AHCCCS ACC, ACC-RBHA and FFS: Therapist Credentialing

For Arizona Medicaid therapist credentialing, first separate AHCCCS provider enrollment from participation in the member’s health plan. The current AHCCCS health-plan directory identifies AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) and ACC plans with a Regional Behavioral Health Agreement (ACC-RBHA). An AHCCCS provider ID does not itself establish a managed-care contract.

Plan list checked: October 9, 2026, against the live agency directory. County and program eligibility still determine which plans are available to a member.

Current AHCCCS Complete Care plans

The AHCCCS ACC directory currently lists these six plans. These are directory names, not a promise that every plan is available in every Arizona county:

• Arizona Complete Health – Complete Care Plan

• Banner – University Family Care

• Molina Healthcare

• Mercy Care

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice

• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

Use the live directory’s county listings when choosing networks to pursue. Do not use historical plan names from an older enrollment FAQ as the current ACC list.

Current ACC-RBHA plans and behavioral health routing

The same AHCCCS directory lists two ACC-RBHA plans: Arizona Complete Health – Complete Care Plan and Mercy Care. Arizona Complete Health serves the North and South geographic service areas; Mercy Care serves the Central area. The directory includes county and ZIP exceptions, so confirm the actual service area rather than assigning a payer from a county name alone.

AHCCCS says most members receive behavioral health services through their chosen ACC plan. Members with a serious mental illness designation may receive services through an ACC-RBHA or Tribal Regional Behavioral Health Authority (TRBHA), depending on their coverage arrangement. ACC-RBHA responsibilities also include crisis and certain state/grant-funded services. Read the agency’s behavioral health explanation.

A behavioral health diagnosis by itself is not a reason to send every claim to an RBHA. Verify the member’s actual enrollment for the service date. ALTCS, the DCS Comprehensive Health Plan, and Division of Developmental Disabilities arrangements have their own directory sections; they are not additional plans in the six-plan ACC list. Check the full program directory.

Three different participation questions

• AHCCCS state enrollment: is the clinician or billing entity enrolled under the correct provider type and effective dates? Begin with APEP enrollment for behavioral health therapists.

• Managed-care participation: has the relevant plan completed its credentialing and contracting requirements for the clinician, billing arrangement and location? Confirm the participation effective date with that plan.

• Fee-for-service routing: does the member’s coverage and service date call for a direct AHCCCS FFS claim? State enrollment alone does not mean every AHCCCS member is FFS.

The October 2026 behavioral health services guide requires providers submitting MCO claims to be credentialed and contracted with that MCO. Direct AHCCCS fee-for-service billing follows the FFS provider manual. These are different payer workflows.

Plan examples: Mercy Care and Arizona Complete Health

Mercy Care: its network page asks potential providers for a letter of interest and W-9 and says AHCCCS registration must be complete. After the interest request is approved, contracting and onboarding proceed, including practitioner credentialing and CAQH where applicable. The page describes an executed agreement, participation effective date and orientation before serving Mercy Care members. Read Mercy Care’s current network instructions.

Arizona Complete Health: its provider manual describes a Potential Provider Application and review before formal credentialing begins. Individual practitioner credentialing uses current CAQH information and required forms. Read Arizona Complete Health’s credentialing section.

These are plan-specific examples. Use each target plan’s current provider instructions; do not treat another plan’s form, approval sequence or processing time as a statewide rule.

Before the first claim

1. Confirm the clinician’s AHCCCS enrollment, billing provider and any group association.

2. Confirm the member’s coverage and plan enrollment for the date of service, including other insurance.

3. Confirm participation and effective dates with the actual managed-care plan, when applicable.

4. Check the service’s coverage, authorization and submission requirements with the payer that will receive the claim.

Our AHCCCS eligibility guide covers the coverage check, and the claims and telehealth guide covers claim preparation. For staff managing an existing enrollment record, follow the APEP biller-access guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an AHCCCS provider ID make me in-network with an ACC plan?

No. State enrollment and a managed-care plan’s credentialing and contracting are separate. Confirm the plan’s approval and participation effective date before treating the clinician as in-network.

Which ACC plans are listed as of October 9, 2026?

The AHCCCS directory lists Arizona Complete Health – Complete Care Plan, Banner – University Family Care, Molina Healthcare, Mercy Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Availability varies by county and program.

Which plans hold the ACC-RBHA agreements?

The directory lists Arizona Complete Health – Complete Care Plan for the North/South areas and Mercy Care for Central, with county and ZIP exceptions detailed in the live directory.

Should every behavioral health claim go to an RBHA?

No. AHCCCS says most members receive behavioral health through their chosen ACC plan. Use the member’s actual coverage and enrollment for the service date, including any ACC-RBHA, TRBHA or FFS arrangement.