How to become a Medicaid provider in California
To bill California Medicaid, enroll through Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE), run by California MMIS Fiscal Intermediary. The process has 6 steps, listed below with the documents the state asks for.
- Enrollment portal
- Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE)
- Steps
- 6
- Documents
- 6
- Plans listed
- 24
On this page
California Medicaid enrollment at a glance
To bill California Medicaid, enroll through Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE), run by California MMIS Fiscal Intermediary. The process has 6 steps, listed below with the documents the state asks for.
- Program
- Medi-Cal
- Enrollment portal
- Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE)
- Fiscal agent
- California MMIS Fiscal Intermediary (claims/billing); fee-for-service enrollment itself is done by the DHCS Provider Enrollment Division (PED)
- Application fee
- DHCS charges $750 for applicable applications submitted in calendar year 2026, paid by EFT inside PAVE (or cashier's check for paper applications). DHCS exempts individual practitioners and physician and non-physician practitioner groups. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.
- Fingerprinting
- Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.
- Site visit
- For managed care network providers that a plan screens itself, DHCS requires the plan to repeat post-enrollment site visits at least every five years for moderate-risk and every three years for high-risk providers (APL 22-013). Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.
- Revalidation
- Revalidation requests come through PAVE. In June 2026 DHCS told CMS it would run a risk-based two-year campaign to revalidate high-risk providers early, beyond the federal schedule. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.
- Provider manual
- Provider manual
Steps
- Check the PED 'Application Information by Provider Type' page and whether a Medi-Cal enrollment moratorium applies
- Create a PAVE account and complete the application with attachments and electronic signature
- Pay the application fee by EFT in PAVE if the provider type is subject to it
- Complete any risk-based screening (site visit; fingerprints for high-risk owners)
- Respond to PED requests; use PAVE later for changes and revalidation
- To serve managed care members, enroll in Medi-Cal (through PAVE or the plan's own state-approved screening process) and be credentialed by each plan
Documents the state asks for
Joining managed-care plan networks
- Credentialing
- Every Medi-Cal managed care network provider must be enrolled in Medi-Cal. Each plan may run its own DHCS-compliant screening and enrollment process (with a written decision due within 120 days) or send providers to DHCS/PAVE. Credentialing is done by each plan, which may delegate it to a credentialing verification organization, and each plan must re-credential every three years (APL 22-013). DHCS runs no single statewide credentialing process. Centralized credentialing: no.
- Plans (state list)
- Alameda Alliance for Health
- Anthem Blue Cross Partnership Plan
- Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan
- CalOptima Health
- CalViva Health
- CenCal Health
- Central California Alliance for Health
- Community Health Group Partnership Plan
- Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley
- Contra Costa Health Plan
- Gold Coast Health Plan
- Health Net Community Solutions, Inc.
- Health Plan of San Joaquin
- Health Plan of San Mateo
- Inland Empire Health Plan
- Kaiser Permanente
- Kern Family Health Care
- L.A. Care Health Plan
- Molina Healthcare of California
- Mountain Valley Health Plan
- Partnership HealthPlan
- San Francisco Health Plan
- Santa Clara Family Health Plan
- SCAN Connections
Frequently asked questions
How do I become a Medicaid provider in California?
To bill California Medicaid, enroll through Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE), run by California MMIS Fiscal Intermediary. The process has 6 steps, listed below with the documents the state asks for.
Is there an application fee to enroll in California Medicaid?
DHCS charges $750 for applicable applications submitted in calendar year 2026, paid by EFT inside PAVE (or cashier's check for paper applications). DHCS exempts individual practitioners and physician and non-physician practitioner groups. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.
How often must California Medicaid providers revalidate?
Revalidation requests come through PAVE. In June 2026 DHCS told CMS it would run a risk-based two-year campaign to revalidate high-risk providers early, beyond the federal schedule. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.