Northwest Arkansas has reduced the outmigration of health care by $255 million since 2018 but more work needs to be done, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council.
The council, in partnership with the Heartland Whole Health Institute, released a health care report at the council’s annual meeting Wednesday in Siloam Springs. The report was compiled by Tripp Umbach, a private consulting firm in Kansas City.
The Vision 2023 report was created to give the area guidelines for improving its health care industry, which will need to keep up with northwest Arkansas’ population of more than 590,000. It is expected to approach 1 million in population by 2050.
The council created its Health Care Transformation Division in 2019 to address health care issues such as staffing and outmigration, the term for residents who seek medical care elsewhere. In 2018, the council said the region lost $950 million annually because of outmigration, but that amount had been reduced to $695 million in 2023.
Northwest Arkansas health care report 2024 by Arkansas Business on Scribd
“Reducing patient outmigration by $255 million is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our Health Care Transformation Division,” Council CEO Nelson Peacock said. “Collaboration has been, and will continue to be, the key to achieving our vision of a value-based, patient-centered health care system. We have set a strong foundation over the last five years, but there is much more work needed to reach our goal of becoming a health care destination.”
The Vision 2030 report laid out some of the specific challenges the region needs to address. The health care industry is an important cog in northwest Arkansas’ economy and is expected to reach $6.1 billion in economic impact by 2030.
The strategies include improving the reimbursement rates, expanding services available to residents and expanding the medical workforce.
“The transition to value-based care represents a transformative opportunity to improve health outcomes and lower costs,” said Walter Harris, the CEO of Heartland Whole Health Institute. “By focusing on preventive and holistic care, we can elevate health care delivery across the region. However, this vision requires strategic investment and policy changes to address existing gaps.”
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