Moving Your Practice to Michigan: Credentialing Checklist
Enrollments are billed 50% at the start and 50% at submission; everything else 100% at the start.
- Flat PricesNo percentage of collections
- Half Now, Half at SubmissionFor every enrollment application
- Closed Network?Your choice of a refund or a credit
- Live Status TrackingCheck any application by reference number
A move to Michigan touches every enrollment you have. The license, NPI record, Medicare enrollment, Michigan Medicaid, each commercial plan, your CAQH (DataSpring) profile, your DEA registration and your malpractice policy all have to show Michigan before claims there pay. Here is the order that works, with the Michigan specifics.
The Checklist, Step by Step
- Get the Michigan license. Physicians apply to the Michigan Board of Medicine (MDs) and Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (DOs), through LARA. Nurses and nurse practitioners apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing (LARA). Every later step needs the license number, so start here. Michigan is a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. If your current full license is in another member state that can serve as your state of principal license, the compact offers an expedited path to the Michigan license. Michigan is a PSYPACT state. PSYPACT covers telepsychology and short temporary in-person work, not a permanent move, so a psychologist who relocates still needs a Michigan license.
- Register with DEA for Michigan. DEA registrations are state-specific: you need a registration in each state where you handle controlled substances, and the state license comes first. If you are leaving your old state, change the address on your current registration to Michigan; if you will practice in both states, get a separate Michigan registration. Michigan also requires a Michigan controlled substance license from LARA (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs). Anyone who prescribes or dispenses a controlled substance in Michigan needs the license. A prescriber who only prescribes at additional sites of a practice does not need a license for each one; a site that stores controlled substances does.
- Cover Michigan on your malpractice policy. Many policies are written for specific states. Ask your carrier to add Michigan or write a new policy before your first patient there, and settle tail or prior-acts coverage if you are leaving your current carrier.
- Add the Michigan location to your NPI record. Your NPI does not change. Log in to NPPES and add the Michigan practice location within 30 days of the change. If you still practice in your old state, keep that location too; an NPI record can list more than one practice location. Payers check applications against this record, so update it before you apply.
- Update and re-attest your CAQH (DataSpring) profile. Add the Michigan practice location, the Michigan license, the new DEA registration, the Michigan controlled substance license and the malpractice certificate that covers Michigan, then re-attest. Every commercial plan reads this profile, so do it before any commercial application goes out.
- Update Medicare in PECOS. Medicare in Michigan is handled by WPS Government Health Administrators, jurisdiction J8. If your current enrollment is with a different contractor, file a new CMS-855I with WPS Government Health Administrators; the 855I covers only practice locations inside one contractor's jurisdiction. If WPS Government Health Administrators already has your enrollment, add the Michigan location to it. If you will bill through a group, file the reassignment to that group at the same time. The effective date is the later of the filing date or the date you began seeing patients at the new location (42 CFR 424.520(d)), and you can bill up to 30 days before it when circumstances kept you from enrolling earlier (42 CFR 424.521(a)). File as soon as you have the license and the address.
- Enroll in Michigan Medicaid. Michigan Medicaid is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and enrollment is filed through CHAMPS, the Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System. Medicaid enrollment does not transfer between states, so a new state means a new enrollment. Most Michigan Medicaid members are in managed care plans, and each plan credentials you separately once the state enrollment is active. The plans and how to join each one: Michigan Medicaid managed care plans.
- Get credentialed with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the other commercial plans. Blue plans in Michigan: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Blue plans are separate companies licensed state by state, so a Blue contract in your old state does not cover Michigan; apply as a new provider. National plans such as Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana need the Michigan location added and credentialed before they pay claims there. How to join: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
What PECS Charges for a Move to Michigan
| Service | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare enrollment or new location, with reassignment | $500 per provider | 50% at engagement, 50% at submission |
| Michigan Medicaid enrollment | $500 per provider per state | 50% at engagement, 50% at submission |
| Each commercial plan, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan | $200 per plan per provider | 50% at engagement, 50% at submission |
| CAQH (DataSpring) update and re-attestation | $250 per provider | At engagement |
| NPI record update | $100 | At engagement |
| Group onboarding, for a new group in Michigan | $500 one time | At engagement |
Example: one provider moving to Michigan with Medicare, Michigan Medicaid, the CAQH update, the NPI update and 3 commercial plans is $1,950. We follow up with every payer until each application is approved, and you can check status any time with your reference number.
Questions About Moving to Michigan
How long does it take to move my credentialing to Michigan?
The Michigan license comes first, and its timing is set by the board. After that, Medicare through WPS Government Health Administrators typically takes 45 to 90 days and Michigan Medicaid typically 60 to 120 days. Commercial plans typically take 90 to 120 days. Run Medicare, Michigan Medicaid and the commercial applications in parallel once the license, NPI record and CAQH (DataSpring) profile show the Michigan address.
Do I need a new NPI when I move to Michigan?
No. Your NPI stays the same for life. Add the Michigan practice location to your record in NPPES within 30 days of the change (45 CFR 162.410(a)(4)). If you still practice in your old state, keep that location as well; an NPI record can list more than one practice location.
Do I need a new Medicare enrollment to practice in Michigan?
It depends on your current contractor. Michigan is served by WPS Government Health Administrators, jurisdiction J8. If your current enrollment is with a different contractor, you file a new CMS-855I with WPS Government Health Administrators in PECOS, plus a reassignment if you bill through a group. If WPS Government Health Administrators already handles your enrollment, you add the Michigan location instead. The effective date is the later of the filing date or the date you started at the new location (42 CFR 424.520(d)), and you can bill up to 30 days before it when circumstances kept you from enrolling earlier (42 CFR 424.521(a)).
Can I use a licensure compact to practice in Michigan?
Michigan participates in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and PSYPACT. It is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact or the Counseling Compact. The medical compact speeds up getting the license; it does not replace it, and payer enrollment still has to be done in the new state. PSYPACT covers telepsychology and short temporary practice, not a permanent move.
Do I need a new DEA registration for Michigan?
Yes. DEA requires a separate registration in each state where you handle controlled substances, and the state's licensing requirements have to be met first. If you are leaving your old state, you can change the address on your current registration to Michigan; if you will practice in both states, you need a Michigan registration as well. Michigan also requires a Michigan controlled substance license from LARA (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs).
What does PECS charge to move my credentialing to Michigan?
Medicare enrollment or new location $500 per provider, Michigan Medicaid enrollment $500 per provider, each commercial plan $200 per plan per provider, CAQH (DataSpring) update and re-attestation $250, NPI record update $100, and group onboarding $500 one time if you are setting up a new group. Enrollments are billed 50% at engagement and 50% at submission. One provider with Medicare, Michigan Medicaid, the CAQH update, the NPI update and 3 commercial plans is $1,950.
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Answers cover PECS services, prices and process. For legal, tax or clinical questions please consult a professional.
Sources
- Michigan Board of Medicine (MDs) and Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (DOs), through LARA
- Michigan controlled substance license
- MDHHS: PA 6 of 2026 keeps Michigan in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
- CMS-855I Medicare enrollment application (practice locations in another MAC jurisdiction need a separate 855I)
- 42 CFR 424.520(d): effective date of billing privileges
- 42 CFR 424.521(a): billing up to 30 days before the effective date
- 45 CFR 162.410(a)(4): report NPI data changes within 30 days
- DEA Diversion Control: registration FAQ (separate registration in each state)
- Interstate Medical Licensure Compact member list (CSG)
- Nurse Licensure Compact (NCSBN)
- PSYPACT map
- Counseling Compact map
By the PECS credentialing team, updated October 20, 2026. Compact memberships and board names checked in October 2026; confirm with the board before you apply.