ignificant numbers of patients at this year’s Mountains of Mercy dental clinic in Wise, Virginia, had Medicaid insurance but struggled to find a dentist who would accept it, a post-event survey shows.
The 23rd annual clinic — held in July at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise — treated about 500 patients. Organizers with the Virginia Dental Association Foundation conducted the event’s second patient survey, which received about 176 responses and provided some surprising trends.
Of those who responded, 132 patients said they had insurance. Eighty-eight of them (67%) had Medicaid coverage but 68 of the 88 (79%) hadn’t found a dentist who would accept it, the survey showed.
“What jumped out at us was the number of folks that had Medicaid and weren’t able to find a provider,” said Tara Quinn, executive director of the foundation. “I’ll be curious to see how that looks a year from now after the opening of Health Wagon’s [dental] clinic in Wise and how much they’ll be able to do with that population. Also the Appalachian Highlands dental center in Abingdon and they’re going through an expansion right now.”
Source: Survey: Dental patients with Medicaid struggled to find provider / Herald Courier