Arkansas Business

What will the hospital landscape in Little Rock and Arkansas look like in five years?

With Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement at risk on the federal level and uncertain prospects of expanding Medicaid to the uninsured at the state level, I believe we could see closure of some hospitals in many of our under-populated and rural communities in Arkansas.  In central Arkansas, I think these same pressures could result in some consolidation of services. Regardless of what our government leaders decide or how other providers structure themselves, we believe offering the highest quality care and providing patients with a gold standard of service they will get nowhere else will transcend market evolutions.

Bio: Russ Harrington

Background: Before becoming president and CEO of Baptist Health in January 1984, Harrington was associate executive director of Baptist Health, administrator of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, executive director of Baptist Memorial Hospital in Kansas City and assistant administrator of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock.

 Education: Bachelor's degree in education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and a master's in health services management from the University of Missouri at Columbia.