Reimbursement rates are the top reason behind dentists not treating more Medicaid patients, according to a report from the American Dental Association.
The ADA polled nearly 1,000 dentists across eight states to gauge the importance of certain factors when it comes to treating Medicaid patients.
In the past 12 months, 59% of dentists polled said that they had treated adult or child patients who were enrolled in Medicaid.
Here is the percentage of dentists who responded that each of the following factors were "extremely important" in keeping them from treating more Medicaid patients:
Reimbursement rate of Medicaid: 79.6%
Appointment cancellation or no-show rate among Medicaid patients: 59.9%
Denial of payment by Medicaid: 57.6%
More comprehensive procedures are not covered by Medicaid: 49.2%
Overall claims submission process: 38.6%
Time it takes to get paid by Medicaid: 36.3%
Audit of practice activities: 30.1%
Staffing shortages at my practice: 24.9%
Process of enrolling as a Medicaid provider: 23.2%