For your practice · Dental
Exclusion Screening for Dental Offices
Dentists, hygienists, assistants, front-desk staff and billing services: how dental offices that take Medicaid or Medicare Advantage can check everyone against the exclusion lists, and how often.
Add dates of birth: the LEIE lists one for almost everyone, and it is what tells two people with the same name apart.
Who to check
- Dentists and associate dentists, hygienists and dental assistants.
- Front-desk, scheduling and billing staff, including an outside billing or coding service.
- Locum or part-time dentists, and contracted specialists who see your patients.
- Owners and managing employees of the practice.
Why it matters for a dental office
Dental offices that see Medicaid patients (and many children's dental programs run through Medicaid) bill federal health care programs, so an excluded hygienist or billing clerk is the same risk as an excluded dentist.
What to check and how often
Check every person against the OIG exclusion list (LEIE) and SAM.gov before they start, and again every month: OIG updates its list monthly and says monthly screening best minimizes the risk. Add your state's Medicaid list where it keeps one (state lists).
Keep a dated record of every check and of how each potential match was resolved. Plans do this for you, with a monthly PDF report.
Sources
- HHS-OIG, Exclusions Program
- HHS-OIG, Updated Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of Exclusion (May 2013, PDF)
- HHS-OIG, Exclusions FAQs
Last reviewed against these sources on November 7, 2026. ExclusionHQ is not affiliated with any agency, and this page is not legal advice.
Related
Monthly monitoring
Need this every month?
Save your roster once. ExclusionHQ re-checks it against the LEIE, SAM.gov and 20 state Medicaid lists whenever one updates, emails you when something changes, and keeps a dated audit report for every check. From $39 a month for up to 100 people.
Questions
Does a small dental office really need monthly checks?
If you bill Medicaid or another federal health care program, OIG recommends checking before hiring and periodically after, and says monthly checks best minimize the risk, because the list changes monthly. Many states require monthly checks in their Medicaid provider agreements.
Do we check our outside billing company?
Yes: OIG's guidance covers contractors as well as employees. Check the company and, where you can, the people who work on your account.