Only 1 in 3 provider directory listings is accurate.[1] Wrong phone numbers, closed offices, and ghost networks delay care every single day. CatchaDoc's seven-layer verification system is changing that — and every stakeholder has a role to play.
Other directories: "Flag this listing" → black hole. Maybe reviewed in 6 months.
CatchaDoc: Your report → seven-layer verification → cross-checked with carrier APIs, agent intel, medical boards, AI validation, and human review → fixed fast.
You're not screaming into the void. You're activating our verification engine.
Anonymous reporting is fine — leave email blank if you prefer no follow-up. We never share your information with the provider.
Other directories: Provider pays → gets a badge → zero accountability.
CatchaDoc Vetted: Provider agrees to our 3-Strike policy before earning the badge:
You're not buying trust. You're signing up for accountability.
This is no longer a member satisfaction issue. Federal regulators have made directory accuracy a compliance obligation with direct financial consequences.
$25,000 / DayCMS can fine carriers up to $25,000 per Medicare beneficiary per day for inaccurate Medicare Advantage provider directories.[5] State regulators have imposed additional fines — Anthem Blue Cross was fined $250,000 and Blue Shield of California $350,000 for directory inaccuracies, with Blue Shield paying over $38 million in claims adjustments.[5]
The OIG's first update to Medicare Advantage compliance guidance since 1999 — released February 2026 — specifically calls out directory accuracy, ghost network prevention via claims data analysis, and the risk of administrative sanctions and false-statements liability for out-of-date directories.[4]
Your directory team does quarterly batch updates. Ghost networks are created in the gaps — providers retire, move, drop plans, and close practices every single day. The OIG now recommends quarterly outreach, claims data cross-referencing, secret shopper surveys, and independent verification — none of which your internal team can run at scale.[4]
CatchaDoc operates all seven verification layers continuously:
Result: A continuously verified provider directory with a defensible audit trail for CMS compliance — and a 30-day update cycle that meets the new federal requirement.[3]
Other directories scrape data and hope. CatchaDoc verifies through seven independent layers — four input sources, an AI validation engine, human review, and provider enforcement. Every listing. Continuously.
Real-time field data — dead numbers, closed offices, wrong insurance, moved locations
Local market knowledge — office moves, panel changes, network departures, provider education
Official network roster files from 86+ insurers — credentialing data, panel status, plan participation
State licensing boards across all 50 states — active credentials, disciplinary actions, sanctions
Continuous phone line testing, NPI cross-referencing, duplicate detection, pattern analysis
Manual calls, direct office contact, dispute resolution, final arbitration on conflicts
Legal agreements (MNDA + BAA), 3-Strike policy, 24-hour fix deadlines, charity accountability clause
A ghost network is a provider directory listing with inaccurate or outdated information such as a disconnected phone number, a closed office, a provider who retired, or a doctor who no longer accepts a specific insurance plan. Ghost networks are widespread. A 2023 Senate Finance Committee investigation found only 1 in 3 Medicare Advantage listings were accurate.[1]
Other directories publish provider data but have no mechanism to continuously verify it or enforce accuracy. CatchaDoc uses a seven-layer verification system combining consumer reports, agent intel, carrier API data, state medical board records, AI phone validation, human review, and provider legal accountability. When you report a bad listing on CatchaDoc, something actually happens.
Yes. Vetted providers get priority and most verified updates publish within 24 hours. Free tier providers are fixed within 7 days as we complete the full verification process.
Yes. Leave the email field blank if you prefer no follow-up. Anonymous reports still trigger our full seven-layer verification process.
Still report it. We verify independently. Any proof you can share speeds things up but it is never required.
No personal information is ever shared with the provider. We contact the office independently for verification only.
Use our contact form with the provider name and city, or reply to our confirmation email if you provided one. We will update you within 48 hours.
We list providers across all 50 states and expand payer coverage daily. If a plan is not yet visible we will still verify the office and mark the listing while we add that network. Include the insurer name and plan type (e.g. BCBS PPO) in your report to help us prioritize.
Yes. Use one form per provider and list all problems in the additional details field.
Carrier directories update on a quarterly batch cycle at best. CatchaDoc verifies continuously using real-time consumer reports, your local intel, carrier API cross-referencing, state board records, and AI phone validation. You know things the carriers don't know for weeks or months. That local knowledge is exactly what we need.
You get listed as a verified local agent in your coverage area, referrals from consumers searching your covered specialties, and a directory that stops embarrassing you in front of clients. You also build stronger provider relationships by being the person who helped fix their listing.
Yes. Contact us to discuss our agent partner program, which includes verified agent listings, referral tracking, and co-branded tools for your clients.
Office moves and closures, providers who dropped a specific plan, panel status changes (open vs. closed to new patients), phone number changes, and any dispute between what a provider says and what a carrier lists. Even a quick note that a provider retired is enormously valuable.
Yes. CatchaDoc operates under a HIPAA-compliant framework. Vetted providers and partners sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before exchanging any protected data. We do not store or transmit PHI through this platform.
We mark the listing Under Review and re-verify using all available evidence including carrier APIs, state medical board records, and direct office contact. Agent intel is treated as a high-credibility signal and often resolves disputes faster than any other source.
Other directories list you and move on. CatchaDoc gives you direct control over your listing, a Vetted badge that signals accountability to patients, and a 24-hour fix commitment that no other directory offers. You are not just a record in a database. You are an accountable participant in keeping your own data accurate.
Yes. You can claim your listing, correct your information, and maintain a basic verified profile at no cost. Paid tiers add priority placement, the Vetted badge, analytics, and faster update publishing.
The Vetted badge signals to patients that your listing is actively maintained and held to an accountability standard. To earn it you sign legal documents (MNDA and BAA), commit to fixing verified inaccuracies within 24 hours, and agree to the 3-Strike policy: Warning, then Suspension, then a 1-year ban for repeated failures. You also list 3 charities you will donate to if you reach strike 3.
Yes. Vetted providers sign a Business Associate Agreement before any protected data is exchanged. We operate under a HIPAA-compliant framework and do not store or transmit PHI through provider profiles.
Vetted providers see verified updates published within 24 hours. Free tier updates are published within 7 days after our verification process is complete. Compare that to carrier directories which can take 90 days or more to reflect any change.
All reports go through our seven-layer verification process before any change is made. We contact your office directly to confirm. A single consumer report never changes your listing automatically. If a report is verified as inaccurate it is dismissed and logged.
Visit catchadoc.com/claim-profile and search for your NPI number or practice name. The process takes under 5 minutes and the basic listing is always free.
CMS can fine carriers up to $25,000 per Medicare beneficiary per day for inaccurate Medicare Advantage provider directories.[5] State regulators have also acted. Anthem Blue Cross was fined $250,000 and Blue Shield of California was fined $350,000, with Blue Shield paying over $38 million in claims adjustments.[5] The OIG's February 2026 compliance guidance update specifically flags directory inaccuracy as a source of false-statements liability.[4]
CMS finalized a rule requiring Medicare Advantage organizations to submit provider directory data directly to CMS for display on Medicare Plan Finder beginning with plan year 2027. Plans must update data within 30 days of becoming aware of any change and attest annually to accuracy.[3]
Most solutions help you manage the data you already collect through credentialing workflows and batch updates. CatchaDoc verifies from the outside in. Using consumer reports, agent intelligence, and AI-powered phone validation, we catch what internal systems miss—the provider who retired last week, the office that moved last month, or the panel that quietly closed without an update. We complement your existing systems; we don’t replace them.
You share API access to your network roster files. We cross-reference your data against our seven verification layers continuously. You receive a real-time accuracy dashboard, a ghost network detection report, and a CMS-defensible audit trail. Updates that originate from our system flow back to your directory within your update cycle. Contact our partnership team to discuss scope and pricing.
CatchaDoc operates under a HIPAA-compliant framework and all carrier partnerships include a Business Associate Agreement. SOC 2 Type II certification is in progress. We are happy to share our current security posture documentation during the procurement process.
The OIG now recommends quarterly provider outreach, independent network adequacy verification, claims data cross-referencing to detect ghost networks, and secret shopper surveys.[4] CatchaDoc's seven-layer system addresses all four recommendations continuously, not just quarterly, and produces the audit trail documentation the OIG guidance calls for.
We flag the discrepancy, mark the listing Under Review, and re-verify through all available sources before any change is published. Your official roster data carries high weight in our verification hierarchy. You can also access a dispute resolution dashboard to review and respond to flagged listings directly.
All statistics and regulatory claims on this page are sourced from peer-reviewed research, federal agency reports, congressional records, and published compliance guidance. CatchaDoc cites primary sources only.
© 2023-2026 Escondido Media, LLC DBA CatchaDoc. All rights reserved.
