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Bo Ryall, CEO of the Arkansas Hospital Association, says hospitals continue to struggle in the aftermath of the pandemic. [Steve Lewis]
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

ACA Rule Changes Could Lead to Coverage Confusion, Industry Leaders WarnLock Icon

The proposed changes, along with expiring subsidies, could reduce coverage and strain hospitals and insurance agencies. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Unveils New Medicaid Work Requirement Plan

The "Pathway to Prosperity" program would use automated tracking and coaching instead of terminating coverage, aiming to avoid legal challenges that blocked previous attempts. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care

From Crisis to Comeback: Helena’s Hospital Nears Profitability After Rural Emergency DesignationLock Icon

Helena Regional Medical Center was losing $8 million per year before it was purchased by Progressive Health Group of Oxford, Mississippi, in January. read more >
Banking & Finance / Health Care / Industry

OrthoArkansas Accused of Overbilling by Former Surgeon

Dr. Wayne L. Bruffett, who left the practice in June 2023, alleged in a lawsuit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court that OrthoArkansas retaliated against him and created a “hostile environment in which it was impossible for him to continue his employment.” read more >
Health Care / Industry / Insurance

Healthcare Havoc: Arkansas Institutions Grapple with Aftermath of Cyberattack

The Feb. 21 cyberattack squeezed cash flow to hospitals and prevented dozens of physicians and pharmacists from collecting millions of dollars’ worth of claims. The full scale of the attack’s damage may not be fully calculated for months. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care / Industry

Arkansas Heart Hospital CEO Lobbies for Higher Reimbursement Rates Amidst LayoffsLock Icon

New legislation is being drafted that would force insurers to pay Arkansas hospitals the average being paid in border states. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care

Health Care Vaccine Mandate Remains as Some Push for an End

One year after it began being enforced nationwide on Feb. 20, 2022, the vaccination requirement affecting an estimated 10 million health care workers is the last remaining major mandate from President Joe Biden's sweeping attempt to boost national vaccination rates. read more >
Joe Biden discusses foreign policy during a presidential campaign speech in New York on Jan. 7, 2020. The president on Sept. 9, 2021 announced sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine requirements, including a mandate for employers with more 100 workers that requires them to be vaccinated or test weekly for the virus.
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

Biden to Launch Ambitious Overhaul of Nursing Home Quality

One major missing element: New sources of federal financing to pay for it. read more >
John Vinson
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

Pharmacies Continue Fight Against PBMs

A proposed Medicare rule change should reinforce Arkansas pharmacies in their continuing fight with pharmacy benefit managers over fees. read more >
Business Services / Government & Politics / Health Care

Employment Lawyers Give Advice After SCOTUS Blocks Vaccine Mandate

Businesses still need to be mindful of state and federal regulations. read more >
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.
Government & Politics / Health Care / Legal

Arkansas Among 10 States Suing Over Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Health Workers

The lawsuit contends that the vaccine requirement threatens the jobs of millions of health care workers and could "exacerbate an alarming shortage" in health care fields. read more >
UAMS estimates its losses are nearly $1 million per day.
Education / Government & Politics / Health Care

UAMS Gets $101M Shot in the Arm From FedLock Icon

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received an emergency advance of $101 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help stop the bleeding of cash caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. read more >
Baptist Health Virtual Care plugs socially distant patients directly into physician conferences.
Health Care / Legal / Media & Marketing

Telemedicine Tipping Point Seen as Virus Alters Care

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, but it is also ushering telemedicine into widespread acceptance in Arkansas. read more >
Business Services / Government & Politics / Health Care

Hospital Prices to Go Online, But Will Numbers Tell Story?Lock Icon

The idea of Americans scrolling through hospital websites to find the best deal on a mammogram or tonsillectomy sounds good to almost everybody. But the devil is in the details, and when federal plans emerged to force hospitals and insurers to reveal their negotiated rates for all kinds of medical services, the pitchforks came out. read more >
Bruce Westerman
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

Lost Causes (Editorial)

One of our mottoes is “Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.” Apparently, whether he knows it or not, it’s one of Congressman Bruce Westerman’s too. read more >
Sevier County Judge Greg Ray last week at the De Queen Medical Center, which closed in February. He’s lobbying for building a new hospital.
Health Care / Insurance / Legal

De Queen Hospital Owner Leaves Sevier County in the LurchLock Icon

The Sevier County judge is lobbying to build a new hospital after the De Queen Medical Center closed in February, leaving behind a pile of debt and lawsuits for its owner. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care / Insurance

CMS Picks Arkansas for CPC+ Model; Practices Can Apply Through Sept. 15

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says Arkansas has been selected as one of 14 regions nationwide to participate in a new five-year multi-payer payment model called CPC+. read more >
Health Care / Insurance

US Health Care Spending Grows

U.S. health care spending grew by 5.3 percent in 2014, to $3 trillion, or $9,523 per person, according to the latest figures available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. That was an increase over the 2.9 percent growth seen in 2013. read more >
Health Care / Insurance

Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative Results Mixed

Fifty-nine primary care practices representing 254 physicians are currently participating in a four-year pilot program by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services known as CPCI, the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. read more >
Health Care

Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care Team Gets CMS Contract

The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care is part of a team that was recently awarded a five-year Quality Innovation Network Quality Improvement Organization contract. read more >