2016-2017 AMS Leadership
The Arkansas Medical Society met recently at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain to elect new officers, attend educational programs and plan advocacy efforts. Rogers Orthopedic Surgeon Scott Cooper, MD, was named president of the group. Dr. Cooper, who practices at Mercy Clinic Orthopedics, has been…
Financial data going public: Review yours now
Article from AMA Wire. Physicians have three weeks left to review and dispute reports regarding their financial interactions with manufacturers of drugs and medical devices reported under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, also known as the Open Payments program. Learn the steps you can take to review your…
Arkansas Works Update
On Thursday, April 21, SB 121 (including funding for Arkansas Works) was passed in the Senate then signed by Governor Asa Hutchinson. When signing, Governor Hutchinson executed the expected line item veto, extending the life of the program from an original end date of December 31, 2016 to…
CMS unveils new rules for Medicaid managed care
Article from the AMA Morning Rounds, 4/26/16. The AP (4/26, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that on Monday, the Federal government “set new standards for Medicaid private insurance plans, which in recent years have become the main source of coverage for low-income people.” These rules impact “insurers operating as Medicaid middlemen…
Arkansas Works helps Arkansans get back to work
Physicians across the state have seen first-hand the benefits of Arkansas Works/Private Option and are fighting to secure its funding. Under this program, hard-working Arkansans have been able to get the care they need, return to work faster and stay at work longer. Losing this program would create…
2016 Match Day
On March 18, 2016, 157 UAMS medical students received sealed white envelopes which would reveal where they would spend the next few years. Students were called randomly to the podium in groups of five to 10. An eager crowd of family and friends filled the Embassy Suites ballroom to…
What you can do now to help address a U.S. Zika outbreak
Article from AMA Wire. In preparation for the warmer weather just around the corner, more than 300 local, state and federal government officials and health experts gathered Friday for a special Zika summit to develop action plans for preventing and addressing mosquito-borne transmission of the virus in certain…
Baby wait list for Medicaid mostly gone
Article by Andy Davis, Northwest Arkansas Arkansas Democratt Gazette, 3/4/2016 In the past month, the state Department of Human Services has reduced by more than half the number of infants whose applications for Medicaid have been pending more than 45 days, a department official told state lawmakers on…
CDC reports nine additional pregnant women infected with Zika
USA Today (3/18, Szabo) said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “is reporting nine additional Zika infections in pregnant women,” bringing the total up to 18 cases of Zika diagnosed in pregnant women in the US. According to the CDC, eight are still pregnant while the other…
New Issue of AMS NewsBriefs Now Available
The latest issue of AMS NewsBriefs has been distributed via email and printed mail. Members, if you do not receive a copy, please give us a call to update your subscription preferences at 800-542-1058. The issue is available online in the Publications section as well as excerpts in the Latest News section.
Medicaid Denials for Lack of PCP Referral
The backlog in processing Medicaid enrollments has created multiple problems. AMS continues to work with DHS to address these as they come up. Some claims are being denied for lack of a PCP referral, although at the time of service the patient did not yet have a PCP.…