Behavioral Billing® Credentialing Guide
UnitedHealthcare / Optum
Credentialing and revenue-cycle enrollment reference for behavioral health and speech therapy practices. Start with your provider type: the credentialing route may differ even when the insurance brand is the same.
Choose the correct provider pathway
Do not assume behavioral-health participation includes speech therapy, or that an SLP network contract includes behavioral-health services.
Mental / Behavioral Health provider
Behavioral-health credentialing route
Apply through Optum Behavioral Health / Provider Express using the behavioral-health provider type that matches the clinician or organization.
Open BH credentialing source ↗Speech Therapy provider
Speech / therapy credentialing route
Outpatient speech-language pathologists and therapy clinics credential and contract through Optum Physical Health on behalf of UnitedHealthcare.
Open speech credentialing source ↗Where the pathways differ: Separate Optum networks: Provider Express / Optum Behavioral Health is BH; Optum Physical Health is PT/OT/SLP. Do not interchange them.
Shared credentialing + network setup
Credentialing prerequisitesResolve specific plan or network first; keep UHC medical, Optum Behavioral, Optum Physical Health, UMR and Community Plan identities separate.Open source ↗
Network / payer enrollmentUse UHC commercial network process; behavioral participation may route through Provider Express; SLP routing may involve Optum Physical Health depending product.Open source ↗
State Medicaid enrollmentN/A
Portal / identity setupOne Healthcare ID for UHC tools; Provider Express access when behavioral workflow applies.Open source ↗
Revenue-cycle enrollment
EDI / claims enrollmentUse UHC-approved clearinghouse/EDI; resolve child product before payer setup.Open source ↗
ERA enrollmentEnroll 835/remittance through the applicable UHC/Optum product workflow.Open source ↗
EFT enrollmentEnroll EFT/payment through the applicable UHC/Optum product workflow.Open source ↗
Clearinghouse / EDI routeUHC EDI / approved clearinghouseOpen source ↗
Payer ID87726 for core UHC; child/product exceptions controlOpen source ↗
Before you start billingConfirm LOB, network entity, payer ID, portal, claims route, remit route and payment route before billing. Do not configure from logo/family name alone.Open source ↗
Before you bill: provider credentialing, specialty network participation, EDI, ERA, and EFT are separate checkpoints. Verify the correct specialty network before treating the first member.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-14 · Payer-family requirements reviewed
Payer processes change. Reverify the current payer instructions before submitting an application or changing a production billing configuration.