ADA launches toolkit to support dentists in Medicaid participation

The ADA Practice Institute is launching a new resource aimed at helping dentists deliver care to Medicaid patients while maintaining financial viability.

Recognizing that Medicaid participation often presents significant operational and reimbursement challenges, the Medicaid Financial Sustainability Toolkit: An Operational Guide for Dentists Wishing to Treat Medicaid Beneficiaries is designed to support dentists who are committed to serving underserved populations but need effective and operational strategies to do so sustainably.

While the ADA continues to advocate for increasing reimbursement rates and reducing administrative burden at the state and federal level, the toolkit offers practical, experience-informed solutions developed with the input of dentists actively treating Medicaid beneficiaries across the country. The guide provides concrete strategies for credentialing, scheduling, team utilization and administrative coordination to help mitigate common issues that lead to lost revenue or patient attrition.

Chair of the Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention Jessica Robertson, D.M.D., who practices in rural Arizona, said she knows firsthand that being a Medicaid provider "is not only crucial to ensuring access to care for children and families in my community, but it has also been an important practice builder."

"Practices that implement strong credentialing systems, use scheduling strategies to reduce no-shows, and foster a culture of patient-centered care are more likely to succeed in treating Medicaid beneficiaries," she said. “While this toolkit is a start, the council and its members will continue advocacy for improvements in Medicaid reimbursement, administrative processes, and coverage as these remain challenges in every practice setting.”

Additionally, the Association has published the Medicaid dental fee-for-service rates for every state, now available at ADA.org/medicaidfeeschedules. This resource is for any dentist evaluating the financial landscape of participating in Medicaid within their state. With wide variations in adult dental coverage and Medicaid reimbursement across states, the ADA said having easy access to these fee schedules enables informed decisions and planning, especially when trying to set a benchmark when negotiating fees with managed care organizations.

Along with strategies and fee schedules, the toolkit provides practice-level strategies in advocacy for Medicaid sustainability in every state. The ADA is also encouraging dentists and patients to share their experiences, both successes and challenges with Medicaid dental benefits, through the ADA StoryBank, at ADA.org/storybank. This platform will elevate the voices of dentists who are making a difference in Medicaid and patients who have significantly benefitted from the availability of a Medicaid dental benefits. These stories inform the ADA’s advocacy efforts at both state and federal levels and can help shape policies that support meaningful change, according to the Association. 

The Medicaid Financial Sustainability Toolkit is available now. For more information, visit ada.org/medicaidfinancialtoolkit.