---
title: "What Is Primary Source Verification? PSV in Healthcare"
description: "Primary source verification confirms each clinician credential with its issuer. What gets verified, the rules behind it, and how Cuvo Health does it."
canonical: "https://cuvo.co/glossary/primary-source-verification"
last-updated: "Oct 26, 2026"
---
**Definition:** Primary source verification is the practice of confirming a clinician's credentials, such as a license, education, board certification or registration, directly with the body that issued them rather than relying on copies or the clinician's own statements.

# What is primary source verification in credentialing?

A copy of a license proves only that someone had a copy. Primary source verification goes to the board, school or registry that issued a credential and confirms it there. Cuvo Health verifies every provider in its network this way before a first visit.

Published Oct 26, 2026. Facts reviewed Oct 26, 2026.

Primary source verification (PSV) is the practice of confirming a clinician's credentials directly with the body that issued them, such as the state board for a license or the certifying board for board certification, rather than relying on copies or the clinician's own statements. It is the core of credentialing. Federal rules for Medicare Advantage plans require initial credentialing to include verification of licensure or certification from primary sources (42 CFR 422.204), and NCQA's credentialing programs accept verification through the primary source, a recognized source or a contracted agent of the primary source. Cuvo Health credentials every provider in its network through primary-source verification before a first visit, confirming each credential with the body that issued it.

**At a glance**
- What it is: Confirming each credential with the body that issued it
- What it replaces: Copies, resumes and self-reported applications taken at face value
- Federal anchor: 42 CFR 422.204: initial credentialing verifies licensure or certification from primary sources
- Accepted sources: The primary source, a recognized source or a contracted agent of the primary source (NCQA)
- When it runs: At initial credentialing and again at recredentialing, at least every 3 years under 42 CFR 422.204
- On Cuvo: Every provider verified before a first visit and recredentialed on a set cycle

**Common credentials and where each is verified**

| Credential | Primary source | What it confirms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **State license** | The state board that issued it | Active status, expiration and any board action |
| **Education and training** | The medical or nursing school and the training program | The degree and completed training the application claims |
| **Board certification** | The certifying board | Current certification in the specialty |
| **DEA registration** | The Drug Enforcement Administration | Registration status for controlled-substance prescribing |
| **Malpractice and adverse actions** | The National Practitioner Data Bank (45 CFR Part 60) | Reported malpractice payments and adverse actions |
| **Exclusions** | The HHS-OIG LEIE and SAM.gov | Whether the clinician is excluded from federal programs or transactions |

## 01. Why does primary source verification matter for telehealth?

A telehealth brand never meets its clinicians in person, and its patients trust the brand's name rather than a clinic they can walk into. A forged diploma, a lapsed license or an undisclosed board action reaches every state the brand sells into at once. Primary source verification is the control that catches those problems before a first visit, because the answer comes from the issuer, not from the clinician's paperwork.

## 02. How is primary source verification different from credentialing?

Verification is one step; credentialing is the whole process. Under 42 CFR 422.204, credentialing starts with a written application the clinician signs, dates and attests to, then verifies licensure or certification from primary sources, reviews disciplinary status and eligibility for payment, and repeats the cycle at recredentialing. Primary source verification is what turns the application from a set of claims into a set of confirmed facts.

## 03. How often does primary source verification happen?

At initial credentialing and again at each recredentialing, which federal Medicare Advantage rules set at least every 3 years. Credentials change between cycles, so programs add monitoring: OIG replaces its downloadable exclusion database with a current version every month, and license status can change whenever a board acts. Cuvo screens every provider monthly against the HHS-OIG LEIE and SAM.gov and watches license status and board actions between full recredentialing cycles.

## 04. Can a credentialing database replace primary source verification?

Not on its own. A profile such as DataSpring's CAQH Provider Data Portal, formerly CAQH ProView, holds self-reported data that a clinician enters and attests to, which saves the clinician from filling out a separate application for every health plan. The credentialing program still verifies what the profile says, either at the source or through a recognized source or contracted agent of it.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: What is primary source verification?**

A: It is confirming a clinician's license, education, board certification and other credentials directly with the body that issued each one, instead of trusting copies or self-reported information. On Cuvo, every provider is verified this way before a first visit.

**Q: Primary source verification vs credentialing: what is the difference?**

A: Primary source verification is the step that confirms each credential with its issuer; credentialing is the full process around it, from the attested application to the approval decision and recredentialing. Cuvo Health runs both for every provider in its network.

**Q: What credentials require primary source verification?**

A: Typically the state license, education and training, board certification and DEA registration, with malpractice and adverse-action history checked through the National Practitioner Data Bank. Cuvo Health confirms each of these with the body that issued it before a provider's first visit.

**Q: How often is primary source verification done?**

A: At initial credentialing and at each recredentialing, at least every 3 years under federal Medicare Advantage rules, with monitoring in between. On Cuvo, providers are recredentialed on a set cycle and screened monthly against the HHS-OIG LEIE and SAM.gov.

**Q: Does a telehealth brand need primary source verification?**

A: Yes, for every clinician who treats its patients, whether the brand runs it or a partner does. Cuvo Health performs it for its whole network before launch, and the cost sits inside the platform fee and the flat $25 per completed consult.

**Related pages**

- [Provider credentialing](/glossary/provider-credentialing): The full process primary source verification sits inside
- [OIG exclusion list (LEIE) and sanction screening](/glossary/oig-exclusion-list): The monitoring that runs between cycles
- [CAQH ProView](/glossary/caqh-proview): The self-reported credentialing profile
- [Telehealth licensing and credentialing across all 50 states](/blog/fifty-state-provider-network): Who handles each step
- [The 50-state provider network](/provider-network): How Cuvo credentials and screens its providers
- [Telehealth glossary](/glossary): Every term a telehealth founder meets

Canonical page: https://cuvo.co/glossary/primary-source-verification