Credentialing in Louisiana

Louisiana caps the clock at 90 days, but the clock starts late. An issuer "shall complete a credentialing process within ninety days from the date on which the issuer has received all the information needed for credentialing, including the health care provider's correctly completed application and attestations and all verifications or verification supporting statements required by the issuer." The 90 days run from a complete file, not from the day you submit, so an application returned twice for corrections can sit well past 90 days without the payer breaching the statute.

Louisiana State Legislature, R.S. 22:1009 · checked Jul 2026

Louisiana closes the gap where an application stalls on a third party rather than on you. "A health insurance issuer shall inform the applicant in the event that any needed verification or a verification supporting statement has not been received within sixty days of the date of the issuer's request." If a school, hospital or prior employer is not answering the payer, you are entitled to hear about it at day 60 and can chase the source yourself.

Louisiana State Legislature, R.S. 22:1009 · checked Jul 2026

The payer cannot sit on a defective application in silence. "Within thirty days of the date of receipt of an application, a health insurance issuer shall inform the applicant of all defects and reasons known at the time by the issuer in the event a submitted application is deemed to be not correctly completed." Note the phrase "all defects": the notice is meant to be one complete list, not a drip of one problem at a time.

Louisiana State Legislature, R.S. 22:1009 · checked Jul 2026

Provisionally licensed clinicians render but cannot bill directly: "LMSWs, PLPCs and PLMFTs may not directly bill for services provided to a Medicaid enrollee. LMSWs, PLPCs and PLMFTs may be the rendering provider on a claim when in accordance with Title 46 and their individual practice acts." The employing group or agency is the billing provider, and each provisional licensee "must be actively engaged in supervision as required by their respective licensing board."

LA Medicaid Behavioral Health Services Provider Manual · checked Jul 2026

PLPC/PLMFT/LMSW were added to outpatient therapy by licensed practitioners via LDH Informational Bulletin 24-25 (2024). Older sources saying provisional licensees are limited to agency programs only are outdated.

Louisiana Healthcare Connections newsroom summary of IB 24-25 · checked Jul 2026

CPST/PSR (mental-health-rehab) services also accept CSWs and APA-program psychology interns under board-approved supervision, staff "must be under regularly scheduled supervision in accordance with requirements established by the practitioner's professional licensing board," and "Proof of the board approved supervision must be held by the MHR agency employing these staff."

LA Medicaid Behavioral Health Services Provider Manual · checked Jul 2026

Provisionals enroll in Louisiana Medicaid under a "Lower Level" (LL) specialty of the parent provider type, the appendix lists provider type AK as "Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)" and its "LL Lower Level" as "Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC)". The same lower-level structure repeats under provider type AH, where LMFT sits above PLMFT, and provider type 73, where Social Worker sits above LMSW.

LA Medicaid Behavioral Health Services Provider Manual · checked Jul 2026