Reform of Arkansas Medicaid’s Drug Utilization Review Board
In recent years, physicians treating Medicaid patients have experienced significant challenges with the prior authorization and re-authorization process in Medicaid. The Arkansas Medicaid Drug Utilization Review (DUR) board is responsible for making clinical recommendations to the Arkansas Medicaid Pharmacy Program regarding the use of restrictions including prior authorization…
A Veterans Day Salute
The following commentary was written by District 9 Trustee Robert Zimmerman, MD, PhD for the November edition of the Journal. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, igniting World War I. The U.S. formally entered the global conflict in April of 1917. As American…
Opioid Tales – Games Patients Play
From our Executive Vice President, David Wroten: I’m having dinner with one of my favorite physician friends a few weeks ago. He’s an anesthesiologist specializing in pain management. We don’t usually talk shop, but that night he was telling me about a recent experience with a patient (no,…
AMS Publications Honored with Awards
The Arkansas Medical Society was honored as a Prism Award finalist and winner at the 2019 ARcom Award ceremony, held on Thursday, September 12, at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock. The Prism Awards were presented by the Arkansas chapter of the Public Relations Society of…
Dealing with Drug-Seeking Patients
We are very excited about the November issue of the Journal that will be hitting mailboxes in the next few days. The Journal talked with member physicians about the drain of time and resources that patients can cause when they exhibit "drug seeking" behaviors. You can read "Dealing…
Letter to the Editor: More Work to Be Done
Gene Shelby, MD, past president of the Arkansas Medical Society wrote the following letter to the editor, which appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on September 29, 2019. It was also signed by Patrice Harris, MD, president of the American Medical Association. More Work to Be Done…
SVMIC Launches New RiskView Tool
State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company (SVMIC) strives to find new, creative ways to provide guidance and education regarding the most current areas of liability. There is a growing need for accessible and easy-to-use options for navigating office-based patient care and the administrative responsibilities associated with running a medical…
What Have We Done For You Lately: New Law in Effect on ID Cards
A lot of attention is focused on AMS successes during each legislative session, usually on big bills with big impact. What doesn’t always get the attention they deserve are AMS bills that try to address some of the smaller hassles of practicing medicine and running a practice. A…
Cochran Receives AMS Student Membership Award
Each year, AMS awards the Student Leadership Award to a medical student in good standing who is in the first, second, or third year of medical school. This student embodies the values of the medical profession through leadership, service, excellence, integrity, and ethical behavior, and also encourages other…
Becoming Social: A Discussion on Using Social Media in Medicine
Post. Share. Like. Follow. These are the simple commands of social media that dominate our world, and today’s physician must make an informed decision about his or her professional and personal use of social media. Having an online presence as a doctor may afford you the power to…
Resident Physician Shortage Addressed in Grant Funds and Legislation
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve access to quality health care in rural Arkansas by expanding efforts to train and retain primary care physicians. “Retaining physicians to provide primary care…