How to hire a credentialing specialist

How to hire a credentialing specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step credentialing specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a credentialing specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new credentialing specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a credentialing specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a credentialing specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a credentialing specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a credentialing specialist that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of credentialing specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Credentialing Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Credentialing Specialist	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-27
   Scheduler	A scheduler is responsible for arranging appointments and carrying out reminder calls and correspondence to anyone involved. In a company setting, it is also a scheduler's responsibility to coordinate with various departments and personnel to organize an accurate timetable that will consist of meetings, gatherings, deadlines, or other pressing matters... Show more	$11-32
   Surgery Scheduler	A surgery scheduler is responsible for organizing medical information, coordinating with doctors and other health professionals, and reaching out to patients to inform them of scheduled medical procedures and appointments. Surgery schedulers perform clerical and administrative duties, such as processing patients' payments, verifying insurance details, and updating their account information on the database... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Primary Source Verification
   • NCQA
   • CAQH
   • Health Professionals
   • Staff Bylaws
   • DEA
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • CMS
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Board Certification
   • Excellent Organizational

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
   • Manage and administer the programs CME accredit education programs/Conferences.
   • Ensure enrollment and participation with all organization contract managed care plans and perform Medicaid/Medicare provider enrollment.
   • Process and manage all requests and applications for CME certification and supervise activities relate to credentialing process.
   • Perform spot claims audits to ensure CMS compliance with ICD-9, HCPCS, CPT, and other requirements.
   • Maintain and track data for OPPE and FPPE according to hospital policy and regulatory requirements.

   More credentialing specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the credentialing specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A credentialing specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a credentialing specialist in Hawaii may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level credentialing specialist. Additionally, a credentialing specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average credentialing specialist salary

   $40,899yearly

   $19.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level credentialing specialist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average credentialing specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$56,035	$27
   2	Connecticut	$55,824	$27
   3	California	$51,692	$25
   4	Massachusetts	$51,603	$25
   5	Rhode Island	$47,751	$23
   6	Michigan	$46,149	$22
   7	Minnesota	$45,838	$22
   8	Maryland	$44,764	$22
   9	Pennsylvania	$44,737	$22
   10	Virginia	$43,878	$21
   11	Nevada	$43,498	$21
   12	North Carolina	$43,371	$21
   13	Louisiana	$40,157	$19
   14	Arizona	$40,149	$19
   15	Colorado	$39,507	$19
   16	Texas	$38,376	$18
   17	Kansas	$38,257	$18
   18	Ohio	$38,119	$18
   19	West Virginia	$37,785	$18
   20	Indiana	$37,692	$18

   Average credentialing specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Hawaii Pacific Health	$77,890	$37.45	43
   2	AbbVie	$65,198	$31.35	6
   3	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$64,888	$31.20
   4	Mount Sinai Health System	$63,348	$30.46	77
   5	Naropa University	$63,091	$30.33
   6	IPRO	$62,554	$30.07
   7	Citizant	$62,424	$30.01	209
   8	Planned Systems International	$61,527	$29.58
   9	Columbia University in the City of New York	$60,956	$29.31	3
   10	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$60,362	$29.02
   11	North Arkansas Regional Medical Center	$60,072	$28.88
   12	St. John's Episcopal Hospital	$59,741	$28.72	1
   13	Cook Children's Medical Center	$59,694	$28.70	17
   14	One Brooklyn Health	$59,606	$28.66
   15	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$59,569	$28.64
   16	Shriners Hospitals for Children	$59,432	$28.57	4
   17	Health Alliance	$58,942	$28.34	46
   18	New York State Restaurant Association	$58,107	$27.94
   19	Parkland Hospital	$57,948	$27.86
   20	Mission Regional Medical Center	$57,849	$27.81	52

4. Writing a credentialing specialist job description

   A good credentialing specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a credentialing specialist job description:

   Credentialing specialist job description example

   Children's Hospital of New Orleans is a leader in Pediatric care throughout the Southeast region. We are seeking a dynamic Credentialing Specialist. The mission of making care available to all children has allowed Children's to grow as an organization. Children's Hospital is a not-for-profit medical center offering the most advanced pediatric care for children from birth to 21 years. With over 40 pediatric specialties and more than 400 physicians, it is the only full-service hospital exclusively for children in Louisiana and the Gulf South. We invite you to experience the magic of Children's Hospital.
   
   Position Summary: The Credentialing Specialist will process payer enrollment and credentialing for all medical staff providers with insurance payers. The Credentialing Specialist will also assist with processing medical staff credentialing and privileging medical staff providers as needed and/or directed.
   Job Specifications:
   
   Education: Minimum Required: High School Diploma or equivalent Preferred: BA/BS degree in business or related field
   
   Experience: Minimum Required: 2-3 Years administrative secretarial skills Preferred: 1-3 years in insurance enrollment, payer credentialing, billing/central business office and/or medical staff office
   
   License/Certification: Preferred: CPCS/CPMSM
   
   Special Skills/Training: Minimum Required: -Input data accurately into appropriate system and maintain records/database to ensure up-to-date information. -Excellent oranizational skills; oral and written skills -Ability to follow-up on pending items; critical thinking. -Abilbity to act independently and ability to maintain confidentiality. -Competency in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word. Preferred: -Knowledge and experience working with insurance payers -Ability to take and transcribe minutes.
   
   As a member of our team, you will not only experience personal reward, you will also find tangible benefits for you and your family. For more information please go to www.chnola.org. Children's Hospital is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right credentialing specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with credentialing specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit credentialing specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your credentialing specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit credentialing specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting credentialing specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new credentialing specialist

   Once you've selected the best credentialing specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new credentialing specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a credentialing specialist?