Public Workgroup Meetings
As the Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative continues to move forward, four public workgroup meetings have been scheduled to present information on new episodes that are being considered. This is your chance to voice your opinion on those conditions that may affect your practice. These meetings will…
CMS Releases Final Regulations
CMS recently released the final regulations governing the implementation of the Medicaid primary care rate increase to 2009 Medicare rates for calendar years 2013 and 2014. AMS has been working with Arkansas Medicaid to implement this program. To qualify for the increased payment, the physician must meet one…
AMS District Trustee Elections
District Trustee Elections It's important to our Society that all eligible members have the opportunity to choose the physician leaders who will represent them in the coming year and lead the AMS. Ballots containing the names of candidates for the respective districts will be sent according to the…
Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative Workgroups
As part of the Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative, four public workgroup meetings have been scheduled to present the latest episode details, answer your questions and solicit your feedback. Your input will help us improve the episode design. These meetings will be held in Little Rock at…
Arkansas Family Physicians Lead the Way in EMR
Arkansas’ family practice physicians are outdoing their national peers in converting from paper to electronic records, which promise better efficiency and containment of cost, according a report in the Annals of Family Medicine. About 68 percent of family physicians in the U.S. had converted their practices to electronic…
Asklepion & Shuffield Award Nominations Due
The Arkansas Medical Society is seeking nominations now through March 1 for the 2013 Asklepion Award and the 2013 Shuffield Award. These awards will be presented at the Arkansas Medical Society Annual Meeting, May 4, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. 2013 Asklepion Award The Asklepion Award…
Influenza Infections Widespread and Continuing to Rise in AR
In what is clearly the worst influenza season since 2009, the flu has hit early and hard. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is currently receiving large numbers of reports of influenza infections, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit admissions from all regions of the state and is already…
AMS Welcomes 79 New Members!
The following physicians have recently illustrated their commitment to improving health care in this community and our state by joining the Arkansas Medical Society. “As a society members, these physicians are part of a statewide network of over 4,000 Arkansas physicians, residents and medical students, dedicated to protecting…
Happy Anniversary!
Congratulations and thank you to these dedicated physicians who are celebrating 5, 15, 25, 50 and 65+ years of continuous membership in the Arkansas Medical Society this year! We applaud the commitment you’ve made to serving your patients and your profession. 65+ Years Art B. Martin, MD, Fort…
2013 Legislative Session
On January 14, the Arkansas General Assembly will get cranked up. This will certainly be a very interesting session. The Republican Party has the majority (although very slim in the House) on both ends of the Capitol for the first time since Reconstruction. Medicaid is facing a $138…
MEDICAID PAYMENT ELIGIBILITY
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified specifics related to the increased Medicaid payment eligibility for primary care physicians, including information about certain subspecialties that may also qualify. Funding has been released to provide a two-year increase in Medicaid payment rates for certain primary…