Ask your Senator to vote NO on HB 1251.
Last week, the Arkansas House of Representatives passed House Bill 1251, which allows optometrists to perform surgery on the eye ball and eye lid. We believe this would jeopardize patient safety and lower the quality of surgical eye care in the state of Arkansas. HB 1251 now moves to…
DEA Warns of Alarming Increase of Scam Calls
The Drug Enforcement Administration urges its DEA-registered practitioners and members of the public to be cautious of telephone calls from criminals posing as DEA or other law enforcement personnel threatening arrest and prosecution for supposed violations of federal drug laws or involvement in drug-trafficking activities. DEA continues to…
Update on HB1251: Tell Your Senator to vote NO!
HB 1251 (Eubanks) passed out of the full House on March 6 with 70 "yes" votes, 19 "no votes", and 11 not voting. What this means now is that HB 1251 will go to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee and may be heard as early…
Board of Trustees Election Results
The elections for AMS District Trustees concluded on February 28, and the following were elected for two- year terms and will be confirmed at the Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, April 26, 2019. The trustees who are rotating off the board will also be recognized at the Annual…
White Coat Alert for 2/26 and 2/28
The first week hearing Scope of Practice bills at the Capitol went well, but the fight is not over. Next week is also critical, so all physicians are invited to come to the House Public Health Committee in Room 130 on Tuesday, February 26 or Thursday, February 28…
Scope of Practice Week Begins 2-19
The Senate and House Public Health, Welfare, and Labor Committees will start hearing scope of practice bills beginning on Tuesday, February 19. This is the time for all physicians to come together to stand up for medicine. We invite all physicians to come to the Capitol on any…
2019 Award Nominations Due March 1
AMS is seeking nominations for the following awards: Asklepion Award, Shuffield Award, and Student Leadership Award. Asklepion and Shuffield award recipients will be honored at the 2019 Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, April 26, 2019 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock. The Student Leadership award will be…
Curious about Cybersecurity? Read the March edition of JAMS
In the March edition of the Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society, we discuss the measures needed to maintain cybersecurity in the medical industry. Below are a list of FAQ's from the FBI that can help with the security of your online systems. What are some…
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…
CMS 2019 Updates You Need to Know
CMS is finalizing a number of documentation, coding, and payment changes to reduce administrative burden and improve payment accuracy for office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visits over several years. For calendar years (CY) 2019 and 2020, CMS is implementing several documentation policies to provide immediate burden reduction, while…
Save the Date: AMS Annual Membership Meeting – April 26
Join fellow physicians at the 2019 AMS Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, April 26 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock. This one-day meeting will provide CME opportunities, as well as a chance to discuss advocacy efforts from the legislative session and to network with your peers. …