailed to Evernorth’s clinic contracting unit. If you don’t meet that definition, Evernorth says to apply as an individual.
• Facilities: higher levels of care that bill on a UB-04. Not relevant for most private practices.

What Evernorth requires

Every item has to be current, active, and in good standing:

• An independent license to practice without supervision in California (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, or psychologist).
• Professional and general liability coverage. For non-prescribing clinicians, Evernorth lists a minimum of $1 million per occurrence and $1 million aggregate.
• A CAQH ID, with a profile Evernorth can use. Evernorth spells out what it checks: attestation within the last 120 days, Evernorth authorized, a W-9 matching your tax ID, an active California license, graduate education with dates, a listed primary specialty, current malpractice coverage, five years of work history with gaps over six months explained, and a CV dated within two years if you upload one.
• A completed W-9 for each tax ID.

CAQH rebranded as DataSpring in June 2026; same login. My CAQH guide covers setup and re-attestation.

Step-by-step: applying in the Evernorth Provider Portal

1. Register or log in to the Evernorth Provider Portal. If you are the first user for your tax ID, the portal guides you through registration and the application.
2. Get the Contracting entitlement. Evernorth says you must have it to submit or view a Provider Information Form. Your organization’s website access manager assigns it under My Practice, then Manage User Access. If you are the website access manager, assign it to yourself. Then log out and back in.
3. Gather everything first. Evernorth says that once you begin, the form must be completed in a single session. You can’t save and come back. Have your CAQH ID, NPI, tax ID, license, insurance details, and locations in front of you.
4. Open My Practice, then Contracting, and submit the Behavioral Health Provider Information Form. If you don’t see Contracting, log out and back in.
5. Track status in the portal. Evernorth says the portal shows your status and notifies you if more information is needed.
6. Wait for approval and an effective date before treating Cigna members as in network.

Questions about the application go to BehavioralProviderRecruitment@Evernorth.com, with your NPI or tax ID in every email. For portal technical help, Evernorth lists 1-888-736-7499.

Timeline and provisional credentialing

Evernorth says joining the network can take up to 90 calendar days (or as otherwise required by law), and asks that any credentialing service you hire know that timeline. It also says that in certain circumstances providers may receive provisional credentialing so they can begin seeing patients before full credentialing finishes, decided case by case. Don’t count on it; ask.

For its medical network, Cigna’s credentialing page says recredentialing starts with emails asking you to verify and re-sign your CAQH information, and that ignoring them can end your participation. Expect CAQH to matter for Evernorth recredentialing too, and keep it attested.

After you are in network

• Verify benefits for every new client. Cigna plans vary (HMO, PPO, open access, employer self-funded).
• Keep your directory listing accurate. Contracted providers update demographic information through the provider portal.
• Learn the claims and authorization rules in Evernorth’s provider materials before your first claim.

Bill only for what you legitimately provide and document.

Associates and other ways in

Associates: Evernorth requires a license to practice independently, so associates can’t apply as individual network providers. Its administrative guidelines do allow providers to bill for services rendered by supervisees as permitted by state licensing regulations, with the fully credentialed licensed provider listed as the rendering provider (Evernorth administrative guidelines). Evernorth has said it does not accept third-party supervisory billing, so supervision has to stay within your own employed providers (Evernorth billing reminder). Confirm it in writing for your contract. See Can associates bill insurance in California?.

Headway and Alma: Headway lists Cigna among the plans its clinicians accept, and its tool shows which plans in your state are open to new providers. If you’d rather go that way, here is my Headway referral link.

Referral disclosure: I may receive a referral reward if you sign up through my Headway link. It costs you nothing extra, and you get the same help from me either way.

Alma is another option, and a direct Evernorth contract gives you your own agreement. See Headway vs. Alma vs. direct insurance. Evernorth also contracts for EAP services; see my EAP credentialing guide.

Referral disclosure: I may receive a referral reward if you sign up through my Headway link. It costs you nothing extra, and you get the same help from me either way. Alma and contracting directly with the plan are also good options.