AR-IMPACT was created to improve multi-disciplinary pain care and treatment for Arkansas physicians. The weekly interactive tele-video program offers free CME credit to better manage chronic pain patients and those who need their opioid dosage reduced. The first conference is scheduled for May 2nd and will continue to be held each Wednesday, from 12:00 to 1:00. The interactive conferences will begin with a brief didactic presentation about an aspect of the care, followed by a case conference format where doctors… Read More

The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission announces the adoption of Rule 099.41, a drug formulary which regulates all outpatient medications prescribed as a result of work-related injuries. The rule draws on a formulary already in use for state… Read More

The Arkansas State Medical Board will hold a public hearing on April 5, 2018, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on revisions to the proposed amendments to Regulation 2.4 concerning definitions for “excessive prescribing.” The Board held an informational… Read More

Seasonal Influenza A(H3N2) Activity and Antiviral Treatment of Patients with Influenza Summary The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing: a notice about increased influenza A(H3N2) activity and its clinical implications; a summary… Read More

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the primary causes of heart attack and stroke. Arkansas leads the nation for the highest heart attack death rates and is number five for the highest stroke death… Read More

The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and Medical Examiner’s Office report that hundreds of Arkansans died in 2016 from drug overdoses, with nearly 40 percent of those deaths from Pulaski, Sebastian, and Washington counties. Arkansas Attorney… Read More

Rifampin/Penicillin-Resistant Strain of RB51 Brucella Contracted from Consumption of Raw Milk Summary: The Texas Department of State Health Services, with assistance from CDC, is investigating Brucella RB51 exposures and illnesses that may be connected to… Read More

Naloxone saves lives The nation’s opioid epidemic claimed more than 33,000 lives in 2015, but that figure would have been even higher if it wasn’t for the life-saving opioid overdose antidote naloxone. For more than… Read More

On September 5, Vice President Pence swore in Jerome Adams, MD, as the new surgeon general. Dr. Adams, an anesthesiologist with a master’s degree in public health, said that he is eager to start helping… Read More

Summary The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), State and Local Health Departments, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating an increase in reported cases of cyclosporiasis. The purpose of this HAN Advisory is… Read More

Patients Receiving Eculizumab (Soliris®) at High Risk for Invasive Meningococcal Disease Despite Vaccination Summary Eculizumab (Soliris®) recipients have a 1,000 to 2,000-fold greater risk of invasive meningococcal disease compared to the general U.S. population. The Food… Read More