If you are a mental health clinician who takes insurance, chances are CAQH is one of those pain-in-the-neck systems you deal with – well, because you have to.

So here’s an important update: CAQH has officially rebranded as “DataSpring, powered by CAQH.”

The organization is framing it as a brand evolution rather than a new product, and it kept “powered by CAQH” attached to the new name for continuity. So CAQH is not gone.

According to the company, the DataSpring name is meant to reflect a more connected, data-driven healthcare system. The stated goal is still to help providers, payers, and patients move through administrative processes with fewer delays, and with fewer data errors (and ideally fewer moments of staring at your screen wondering why something simple is suddenly complicated?). That includes credentialing/enrollment, provider directories, and claims-related data functions.

The Good News

For clinicians, this rebrand shouldn’t represent the need to make changes.

• If you go to the old CAQH,com or CAQH.org websites, they redirect to DataSpring.com
• Your CAQH Provider Data Portal / Profile still exists under that name
• Your existing login credentials still work – you don’t have to create a new account or password
• Your profile, your uploaded documents, and your attestation history are all still there
• You still attest on the same schedule, and the same health plans can access your information

So – Is This REALLY Just a Name Change?

From reading their press release, DataSpring reassures us that the systems many of us already use will just be continuing under a new name, with the expectation that the company will keep expanding its data tools over time.

But dig a little deeper, and you might have some cause for concern.

What DataSpring Doesn’t Say in the Press Release

CAQH was established in 2000 by a consortium of health plans as a neutral, non-profit organization meant to reduce provider paperwork.

Fast-forward to January 2026, when it restructured to become a for-profit entity owned by a coalition of 12 insurance plans – UnitedHealth Group, Centene, Aetna, Elevance Health, Cigna, Humana, and a coalition of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. And now, months later, and they are launching their DataSpring rebrand.

So while the DataSpring change may just be a new name, it is clearly part of a larger set of changes going on. These insurance plans have moved into ownership roles with DataSpring and changed the structure in a way that now gives them financial incentives and interests in the way it operates. And this brings up some important concerns.

Concerns This May Bring Up

• Data Use: Now that DataSpring is a for-profit company owned by insurers, some clinicians wonder whether the information they hand over for credentialing could end up being used for more than just administrative processes. They worry that insurers could use it to get a clearer window into how practices operate – and maybe use this for analytics or to get a little extra leverage over providers for contract and reimbursement negotiations
• Confidentiality: Another concern centers around what happens to all the sensitive financial, legal, and practice details clinicians must submit just to get credentialed and stay in network. They worry that this new for-profit organization might share, repackage and expose those details to third parties for commercial profit
• Conflict of Interest: When insurers own the entity, it is fair to ask who future decisions are really going to serve. Policies may slowly start leaning toward what works best for health plans, not necessarily what makes life easier – or fairer – for providers, and policies may be rewritten to take power away from clinicians

If You Are a CAQH Provider, What Should You Do?

If you are a mental health clinician who uses CAQH, this announcement does not mean you need to change anything. But you might want to:

• Log in to your CAQH/DataSpring account
• Confirm that your practice information is accurate and up to date
• Watch for communications referencing DataSpring powered by CAQH, so you do not overlook legitimate updates
• Make sure staff members or billers who help with credentialing, directory updates, or attestations know about the name change

Other than that, keep doing what you’ve always done. While there’s no need to panic, it’s probably worth keeping one eyebrow slightly raised.