Texas Medicaid announced it has postponed its initiative enabling physicians to concurrently enroll in Texas Medicaid and submit managed care organization (MCO) credentialing information via the state’s Provider Enrollment and Management System (PEMS).
In a May 6 update on its website, the Texas Medicaid & Health Partnership (TMHP) noted that the May 30 start date for PEMS credentialing was being delayed to “later in 2025.”
Per a Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) spokesperson, a recent change from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which manages credentialing standards, necessitated adding additional fields to the credentialing tab created in PEMS, and TMHP is now targeting a late summer or early fall launch.
For the time being, a physician will still need to use PEMS to enroll or reenroll to provide care to Texas Medicaid patients and then seek credentialing from each individual MCO providing Medicaid coverage for that physician’s population.
Upon its activation, the new credentialing option will be a step toward addressing concerns TMA expressed in a Nov. 1 letter to HHSC, including enrollment being “time-consuming, cumbersome and confusing to even the most sophisticated practices and facilities.”
For years, TMA has made requests HHSC to for improving that process, including recent advocacy leading to a 180-day extension for physicians initiating the revalidation process by May 31.
Carra Benson, director of TMA’s Physician Payment Resource Center (PPRC), advises having all necessary documents at the ready before proceeding with credentialing, including those verifying:
The Texas Medical Association will continue to coordinate with HHSC and provide updates to member physicians as they become available.
Last Updated On
May 22, 2025
Originally Published On
May 22, 2025
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.