More than one-third of dentists have dropped out of at least one insurance network so far this year, according to the American Dental Association.
But what is causing dentists to take this route? A separate survey from the ADA showed that almost every dentist dropping networks cited reimbursement amounts.
Over 98% of respondents in the poll said that reimbursement was a reason for them dropping a network. The second most common reason was the administrative burden, at 57.3%.
Harry Papadopoulos, DDS, MD, a dentist in Indiana, doesn’t participate in Medicare but is a part of the Medicaid program. He believes that the burden is only growing, especially on solo practices.
“Timely reimbursement has not been a problem, which is a big plus, but fees have been chronically low even with recent increases,” Dr. Papadopoulos told Becker’s. “Indiana had a 10% increase in fees recently but that does not make up for lack of fee increases in 15 years. Recently, commercial insurance companies have gotten involved with Medicaid in my state, causing confusion and added work for my staff trying to verify benefits and collect reimbursement thereafter.”
Source: Dentists are dropping payers: Here’s why / Becker’s Dental + DSO Review