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 to notify public health departments and healthcare facilities and to provide guidance to healthcare providers of the increase in reported cases. Please disseminate this information to healthcare providers in hospitals and emergency rooms, to primary care providers, and to microbiology laboratories. Healthcare providers should consider a diagnosis… 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

“Where’s my doctor?” We get that question a lot. It happens often when a physician leaves a practice, usually as an employee. Under most employment contracts the practice – either under hospital or physician ownership – retains ownership… Read More

Summary The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety communication warning about the use of Magellan Diagnostics’ LeadCare® analyzers (LeadCare, LeadCare II, LeadCare Ultra and LeadCare Plus) with venous blood samples because… Read More

The AMS office has received several calls over the past couple of weeks about Act 820, which mandates checking the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program prior to prescribing certain medications. Apparently, some hospitals are incorrectly telling… Read More

In April, intense storms and subsequent flooding ravaged parts of our state. The aftermath left Arkansans picking up the pieces. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield wants to help members and is waiving prescription costs… Read More

When neurologist Robert L. “Lee” Archer, MD, finished his residency in 1986, there were no disease modifying treatments for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). When the first treatment came out in 1994, demand was so… Read More

Journal of the American College of Surgeons study authors report that, after implementation of the publicly funded state trauma system, preventable mortality rate decreased by 48 percent CHICAGO (March 8, 2017): Implementation of a statewide… Read More

AMS group member, NEA Baptist Clinic, recently announced the NEA Baptist Center for Good Grief, as part of the NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation’s continued commitment to the needs of the community. The NEA Baptist Center… Read More

AMS group member, Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock, recently began offering weight-loss surgery as a way to fight heart disease and rising obesity rates in Arkansas. The newly formed Bariatric & Metabolic Institute at the Arkansas Heart Hospital… Read More

Arkansas is recognized nationally as a leader in value-based healthcare payment innovation. In 2012 the state launched an episodic payment model and was also selected for the original Comprehensive Primary Care initiative (CPC). Arkansas’s efforts… Read More