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 started seeing patients at the first of the year and has had “hundreds of patients” so far, said Dr. Samuel Bledsoe, the director of the institute. After the patients go through the necessary tests and screenings to determine if they are candidates for the weightloss procedure, Bledsoe said, he estimates… 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

USA Today (3/20, Groppe) reports that Republicans released a modified bill Monday night “in an attempt to shore up support among both conservatives and moderates.” The revised bill would allow states “to require able-bodied Medicaid… Read More

By Casey L. Penn The Information Superhighway. It can be a conduit to reliable, user-friendly health resources for patients (e.g., the Mayo Clinic’s easy-to-navigate website, with facts and information written with laypersons in mind), or… Read More

The article below from the AMA Morning Rounds (2/24/17) brings new light to this national epidemic. Make sure you are registered and utilizing the Arkansas Prescription Drug Program to help fight drug abuse in your… Read More

By Frank Griffin, MD, JD* Does it take more that health care to cure Americans’ ailments? One area often overlooked in diagnostic and treatment plans are the many social determinants that can affect a patient’s health.… Read More

The New York Times (1/23, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that on Monday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-MA) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) unveiled “a partial replacement for the Affordable Care Act” which “would allow states to… Read More

AMS Board Member, Seth Barnes, MD and member Deborah A. Johnson, MD, are part of the team conducting this worldwide clinical study governed by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Article from www.whiteriverhealthsystem.com, January 11,… Read More

CBO says repealing ACA would result in 18 million losing coverage in first year The New York Times (1/17, A1, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports on its front page that according to the Congressional Budget Office,… Read More

The NBC Nightly News (1/6, story 11, 0:20, Holt) briefly reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “says this [flu] season is worse than last,” with “more than 10,000 cases reported nationwide.” Physicians… Read More

The Washington Times (1/4, Dinan) reports the Senate voted 51-48 Wednesday to “begin debate on fast-track procedures that would allow them to kill the 2010 health law without having to face a Democratic filibuster in… Read More