Barriers and Facilitators of Medicaid Participation Among Dentists

What are dentists’ experiences and perceptions regarding Medicaid participation, and what barriers and facilitators affect their decision to accept or decline Medicaid insurance?In this qualitative study of 67 dentists across 8 states, themes related to Medicaid participation were identified and organized into system-, dentist-, and patient-level factors. Dentists consistently reported low reimbursement, administrative burden, and no-shows as barriers to participation.Findings of this study suggest that improving Medicaid dental access requires policy efforts beyond reimbursement increases, including reducing administrative burdens and supporting dentist engagement.

Corresponding Author: Hawazin W. Elani, BDS, PhD, Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (hawazin_elani@hsdm.harvard.edu).

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