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Stefanie Pawluk on Advancing Value-Based Care & Improving Care in Northwest Arkansas

2 min read

Stefanie Pawluk, 39, joined the Northwest Arkansas Council after three years as policy director of the Heartland Whole Health Institute. She also served five years as a policy manager for the New York Department of Health.

Pawluk earned a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in public health from the University at Albany in New York.

What are your top priorities?

The top priority is to collaborate with regional health care leaders to develop actionable strategies based on the Vision 2030 report. This includes advancing value-based care, addressing workforce needs to support regional growth, closing gaps in specialty care, fostering research collaboration and tackling challenges in provider reimbursement.

What policies are needed to improve northwest Arkansas’ health care industry?

Northwest Arkansas is fostering innovation in health care delivery, emphasizing value-based care and whole-person health. Achieving these goals requires new payment models shaped by employers, as well as state and federal programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Arkansas has led in this area with initiatives like ARHOME and a recently announced maternity care delivery model for Medicaid. To support such efforts, policies must focus on redesigning Medicaid reimbursement and payment structures to incentivize healthier outcomes. Shifting away from traditional fee-for-service models can accelerate the transition to value-based care, improving how care is delivered to patients.

Why is it important that value-based care becomes the new model for health care?

Value-based care focuses on improving patient outcomes and the quality of services provided rather than the quantity of procedures performed. This model addresses whole-person health by integrating clinical care with supports that enhance overall well-being. By incentivizing quality, patient engagement and preventive care, value-based care shifts the focus to long-term health improvements and reducing costs through prevention and holistic approaches.

What can be done to improve reimbursement rates?

Arkansas faces significant challenges due to outdated national reimbursement methodologies based on 60-year-old cost data, which disadvantages the state in Medicare and private insurance payments. Because commercial insurers tie their rates to Medicare reimbursement, northwest Arkansas endures some of the lowest rates in the nation, hindering health care growth and innovation. Addressing this requires coordinated efforts at local, state, regional and national levels across public and private sectors.

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