Maine lawmakers are considering an emergency proposal to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for pediatric dentists who perform work on patients under anesthesia.
Six notes:
1. HP1438 states that Maine currently does not fully reimburse for dental services requiring anesthesia, which has led to a backlog of cases for children.
2. The bill would immediately increase the rates for medically necessary dental services requiring deep sedation or general anesthesia when those services are provided at an ASC.
3. The new rates would specifically apply to ASCs whose patient population consists of at least 50% Medicaid recipients on an annual basis.
4. The bill would establish a $250 reimbursement rate for each 15-minute increment of anesthesia services provided to a pediatric dental patient.
5. The bill would require these dental services to be billed using codes D9222 and D9223.
6. The bill would go into effect immediately once passed by the legislature.
