Despite CMS’ most recently proposed boost to physician payments, years of reimbursement declines have pushed some physicians to stop accepting Medicare patients entirely.
Health policy research group KFF recently released data showing the overall number and percentage of physicians who have opted-out of Medicare in every state, amounting to 1% of all U.S. physicians opting out.
Here’s a breakdown of the data, organized by states with the highest percentage of physicians opting out to least:
| Location | Number of Active Physicians | Number of Opt-Out Physicians | Percentage Opt-Out |
| District of Columbia | 5,524 | 158 | 3% |
| Alaska | 1,977 | 55 | 3% |
| Colorado | 15,949 | 369 | 2% |
| Idaho | 3,618 | 79 | 2% |
| New York | 84,619 | 1,613 | 2% |
| Wyoming | 1,462 | 26 | 2% |
| Washington | 22,501 | 377 | 2% |
| California | 114,238 | 1,912 | 2% |
| Oregon | 12,609 | 210 | 2% |
| Maryland | 25,256 | 411 | 2% |
| Connecticut | 14,953 | 222 | 2% |
| Arizona | 18,052 | 274 | 2% |
| Maine | 4,894 | 73 | 2% |
| Virginia | 24,740 | 351 | 1% |
| Texas | 67,516 | 958 | 1% |
| Florida | 60,267 | 760 | 1% |
| Kansas | 8,393 | 109 | 1% |
| New Jersey | 30,825 | 399 | 1% |
| Montana | 2,727 | 33 | 1% |
| Oklahoma | 9,551 | 118 | 1% |
| North Carolina | 29,990 | 351 | 1% |
| Nevada | 6,333 | 77 | 1% |
| Georgia | 27,609 | 331 | 1% |
| Hawaii | 4,085 | 46 | 1% |
| South Carolina | 13,364 | 143 | 1% |
| Illinois | 42,196 | 418 | 1% |
| Delaware | 3,015 | 31 | 1% |
| New Mexico | 6,340 | 65 | 1% |
| Massachusetts | 33,964 | 307 | 1% |
| New Hampshire | 4,181 | 36 | 1% |
| Rhode Island | 4,329 | 39 | 1% |
| Vermont | 2,464 | 19 | 1% |
| Tennessee | 19,406 | 154 | 1% |
| Pennsylvania | 49,912 | 391 | 1% |
| Missouri | 20,109 | 166 | 1% |
| Indiana | 16,842 | 133 | 1% |
| Louisiana | 12,867 | 90 | 1% |
| Utah | 7,878 | 51 | 1% |
| Michigan | 37,872 | 244 | 1% |
| Ohio | 41,323 | 198 | 1% |
| Minnesota | 18,419 | 85 | 1% |
| Iowa | 8,107 | 37 | 1% |
| Kentucky | 11,864 | 61 | 1% |
| Alabama | 12,504 | 68 | 1% |
| Arkansas | 7,403 | 40 | 1% |
| Wisconsin | 18,460 | 86 | 1% |
| South Dakota | 2,429 | 9 | 0% |
| Mississippi | 6,672 | 28 | 0% |
| Nebraska | 6,197 | 19 | 0% |
| West Virginia | 5,354 | 11 | 0% |
| North Dakota | 2,321 | 3 | 0% |
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.