Are letters of reference mandatory for Medicaid and Medicare approval?

[myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN]

I was thinking about working for a local company that will pay me $60.00 per medical management appointment and $100.00 for assessments and who has about 400 patients waiting for services. However, they want two letters of reference from co-workers/employers teachers. They tell me that this is necessary to get me approved with Medicare and Florida Medicaid. I have always just "given a list of people" that I thought would make reasonable references (I've never even talked to my references and asked them). I have had employers come back and tell me that I get good references (frankly I would rather not know, I hate compliments and abhor negative feedback even more). So if getting letters of reference is required it may be a deal breaker or even career ending event for me as this is not a conversation that I can ever see myself having with friends or coworkers (my wife knows these people as well since we worked together for years, but she declines to do this for me). I may be forced to move to someplace like Seattle where it is possible to survive with "cash only" mental health patients due to demand. Then again I owe 150K in student loan debt so I want to be sure before I make such a drastic move (such as moving to a cash only place). My wife (a PMHNP since 2016) who treats Medicaid and Medicare patients in Arizona via tele-medicine indicates that she didn't have to do this in her recollection then again for her it would be no big deal to ask so she may just not recall.

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

Can’t speak to Florida Medicaid BUT there is no requirement for a written letter of reference for Medicare credentials. This sounds like a company specific requirement.