Many practice owners assume that if someone is already in-network, they can just slide into the new role and start seeing clients.
But here’s the truth: credentialing a dietitian under your group is an entirely separate process — and it takes time, paperwork, and patience.
If you’re expanding your team and planning to bill insurance, here are three essential things you need to know before hiring a new dietitian.
You Need a Group Contract With Insurance Companies
Before you can credential anyone under your group, you need to ensure that you have a group contract in place.
Many dietitians start their practice solo and are credentialed as individual providers. But you’ll need to shift into group practice status with each insurance company when you hire. That means applying for a group NPI and requesting a contract with each payer (like Aetna, BCBS, or Cigna).
Without this foundation, you can’t credential anyone under your practice, no matter how experienced or credentialed they are.
Each Dietitian Must Go Through Credentialing Under Your Group
Even if your new hire is already in-network elsewhere, they must be re-credentialed under your practice’s Tax ID and NPI. Insurance companies don’t allow credentialing to transfer from one organization to another.
That means:
- Filling out complete credentialing applications
- Submitting documentation like licenses, liability insurance, and W-9s
- Waiting for insurance companies to approve them under your group
This process is required for every provider on your team, whether they’ve been credentialed before or not.
So while hiring someone with experience can give you a leg up in clinical confidence or admin systems, it doesn’t speed up the credentialing timeline.
Plan for 3-4 months before they’re in network
Most practice owners underestimate this part: credentialing under your group typically takes 90–120 days, sometimes longer.
During that time, your new hire won’t be able to bill insurance under your practice — unless you’re prepared to collect out-of-pocket or offer superbills.
So be strategic:
- Start the credentialing process before their first day.
- Communicate clearly with your hire about the timeline and expectations.
- Build a bridge plan, like private pay sessions or shadowing, so they stay engaged and you continue generating revenue.
Final Thoughts
Credentialing a dietitian under your group isn’t a plug-and-play situation. It requires intention, paperwork, and patience. However, the correct planning sets your practice up to grow sustainably and serve more clients in-network.
Need help managing credentialing for new hires? That’s precisely what we do.
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From group contract setup to full-service credentialing, my team handles the back-end so you can focus on leading your business.
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