Health care consulting firm Merritt-Hawkins released the results of a survey of doctors across 5 specialties (cardiology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics-gynecology and family practice) in 15 metropolitan markets. The report found the average Medicaid acceptance rate to be 45.7%, down from 55.4% in 2009. Reasons include: some reimbursement rates below cost to deliver service, reimbursement rates lower compared to other payers, and complex billing procedures for Medicaid payment. Boston had the highest acceptance at 73%, while Dallas was lowest at 23%.
In cooperation with NAEBA