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A Two-Year Look at Arkansas’s “Any Willing Provider” Law
Two years under Arkansas’s “any willing provider” law have resulted in greater choice for consumers and higher numbers of patients for hospitals, but some questions remain about the effect on the cost of healthcare.
TED GRIGGS |
Arkansas Group Leaving American Lung Association
The American Lung Association of Arkansas became the Arkansas Respiratory Health Association (ARHA) with a quick yank of a cloth covering the banner that had the association’s new name and new slogan, “Breathe Easier. Every day” at a press conference at the ARHA building off Markham in Little Rock.
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Baptist Health Celebrates Heber Springs Opening
HEBER SPRINGS — The view rivals any in Arkansas.
Baptist Health-Heber Springs is perched on top of a hill, with one side facing Sugar Loaf Mountain and the other side looking off into the valley.
In terms of views, Baptist Health-Heber Springs’ only possible rival is Mercy-Turner Memorial; the Ozark hospital sits atop a river bluff and looks down on the Arkansas River.
JEREMY PEPPAS |
Being Smart about Health IT
AFMC Works to Improve Processes
With information technology, there’s always something newer, better, faster, more expensive. For most doctors, the challenge isn’t to stay ahead of the curve; it’s just to stay somewhere on the curve while negotiating the convoluted maze of options available for their offices. Deconstructing the myriad healthcare IT choices that comprise today’s IT software and vendor offerings is hard enough. Finding ways to fund new IT while maximizing efficiency and minimizing wasted time is even trickier. But a couple of Arkansas-based organizations are working on it, via very different ends of the spectrum.
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
Compounding Is the Key for Cantrell Drug
Appearances can be deceiving. That is especially true for Cantrell Drug.When you enter the door, Cantrell Drug looks like any other pharmacy.
You see pharmacists working behind the counter and the usual selection of sundries and dry goods, but behind the counter, that’s when it gets interesting.
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Grand Rounds August
ARHA Hosts “Take a Breather” Gala
The “Take a Breather” Gala has been on the scene in the Little Rock social scene for the last seven years.
A black tie event, the “Take a Breather” Gala is planned for Friday, October 5th at the Peabody Hotel. The highlight of the evening is the presentation of the Lung Health Advancement award to an outstanding honoree who has contributed significantly to improving lung health care and it will be presented to Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe.
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Money Makes the Healthcare World Go Round
The math is simple for physicians; starting in 2008, Medicare will cut physician payments by 10 percent. Hospitals will also be affected, though to a lesser extent.
JEREMY PEPPAS |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. Larry Johnson
Dr. Larry Johnson had been in Arkansas only a couple of months, but he already attracted some attention.
“Apparently they had been researching me,” Johnson said of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Lung Association, now known as the Arkansas Respiratory Health Association (ARHA) after a split from the American Lung Association (see related article on this page).
JEREMY PEPPAS |
Program Immunizes Little Rock Children
An almost-14-year-old program has provided free immunizations to more than 6,000 children in Little Rock since its inception.
In October 1993, St. Vincent Health System began providing free immunizations for children at a daycare. “One sister at the hospital came up with the idea,” said Renia White, coordinator of Project Guardian Angel. “She was concerned, when providing physicals, how many children were behind in their immunizations.”
JENNIFER GILL |
The Wal-Mart Way
A less sexy, but possibly high-yielding, field of health IT research got under way this spring at the University of Arkansas (UA). In partnership with Wal-Mart and Blue Cross Blue Shield, UA announced in March the formation of a new program, the Center for Innovation in Health Care Logistics (CIHL), helmed by Ron Rardin, PhD. Proctor & Gamble also recently joined the effort as a major partner.
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Too Many Pain Specialists in the Kitchen
Credentialing, Prescribing Controversy Sparks Debate
Some prominent Arkansas pain doctors are asserting that the practice of responsible pain management in the state has a bad case of shingles — as in too many unqualified doctors hanging theirs out as pain specialists in the hopes of making easy money. Another reform advocate calls that a bunch of hooey but says the bigger problem is that...
JENNIFER BOULDEN - 2 opinions posted |
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