Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers among both men and women in Arkansas, but it’s also one of the most survivable with regular screening and early detection. In 2020, the latest year for which data are available, 126,240 new cases of …
A new report from the Milbank Memorial Fund has mixed findings on the state of primary care in Arkansas. Published Feb. 28, the report, entitled “The Health of U.S. Primary Care: 2024 Scorecard Report — No One Can See You Now,” assesses measures of access, …
Drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are effective in helping people lose weight, but the high price tag keeps them out of reach for many. Our series on weight-loss drugs continues with a look at the drugs’ cost and whether they are cost-effective. The Cost of …
A law enacted by the Arkansas General Assembly in 2023 requires hospitals and clinics to post signs stating that attacking a healthcare worker is a felony. The types of incidents addressed by the law are more common than you might think, ACHI Health Policy …
Doulas are professionals trained in childbirth who provide emotional, physical, and other supports to pregnant or recently pregnant woman. For more on what doulas do, see our explainer. The ACHI Health Policy Board has taken a position in support of …
Ninety-two percent of pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in Arkansas between 2018 and 2020 were likely preventable, according to the 2023 Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (AMMRC) Legislative Report, published in December. The report defines …
Arkansas’s innovative Medicaid expansion program is seen by some Georgia legislators as a possible model for their state, which is one of 10 states that still have not adopted full Medicaid expansion. In a guest column published by the Cobb County Courier …
Health care in Arkansas faces many challenges, reporter Steve Brawner writes in a Talk Business & Politics story assessing the state of health care in Arkansas in early 2024. ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson is among the experts interviewed in …
States will soon be able to apply to participate in a new initiative intended to bridge the care gap between physical health needs and behavioral health needs. On Jan. 18, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the launch of the …
Having examined in a previous blog post the active ingredients and effectiveness of new weight-loss drugs, we now focus on what these drugs mean for children and adolescents struggling with obesity. Much of the discussion around weight-loss drugs has …
Arkansas receives “F” grades in three categories in a new report that grades states on their tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. The American Lung Association’s 2024 State of Tobacco Control report gives Arkansas failing grades for efforts to …
More than half of rural hospitals in Arkansas that provide labor and delivery care are at risk of losing those services, according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform titled “Addressing the Crisis in Rural Maternity Care.” …
We are only beginning to see the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual care to transform health care in our state, ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson writes in his latest column for the Healthcare Journal of …
Weight-loss drugs are surging in popularity, and patients being treated for weight issues may receive prescriptions for any of several newly approved medications. This is the first of a series of blog posts that will explore popular weight-loss drugs; we …
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 represented the most significant overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Ten years ago this month, the major parts of the ACA took effect, …
Ten years ago this month, coverage began under Arkansas’s innovative Medicaid expansion program, initially known as the Arkansas Health Care Independence Program, or the “Private Option,” and today known as Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, or ARHOME …
Beginning this year, Arkansas will participate in a new program to help address food insecurity experienced in the summer months by many students and their families, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Tuesday, Jan. 2. The Summer Electronic …
Dr. Kent Westbrook, distinguished professor of surgery in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, received the Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement on Dec. 3. ACHI presents …
Healthcare providers should refer children age 6 or older with obesity to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions, according to a draft recommendation released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on Dec. 12. Obesity in children …
State Medicaid agencies will soon be able to enlist in a new 10-year delivery model focused on improving maternal health care for enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Transforming Maternal Health Model, announced by the …
