New York Medicaid: Cultural competency training required by Oct. 1, 2026

Every year, the New York State Department of Health requires health care professionals to complete cultural competency training. Health care professionals can take one of the state’s free accredited online courses in the Think Cultural Health training guide.

These training courses give you an overview of cultural, health literacy and language needs for diverse populations. By understanding these needs, you can build a relationship of trust and help enhance patients’ overall health outcomes.

How to take the required training

There are 2 ways to access the Think Cultural Health training: through the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal or the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Going through the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal simplifies the attestation process and tracks that you’ve fulfilled your requirement.

UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal

• Sign in to the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal and enter your One Healthcare ID
• If you don’t have a One Healthcare ID, register now
• Go to the Tailored Training page under Profile & Settings
  • On the Required Training tab, click on the course titled U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Think Cultural Health. This will bring you to the guide where you can log in or register to take the training that best corresponds to your specialty.
  • You may notice a disclaimer at the beginning of each of the courses, stating that we’re working on posting an updated version of the courses. Until the updated versions are posted, the current courses are still valid and available for you to take to meet the requirement.

Once you complete the training, return to the Tailored Training page

• Click the link under the Provider Status heading
• Click on the applicable provider name(s) and choose “Mark as Completed” under Bulk Options. This will automatically provide evidence that you’ve completed the course.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

• If you don’t have access to the Provider Portal, go directly to the guide and complete the following steps:
  • Log in and choose the program that corresponds with your scope of practice
• Once you complete the training, download the roster, fill out the requested information and email it to our Cultural Competency team. Use the subject line: Think Cultural Health training.

Note: Taking the Think Cultural Health training through the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal eliminates the need to download the roster and manually email it to our team.

Questions? We’re here to help.

For questions about the training, email csnewyork_culturalcompetencetraining@uhc.com. For chat options and contact information, visit our contact resources.