Medicaid Accessibility for Ophthalmologists and Optometrists in Florida: A Pilot Study

This study aimed to evaluate Medicaid accessibility for ophthalmologists and optometrists in Florida. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between February and March 2018 using a geographically uniform sample of 22 ophthalmologists and 80 optometrists registered with Medicaid. Providers were asked whether they accepted new Medicaid patients (adult and/or pediatric) and for the earliest available appointment. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher's exact test, and time to next appointment was analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (α = 0.05).

Across all age groups, a greater proportion of ophthalmologists (95.4%) accepted some form of Medicaid compared to optometrists (83.8%) (p=0.29), a higher percentage of ophthalmologists reported accepting new Medicaid patients (86.4% vs. 76.3%; P=0.39) and a slightly higher proportion of ophthalmologists reported they would take adult patients with some kind of Medicaid insurance (90.9% vs. 85.0%; p=0.73). Weekend availability was slightly higher among ophthalmologists (63.6% vs. 56.3%; p=0.63). Acceptance of new pediatric Medicaid patients and time to next appointment were similar between provider groups (p=1.00 and p=0.74, respectively).

A greater proportion of ophthalmologists reported accepting adult Medicaid patients and offering weekend availability compared to optometrists, although differences were not statistically significant. Larger studies are needed to confirm these trends.