How Technology Is Revolutionizing Primary Source Verification for Physicians

Primary source verification for physicians has become a complex, time-sensitive hurdle that is forcing healthcare organizations to adopt technology to streamline the process. 

With rising numbers of licensed professionals, increasingly fragmented data sources, and growing pressure to move faster without sacrificing accuracy, the traditional methods just can’t keep up. In fact, 81% of credentialing professionals say speed and accuracy are their top challenges, according to a 2025 MedTrainer poll. This shifting landscape is paving the way for a new, tech-driven approach to primary source verification for physicians.

In this article, I’ll explore how modern technology and credentialing software are streamlining primary source verification for physicians, reducing friction, and helping organizations meet today’s demands with greater ease and confidence.

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Why Primary Source Verification for Physicians Is Due for a Tech Overhaul

Primary source verification (PSV) is the process of verifying a provider’s identity, background, and qualifications. It can be a time-consuming process — it requires multiple steps, contacting various licensing authorities, and even deliberately slow data-retrieval processes to protect sensitive information. This tedious back-and-forth process is costing your organization, as the sheer amount of time spent on PSV credentialing is keeping your staff from carrying out other important tasks. 

Other complexities and resource constraints are making the traditional verification process inefficient and potentially inaccurate. The volume of provider licensure has surged, requiring organizations to track multiple licenses, renewal cycles, and evolving regulatory requirements across different states and licensure compacts. This means more work for your staff and more chances for mistakes along the way. 

The push for quicker and more dependable primary source verification for physicians is fueled in part by heightened safety expectations and the urgency to efficiently vet and onboard healthcare providers. 

With organizations like the NCQA tightening verification deadlines, there’s growing pressure to implement automated systems and real-time monitoring tools. At the same time, rising concerns around fraud and credential misrepresentation have made continuous compliance tracking critical for patient safety.

Key Features To Prioritize When Evaluating PSV Technology

When evaluating PSV technology, there are a few key features that are most important to ensure the most effective implementation and full-scope functionality. 

On-Demand Automation

Automation saves time by not having to go from website to website, waiting for documents to download, reuploading, printing, and filing. That’s time you don’t have with more verifications to complete than ever before. 

Look for automation that begins the primary source verification process as soon as you add the provider’s license number. The automated PSV technology should populate applicable fields within the healthcare credentialing software to reduce the risk of typos or other inconsistencies. Choose a vendor who offers unlimited verifications without additional costs. 

Verifications You Need

Don’t settle for just DEA validation or some state license types. Find a PSV technology solution that includes all license types in all states to make sure it will remain compatible for your organization as it continues to grow and license new providers. 

MedTrainer’s all-in-one platform includes automated license verification for any state or verification source thanks to a unique partnership with Propelus. 

Original Source Integration

To avoid compliance issues and delays, look for healthcare credentialing software that integrates directly with the original sources and allows unlimited verifications. This reduces cost (as many states are now charging) and eliminates future data access issues, as you can now access it at any time.

Because it’s required to access license verifications at the original source, using an API automates the process for you, saving you from the time and potential costs associated with obtaining license and primary source verifications for physicians manually. 

Expiration Reminders and Reports

Staying ahead of license expiration dates keeps providers and your organization compliant, but sending these emails individually is tedious — no one is acting after the first one! Use PSV technology with automated reminders that start months in advance of renewal to be sure the process stays on track. 

Software should also be able to add expiration dates to customizable reports to keep you on track and NCQA-compliant (this is required in NCQA 2025 rule changes), and keep all your providers eligible to practice. 

MedTrainer’s healthcare credentialing platform offers recurring automated emails that start up to 180 days before expiration, with notifications to the credentialing professional and the provider. Also, the platform can customize reports with license expiration date, sorted by most recent, and even offers real-time reports to stay on top of expirations

Image Capture

Not all primary source verification for physicians can pull the license image into the platform, but this is required for The Joint Commission accreditation and DNV.  It’s a critical feature. Make sure your PSV technology has an image capture feature to ensure full-scope functionality. 

Integration With Credentialing Workflows

Credentialing software that brings primary source verification for physicians alongside your current workflows allows for end-to-end credentialing that minimizes duplication and disjointed processes.

Keeping all credentialing information in one place for easy access and more robust reporting reduces the time and risk of error associated with entering data in multiple platforms. 

When your provider data management is consolidated in one place,  data can be extracted directly from documents and added to the system for reporting or use in provider enrollment and privileging. Advanced solutions, such as MedTrainer, offer automated credentialing packet generation that pulls licenses in automatically when they are uploaded.

What PSV Technology Looks Like in Action

Sometimes it’s hard to envision how technology will change existing workflows, such as primary source verification for physicians. MedTrainer makes it easy.

You can add provider data into MedTrainer’s platform manually, or you can upload a completed form and let the system extract the data for you and populate the provider’s digital profile. Either way, when the provider’s name, license number, and state are added, the system will automatically retrieve license information from the state’s board. It usually takes just a minute or two, but you can navigate away from the page and work on something else.

Once the verification is complete, you can verify the image that is available in MedTrainer’s platform and check the trusted URL. When you click “verify,” the software logs your name, the date, and the trusted URL to meet NCQA and other accreditation requirements. This information is available in the provider’s digital profile and can be added to customizable reports.

If you’ve included a license as a required document type in a credentialing packet template, the MedTrainer platform will automatically pull the new license into the packet and update the expiration, so you know the packet is complete and valid.

Additionally, with PSV technology, you’ll never miss a renewal deadline. Adding a license expiration date triggers automated reminders beginning 120 days before expiration.

The Future of Primary Source Verification Technology for Physicians

MedTrainer is looking toward the future of healthcare by evolving its healthcare credentialing platform to integrate powerful, purpose-built AI across credentialing, compliance, and learning workflows. Our goal is to automate tedious tasks that can have the greatest impact on healthcare organizations. It’s what prompted our unique partnership with Propelus and our solutions to streamline provider data management.

The AI Upload Assistant automates bulk provider document upload, file classification, data extraction, and placement within the provider’s digital credentialing profile — all within seconds. AI Upload Assistant goes beyond speed by reading the document itself, extracting key data points, and eliminating the need for manual data entry. Every expiration date is recorded, every file is correctly placed, and every provider profile is kept up to date. 

AI Form Mapping is currently nearing release. This PSV technology will dramatically reduce the time spent on repetitive data entry to recognizing and auto-filling long, redundant credentialing forms.

Schedule a demo with MedTrainer today to see the future of healthcare credentialing software.