Physician participation in Medicaid up despite budget cuts
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Surprisingly, state budget cuts to doctors' reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients have not discouraged physicians from seeing Medicaid patients. The state cuts will result in reductions in reimbursements for some physicians.
The Las Vegas Sun reported the results of a survey conducted by the state Health Care Financing and Policy Division, in its article entitled "No pay hike, but specialists seem OK with Medicaid," written by David McGrath Schwartz and Cy Ryan. Overall, the survey found that the number of specialists seeing Medicaid patients had actually increased.
Among other findings of the survey:
Increases
--Among Nevada's obstetrician/gynecologists, 93.6% have signed up to serve Medicaid recipients this year, up from 71% in 2006.
--Psychiatrists increased to 88 % from 58%.
--Dermatologists, gastroenterologists and neurologists seeing Medicaid patients increased by 20%.
Decreases
--General practice physicians declined from 71 percent participation to 68 percent
--General surgeon participation decreased from 77 percent to 58 percent
--Internist participation dropped from 94 percent to 79 percent.
--Not a single urology surgeon is signed up with Medicaid.