Resources / Credentialed but no patients
In the ASH Network but No Patients? What to Check
Enrollments are billed 50% at the start and 50% at submission; everything else 100% at the start.
American Specialty Health (ASH) manages networks for chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy and other complementary care on behalf of health plans and employers. Massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists often join once, see a few patients, and then nothing for years. Almost always the contract is still there; the problem is which ASH program you are in and whether members can see you in it.
ASH Runs More Than One Program
ASH contracts providers for covered benefits that some health plans include (a plan pays part of the visit), and separately runs discount programs where the member pays you directly at a reduced rate. Aetna's complementary-care discounts, including massage, are offered through the ChooseHealthy program run by American Specialty Health Administrators, an ASH subsidiary (Aetna). Participation in one program does not list you in the others, so a provider can be "in ASH" and still invisible to the Aetna members who would actually book a massage.
Discount Programs Send Fewer Patients
In a discount program no claim goes to the insurer and members choose to use it on their own, usually by searching the program's directory from their member site. That makes your listing details the whole game: specialty, services offered, address, phone and accepting-new-patients status. It also means volume is modest even when everything is right; it is a marketing channel, not a billing channel.
What to Check in ASHLink
ASHLink (ashlink.com) is ASH's provider portal. Look for your participation status (active, or ended at a past recredentialing), the programs and networks listed on your record, your last credentialing date, and the practice location and phone members see. If a program you expected is missing, ask ASH provider services in writing which programs you are contracted for and how to add the one you need.
CAQH and Your NPI
ASH, like most networks, relies on your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile at credentialing and recredentialing. A profile that has not been re-attested within 120 days, or that does not authorize ASH, can stall recredentialing and drop you from directories. Check also that the taxonomy on your NPI matches your license: a massage therapist is 225700000X; a nurse code on a massage license is a mismatch worth fixing in NPPES before anything else.
What We Do
Our Directory and Network Checkup ($150) confirms which ASH programs you are in, reviews your listing, CAQH status and NPI taxonomy, and tells you exactly what is wrong. Fixes are priced at our published rates: a CAQH update is $250, and an application to a program you are missing is $200.
Not sure which applies? Try the free 2-minute checker, or read the full list of causes in in network but no patients.
Questions
Is ChooseHealthy the same as being in network with Aetna?
No. ChooseHealthy is a discount program run by American Specialty Health for Aetna members: members pay you directly at a discounted rate and nothing is billed to Aetna. Your contract is with ASH, not Aetna.
Do I need to apply to Aetna or Cigna separately for massage?
For their massage discounts, generally no: the discount runs through the network vendor, so you join the vendor's program. Confirm with the vendor which plans' members can see you.
Why did my ASH referrals stop?
The usual reasons are a lapsed CAQH attestation or recredentialing, an outdated listing, being in a different ASH program than the members who would book you, or an NPI specialty code that does not match your license.
Answers cover PECS services, prices and process. For legal, tax or clinical questions please consult a professional.
Sources: Aetna discount programs · CMS NPI Registry. Updated October 8, 2026.