How to Find a Doctor Who Accepts Medicare and Medicaid

Patients who use Medicare and Medicaid need to find doctors who will accept these services as payment. Not all doctors accept patients with these types of payment plans, as it takes more time for their staff to fill out the appropriate forms to receive payment for their services. The patient may also require the services of a specialist besides a general care doctor. Finding these doctors may require a little digging on the part of the patient.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has an online service that allows patients using Medicare or Medicaid to find doctors who accept them for appointments. The website provides a simple form to place your zip code or city and state. After submitting this information, a page with a list of doctors, together with addresses and phone numbers will appear. The list may appear alphabetically or with the doctor's names who are located nearest to your address.

Specialists

• Many Medicare and Medicaid patients need the services of specialists. These doctors provide a specialized form of services in their medical field. For example, elderly patients who suffer from hearing loss may require the services of an ear, nose and throat specialist. By inputting your information and specifying a specialist in a certain medical field, the Department of Health & Human Services website can help patients find the appropriate doctors for their illnesses. The website also helps you find hospitals or clinics that will honor Medicaid and Medicare patients.

Medicaid

• Locating physicians who offer Medicaid is slightly different from finding those who accept Medicare. Medicare is a national program for people age 65 and older, and younger persons who are disabled or who have end stage renal disease, that is federally funded. Medicaid is jointly funded by state and federal governments, and administered by the states to low income families. You will need to visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website and input the same information as for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Only certain low income families are eligible for Medicaid, so you may have to visit a Medicaid office and fill out forms to find out if you can participate.

Calling Local Physicians and Clinics

• For people without access to a computer, use your local phone book and call the doctor's offices, health facilities and clinics to see if they accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. While not all doctors may accept these patients, many will. Once you locate a doctor who accepts Medicare and Medicaid patients, enroll your entire family or spouse into their database, as some doctors may stop taking patients at some point.