2023 Legislative Session in Full Swing
The 94th General Assembly has started and although it appears to be off to a slow start, there has been a lot of activity behind the scenes. PRIOR AUTHORIZATION The top priority for AMS this session is legislation for a prior authorization gold card. If passed, the legislation would…
Two Easy Ways to Step Up and Help
By H. Scott Smith, JD - AMS Director of Governmental Affairs With the primary elections scheduled for this Tuesday, May 24, 2022, physicians still have time to make a positive impact for organized medicine by taking two quick and easy steps. First, find out who’s running for the…
2022 Candidates for State Elections and New Legislative Districts
Over the last few months of 2021, the Board of Apportionment redrew 100 House & 35 Senate Districts so that each district met various legal criteria, including each district being about the same size in population. This "redistricting" is required by law once every 10 years after the…
Reserve Your Spot Today for Our Upcoming Webinars
A lot of things have changed over the past year, but one thing that hasn't changed is our commitment to providing quality, up-to-date education to help you successfully manage your career and practice. Check out the scheduled events below and get registered today! AMS Members - enter your…
2021 Legislative Summary
The Arkansas Medical Society is a community of Arkansas physicians made up of every medical specialty from all over the state. Whether it’s connecting members with resources, education, or information, advocacy is essentially at the core of everything that we do. With all the different ways to advocate…
AMS at the Capitol: Scope of Practice Bills To Be Heard Soon
While there are no scope of practice bills on any agenda for this week (yet), some issues could be heard the week of February 8th. We hope to get a clearer picture soon regarding how these scope of practice issues will be handled in committee. Please keep a…
State Supreme Court Ends Effort to Repeal Optometry Surgery Law
From AMS Executive Vice President David Wroten: Late last week, the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a ruling that disqualifies Issue 6, the referendum on Act 579, from the ballot. While it may still appear on most printed ballots, the votes will not be counted. This came about after…
Legislation Goes Into Effect: Updates You Need to Know
Legislative Highlights from the 2019 Regular Session of the Arkansas General Assembly AMS actively tracked and worked 237 of the 1670 bills filed in the 2019 legislative session. The following bills represent some of the more high-profile issues AMS successfully fought for, amended and/or monitored closely that we…
Arkansas Supreme Court Rules Ballot Signatures Must Be Counted
Today the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the Arkansas Secretary of State must continue to count the ballot referendum signatures that were collected earlier this year to place Act 579 (optometric surgery) on next year’s ballot. The lawsuit, brought by Safe Surgery Arkansas, challenged the Secretary of State’s…
Tell Your Legislator to vote NO on HB 1251, Optometrist Surgery Bill
According to a new statewide poll, nearly 65% of Arkansas voters oppose legislation that would allow optometrists to perform eye surgeries with lasers and scalpels. Currently, only specially trained medical doctors, such as ophthalmologists, can perform those types of procedures. The poll, conducted by Impact Management Group for…
AMS Sponsors “Doctor of the Day” Program at the State Capitol
The Arkansas Medical Society is seeking a few more physician volunteers for the 2018 Fiscal Session at the State Capitol. The doctor of the day should plan to arrive at the State Capitol Infirmary around 9:00 a.m. The daily session usually concludes about 2:30 p.m. (or sometimes earlier.)…