Feature

Medicaid acceptance up among cardiologists


 

Medicaid acceptance was 77% among cardiologists in the 2017 edition of an ongoing survey conducted in 15 large cities by physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins.

That was up from 61% in the previous survey, conducted in 2014, and higher than the average of 72% for cardiologists in 15 midsized cities that were included for the first time in 2017, the company reported.

There were four large cities with Medicaid acceptance rates of 100% – Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis (up from just 7% in 2014), and Portland, Ore. – along with four midsized cities – Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Evansville, Ind.; Fargo, N.D.; and Yakima, Wash. The lowest rate among the large cities was in Dallas (15%), with the midsized basement occupied by Lafayette, La., at 13%, Merritt Hawkins said.

Investigators called 259 randomly selected cardiologists in the large cities and 87 cardiologists in the midsized cities in January and February. It was the fourth such survey the company has conducted since 2004.

The survey also included four other specialties – dermatology, family medicine, ob.gyn., and orthopedic surgery. The Medicaid acceptance rate for all 1,414 physicians in all five specialties in the 15 large cities was 53%, and the average rate for all specialties in the midsized cities was 60% for the 494 offices surveyed, the company said. Cardiology had the highest rates by specialty and dermatology the lowest in both the large and midsized cities.

Survey: Average Medicare acceptance rates for 30 cities

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