Annual Report 2023

BOARD of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chairman

Larry Shackelford, CPA, FACMPE CEO Washington Regional Medical System

Chairman-Elect

Greg Crain, FACHE President, Central Region Baptist Health

Treasurer

Michelle Krause, MD, MPH

Senior Vice Chancellor, UAMS Health & CEO UAMS Medical Center

Past-Chairman

Ron Peterson, FACHE President & CEO Baxter Health

Director, At-Large

Ryan Gehrig, FACHE President Mercy Hospitals Arkansas

DIRECTORS

Arkansas Valley District

Bob Honeycutt CEO

Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center

Metropolitan District

Michael Stewart

CEO

Saline Memorial Hospital

Northeast District

Michael Givens, FACHE Administrator

St. Bernards Medical Center

Northwest District

Eric Pianalto

Chief Strategic Growth Officer

Mercy Hospitals Arkansas

North Central District

David Deaton, FACHE

CEO

Ozark Health Medical Center

Southeast District

Brian Thomas

President & CEO

Jefferson Regional

Southwest District

Douglas Ross, MD

President & CMO

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

Delegate, American Hospital Association

Chris Barber, FACHE

President & CEO St. Bernards Healthcare

Trustee, Arkansas State Board of Health

Phillip Gilmore, PhD, FACHE CEO

Ashley County Medical Center

Representative QIO – Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care

Gary Paxson, RN, BSN, MS, FACHE President & CEO

White River Health System

Ex-Officio

James L. Magee

Executive Director

Piggott Health System

President, Arkansas Hospital Auxiliary Association

Neta Sue Stamps

Mercy Hospital Berryville

President, Arkansas Association of Hospital Trustees

Guy Patteson St. Bernards Healthcare

12%

of Arkansas workers are employed by hospitals or other health care organizations.

AHA Staff

Bo Ryall President & CEO

Jodiane Tritt, JD Executive Vice President

Tina Creel Vice President of Member Services President, AHA Services, Inc. (AHASI)

Pamela Brown, RN, BSN, CPHQ Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety

Lyndsey Dumas Vice President of Education

Debbie Love Chief Financial Officer

Donald McCormick Director of Analytics and Financial Policy

Ashley Warren Director of Communications

Cindy Crump, MBA-HM, BSN, RN Quality Specialist

Cassandra Van Tassel, MHA Educational Operations Specialist

Nikki Wallace, MS, BSN, RN Quality Specialist

Liz Carder Administrative Assistant, AHASI

Cindy Harris Administrative Assistant, Quality

Laura Whitaker

Administrative Assistant, Education & AHASI

Our Mission

To safeguard hospitals’ operational effectiveness in advancing the health and well-being of their communities.

Our Vision

To be the trusted voice in our state for achieving and sustaining safe, high-quality, patient-centered care in a rapidly evolving health care environment.

22,295

Arkansans sought inpatient or outpatient care from the state’s hospitals each day, on average, for illnesses, injuries, and other conditions that required medical attention.

$15.2 Billion

contributed by hospitals to Arkansas’s economy each year, through the impact of well-paid, consistent employment, purchases of goods and services, and construction and capital spending.

POLICY & ADVOCACY

As the state’s most trusted authority on health care, the AHA has a seat at the table for all major policy initiatives, with the goal of improving the system to enhance individual patient care and public health for all Arkansans. Through the AHA, Arkansas hospitals present a united voice to lawmakers and regulatory agencies.

HOW DOES THE AHA ADVOCATE FOR YOU?

• Monitors all proposed federal and state laws and regulations, commenting during the rulemaking process with support and/or objections in the interest of our members and the patients they serve.

• Crafts legislation favorable to the patients of Arkansas that also supports our mission and vision.

• Intervenes in lawsuits to offer insight into the broad implications of court decisions on patients and the health care system.

• Maintains relationships with legislators, regulators, and their staff members. This keeps the hospital perspective front and center in their minds at all times.

2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The 94th General Assembly gave us 890 new Acts. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, our first female Governor and the youngest Governor in the nation this year, made education reform her top priority for the session. Our legislature followed her lead and created the LEARNS Act, which will be the hallmark of this General Assembly’s work. Though health care was not center stage, there were a few noteworthy highlights.

KEY SAVES

• Guarded against repeal of the soft drink tax that funds the discretionary portion of the Medicaid Trust Fund.

• Blocked imposition of nurse staffing ratios.

• Prevented property tax adjustments for notfor-profit hospitals.

• Blocked amendments to the No Patient Left Alone Act that would have required certain individuals to be allowed visitation in hospitals.

KEY WINS

• The Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Medical Services appropriation for Medicaid Expansion, which requires ¾ vote.

• Rural Emergency Hospital licensure.

• Prior authorization enhancements.

• Enhanced reimbursement for ambulance services and reduced authorizations on hospital-to-hospital transfers.

• Reduction of the minimum number of training hours for licensure of a community paramedic to 160 hours.

• Enhanced data gathering and reporting to address the hospital and health facility workforce shortages, particularly in nursing roles.

• Medicaid and commercial insurance reimbursement for depression screening of pregnant patients.

• Appropriate expansion of the Safe Haven Act.

• Secured reimbursement by Medicaid and commercial insurance for newborn screenings added by the Arkansas Department of Health.

• Secured reimbursement by Medicaid for behavioral health services, including both screening and treatment, in a hospital outpatient setting.

• Prohibited any insurer from leasing, renting, or selling a health care contract or provider network to another health care insurer or TPA.

ADVOCACY HIGHLIGHTS

• Engaged the Health Systems Pharmacists to create and implement an Alternative Distribution Methodology to offset the bad actions by the pharmaceutical manufacturers to limit access to 340B drugs.

• Requested an additional $150 million in funds from the Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act Steering Committee for hospital staffing costs related to COVID-19. The proposal was whittled down by the DHS to $60 million.

• Maintained existing relationships – and forged new ones – with executive branch officials and state agencies that have rulemaking authority over hospitals and the health care system.

• Provided expert testimony in legislative committee hearings on an array of topics vital to hospitals.

• Continued our work with the Arkansas DHS in the development of the ARHOME program’s Life360 HOMEs.

• Continued our work with Medicaid officials on the UPL Medicaid Provider Assessment program.

LEGAL & REGULATORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Continued monitoring and supporting outside counsel to protect the UPL supplemental program from an attack by Physicians’ Specialty Hospital in the Arkansas Supreme Court.

• Worked with the American Hospital Association (AmHA) and 340B Health to file an amicus brief on Act 1103 of 2021 (340B Drug Pricing Antidiscrimination Act) in federal court in the Eighth Circuit.

• Launched preparations for an amicus brief filing to protect hospitals from predatory actions in releasing medical records to patients under the “Patient Right to Know” act.

• Launched preparations for an amicus brief filing to ensure hospitals are included in the opioid settlement cases.

• Continuously monitored and worked directly with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the ADH surveyors on COVID-19 pandemic interpretations of various requirements.

• Procured the GlobalData report to help lawmakers and state agencies address and positively impact health care workforce shortage.

• Donated $37,000 to 105 candidates from Arkansas Hospital Association PAC contributions.

• Held briefings with the Arkansas DHS on the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency.

• Continued advocacy to ensure that Medicaid fraction definition at the federal level does not harm Arkansas hospitals with reduced DSH payments and limited 340B-covered-entity eligibility.

• Prohibited the Arkansas DHS from enacting a rule that would shorten the amount of time hospitals are allowed to open and modify their Medicaid cost reports.

STATE ADVOCACY DAYS

The AHA brought together hospital leaders from throughout the state to speak directly with legislators on three occasions during the session about the most important challenges they face. Senator Missy Irvin and Representative Lee Johnson – chairpersons for the Senate and House, respectively – joined the group for lunch to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the negotiations as they unfolded.

AHA ANALYTICS

AHA Analytics, the Arkansas Hospital Association’s data services program, provides access to timely and accurate data and statistics for hospitals, offering members indispensable tools for strategic planning and quality improvements.

• Supported 76 member hospitals’ participation in the AHA Analytics interactive discharge data program, which gives users access to a wealth of unique information that supports many aspects of health care, from reducing avoidable readmissions to planning service line expansions. Most recently, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center and National Park Medical Center joined the program.

• Worked with members and the Hospital Industry Data Institute (HIDI) to expand the AHA Analytics discharge data program to include outpatient data beyond Emergency Department visits. At the launch in April 2023, 22 hospitals were participating in this voluntary expansion.

• Launched Risk Optics, the new Tableau-based community health dashboards that include County Health Rankings. These new dashboards allow users to easily compare counties and select multiple counties for a cohesive view of community health in a specific area of the state.

• Produced and distributed more than 600 total hospitalspecific reports on strategic planning topics.

• Produced the ArkPrepare COVID-19 Snapshot report through the end of COVID-19 hospital reporting in February 2023. The Snapshot summarized COVID-19 hospitalization data, bed use, and bed availability, overall and by hospital region, and had been distributed since June 2020, with periodic changes based on member feedback.

AHA Analytics Forum

• In collaboration with the ArkPrepare team, provided technical support for federal COVID-19 hospital reporting requirements, including regular contact and meetings with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and ADH, and targeted assistance for compliance issues.

• Assisted the ADH’s daily monitoring of EMResource data for accuracy and completeness.

• Provided survey design and analysis for various Association initiatives, including the Summer 2022 Hospital Finances survey.

• Oversaw data collection and results reporting of the Annual Compensation and Benefits Survey, in partnership with Gallagher Surveys. This year, an additional supplemental physician salary survey was included with the core survey, as an added member benefit.

• Distributed and supported the administration of the AHA Annual Survey, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Arkansas Department of Health.

• Provided analytic support for various policy and advocacy activities, including Medicaid Upper Payment Limit program monitoring, the AHA’s return on investment calculations, and analyses to inform Medicaid rate discussions.

• Provided data for the annual statistical issue of Arkansas Hospitals quarterly magazine, in hard copy and online, through the AHA’s website.

The AHA held its first AHA Analytics Forum on October 4. The event saw an impressive turnout, with a total of 56 individuals from member hospitals in attendance. Their goal was to learn more about how to best compile, organize, and utilize health care data to assist in delivering optimal health care management and decision making at the local hospital level. A recording of the meeting is available from AHA Analytics Director Don McCormick. Based upon valuable feedback received from participants during the first meeting, the AHA Analytics team is now offering weekly office hours, providing members with more opportunities to interact and seek assistance in the areas of hospital data and analytics. Additionally, the association will host quarterly AHA Analytics Forums, where we will continue to explore insights, trends, and best practices in health care analytics.

EDUCATION & NETWORKING

Providing in-person and online learning opportunities for members, the AHA offers cost-effective courses, each tailored to a specific hospital role. Our Annual Meeting features industry experts and other thought leaders, who present on trending topics and best practices, and it brings our members together for networking and collaboration.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Provided educational events, both virtual and in-person, to more than 3,000 attendees, who represented 94% of member hospitals.

• Partnered with 19 hospital associations across the country to offer a virtual leadership series. Speaker fees for the series totaled $30,000, and through sponsorship by AHA Services, the AHA offered this series at no cost to AHA members. Continuing medical education, continuing nursing education, and pharmacy hours were offered at no additional cost.

• Renegotiated the emergency preparedness grant with the ADH to offer one, two-day emergency preparedness conference and the spring regional leaders planning meeting.

• Hosted the annual, two-day Emergency Preparedness Forum with over 200 individuals in attendance each day. For the first time, ACHE Face-to-Face Hours and engineering hours were provided to attendees. The AHA secured $54,800 in Healthcare Preparedness Program (HPP) grant funds for this event.

• Planned and hosted the 2023 AHA Annual Meeting, November 1-2, in Little Rock, with an attendance of 373.

• Offered more than 185 hours of continuing education in fields including American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) education, compliance, engineering, human resources, materials management, medical staff services, nursing, risk management, pharmacy, physician, ethics, quality, legal, and coding. Of this total number, 7.5 hours were ACHE Face-to-Face education, 35 hours were qualified education, and 15+ hours of networking.

• Provided staff assistance to 13 affiliated organizations to produce virtual events, newsletters, websites, listservs, board meetings, conference calls, communications to members, consisting of more than 600 hours of staff work time.

• Applied and was accepted as an approved provider for American College of Healthcare Executive Qualified Education.

185 HOURS of continuing education

The AHA’s Continuing Nursing Education Approved Provider Unit (APU) submitted the three-year application for Approved Providership and was notified that it “met the American Nurses Credentialing Center/Midwest MSD accreditation program criteria for Approved Providers and your organization has been issued Provider Approval with Distinction.”

Out of the 54 providers of nursing continuing professional development approved through Midwest Multistate Division, AHA is one of only eight approved with distinction. of member hospitals attended at least one educational AHA event. 94%

QUALITY& PATIENT SAFETY

The AHA quality improvement team supports members through on-site visits, coaching calls, mentoring, and programs for building quality improvement capacity throughout the state.

HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT CONTRACT WITH TMF AND AFMC

The AHA continues its work with the 52 Arkansas hospitals participating in reducing hospital acquired conditions and readmissions. Throughout the work, we are also focusing on patient and family engagement, health care equity, and eliminating care disparities.

A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Represented the AHA as a member or stakeholder at multiple committee meetings, offering the hospital quality and patient safety perspective:

• Steering Committee for the Arkansas Perinatal Collaborative

• Maternal Mortality Review Committee

• Arkansas STEMI Advisory Group

• Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee

• Medicaid IQI Advisory Council

• Arkansas Cancer Coalition

• South-Central Telehealth Resource Center Advisory Committee

• Arkansas Association of Professionals in Infection Control & Served on the Nominating Committee

• Economic Development Alliance for Arkansas

• Arkansas Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee with the Arkansas Department of Health

• Arkansas Association of Healthcare Quality

• Arkansas Organization for Nurse Leaders

• Arkansas Behavioral Health Innovation Network

• The Joint Commission Continuous Survey Readiness

• Supporting Sponsor of the Governors Healthcare Challenge Seminar for the Governor’s Quality Award

• Arkansas Department of Health Respiratory Virus Workgroup (formerly COVID Workgroup)

• Arkansas Emergency Preparedness Program.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Represented TMF in the CMS HQIC Focused Event Series on Infection Prevention and facilitated one of our member hospitals presenting to the group.

• Released three new resource guides designed to accompany the instruction included in our monthly quality forums. These reference guides will support quality professionals in hospitals as they apply the training and education delivered by the quality team.

• Assisted with recruitment for the inaugural Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative.

• Partnered with the Arkansas Department of Health to provide update webinars on Rabies, Bicillin Shortage, and TB Testing.

• Partnered with Our Blood Institute to provide a webinar on the blood shortages.

• Provided a clinical experience for five DNP students from the University of Central Arkansas which involved six hours of virtual presentations and self-study.

• Partnered with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control to offer discounts for memberships to staff at our member hospitals for the second year.

• Statewide Patient and Family Advisory Council: Now in its fifth year, the PFAC continues to be a forum for supporting patient and family engagement. The AHA also co-hosted statewide Patient and Family Experience Collaborative in partnership with UAMS in April and Baptist Health in October.

• Provided informational and technical support to acute care, critical access, psychiatric and rehab hospitals reporting data through NHSN for Hospital Acquired Infections, COVID and Antibiotic Use and Resistance.

• Celebrated member organizations for achievements in Quality and Patient Safety on an ongoing basis both nationally and within the state through articles, webinars, and weekly newsletters.

• With the AHA Education Team, participated in CE Provider Unit monthly calls and served as the primary nurse planners for the Approved Provider Unit (APU). Successfully achieved certification with distinction for another three years.

• Actively participated in the state’s emergency preparedness efforts.

AHA SERVICES

AHA Services, Inc. (AHASI) is owned by you, the AHA membership, and was created to serve you. AHASI connects member hospitals throughout the state with products and services that reduce costs and drive performance improvement. All AHASI vendors undergo a strategic vetting process to ensure that their offerings will help AHA member hospitals respond to the ever-shifting health care landscape.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Returned $1,274,829 in unspent workers’ compensation insurance premiums to participating hospitals for fund years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019 from AHA Workers’ Compensation Self-Insured Trust. The Trust has returned $15,842,191 in unspent workers’ compensation insurance premiums since 2003. The annual percentage of the Trust’s income returned to participants has averaged 34.4% since 2003, all the while maintaining a healthy fund balance to meet all workers’ compensation obligations.

• Continued quarterly virtual meetings with Arkansas 340B hospitals, providing a forum for sharing ideas, strategies, and solutions.

• Launched a monthly AHA Cybersecurity Forum dedicated to enhancing cybersecurity in healthcare across Arkansas. This forum allows the AHA’s member hospitals to share cybersecurity best practices while collectively enriching knowledge to bolster the security posture of Arkansas’ health care system.

• AHA Services monthly webinars offered to members free of charge on educational subjects shared by AHASI endorsed companies.

• Onboarded ten AHA hospitals to the AHA Vitality Index system, which arms the hospital field with data it needs to hold commercial health plans accountable, while enabling hospitals to benchmark their financial and operational performance. Standardized, comparable, national, regional, and state data.

• Paid $272,744.24 in sponsorships of the AHA Annual Meeting, AHERT Summer Leadership Conference and Affiliated Groups meetings.

NEW TO AHASI

AblePay

The next-generation patient financial engagement tool that dramatically increases patient revenue, collection efficiency, and the overall patient experience.

Jackson Physician Search

A leader in the permanent recruitment of physicians, physician leaders, and advanced practice providers to health care organizations.

ChartSpan

Offers several value-based care solutions to help you achieve better patient outcomes and practice profitability.

DataGen

Provides data services, a Culture of Safety Insights survey platform, and more.

Jorie

Healthcare

AI-powered RCM solutions to help hospitals reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve patient care.

RETURNED $1,274,829 MILLION in unspent workers’ compensation insurance premiums

AHA MEMBERS

• 19th Medical Group

• Advanced Care Hospital of White County

• Arkansas Children's Hospital

• Arkansas Children's Northwest

• Arkansas Continued Care Hospital of Jonesboro

• Arkansas Hospice

• Arkansas Methodist Medical Center

• Arkansas State Hospital

• Ashley County Medical Center

• Baptist Health

• Baptist Health Extended Care Hospital

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway

• Baptist Health Medical Center–Drew County

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Heber Springs

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Hot Spring County

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock

• Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart

• Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute

• Baptist Health-Fort Smith

• Baptist Health-Van Buren

• Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden

• Baxter Health

• Bradley County Medical Center

• CARTI

• Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System

• Chambers Memorial Hospital

• CHI St. Vincent

• CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

• CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, a Partner of Encompass Health

• CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

• CHI St. Vincent Morrilton

• CHI St. Vincent North

• CHI St. Vincent Sherwood Rehabilitation Hospital, a Partner of Encompass Health

• Chicot Memorial Medical Center

• CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System

• Conway Behavioral Health

• Conway Regional Health System

• Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital

• Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Little Rock

• CrossRidge Community Hospital

• Dallas County Medical Center

• Dardanelle Regional Medical Center

• Delta Health System

• DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home

• Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, a Partner of Washington Regional

• Eureka Springs Hospital

• Forrest City Medical Center

• Fulton County Hospital

• Great River Medical Center

• Helena Regional Medical Center

• Howard Memorial Hospital

• Izard Regional Hospital

• Jefferson Regional

• Johnson Regional Medical Center

• Lawrence Memorial Health Foundation, Inc.

• Levi Hospital

• Little River Medical Center, Inc.

• Magnolia Regional Medical Center

• McGehee Hospital

• Mena Regional Health System

• Mery Hospitals Arkansas

• Mercy Hospital Berryville

• Mercy Hospital Booneville

• Mercy Hospital Fort Smith

• Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

AMPLIFYING YOUR STORIES

Arkansas Hospitals magazine features stories of Arkansas hospitals’ innovations and achievements, always highlighting the pivotal role you play in the lives of Arkansans and in our state’s communities. In its pages, we also introduce our members to groundbreaking ideas from facilities throughout the U.S., and we connect you with tools and resources to support your work.

• Mercy Hospital Ozark

• Mercy Hospital Paris

• Mercy Hospital Waldron

• Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Fort Smith

• Mercy Rehabilitation Services-Northwest Arkansas

• Methodist Behavioral Hospital

• National Park Medical Center

• NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital

• North Arkansas Regional Medical Center

• Northwest Health

• Northwest Health Physicians' Specialty Hospital

• Northwest Medical Center Bentonville

• Northwest Medical Center Springdale

• Ouachita County Medical Center

• Ouachita Valley Health System

• Ozark Health Medical Center

• Ozarks Community Hospital

• Piggott Health System

• Pinnacle Pointe Behavioral Healthcare System

• Regional One Health

• Rivendell Behavioral Health Services

• Riverview Behavioral Health

• Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center

• Saline Memorial Hospital

• Sevier County Medical Center

• Siloam Springs Regional Hospital

• SMC Regional Medical Center

• South Arkansas Regional Hospital

• Springwoods Behavioral Health Hospital

• St. Bernards Healthcare

• St. Bernards Five Rivers

• St. Bernards Medical Center

• Stone County Medical Center

• The BridgeWay

• UAMS Medical Center

• Unity Health

• Unity Health Jacksonville

• Unity Health Newport

• Valley Behavioral Health System

• Vantage Point of NWA

• Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks

• Washington Regional Medical System

• White River Health

• Willow Creek Women’s Hospital

• WoodRidge of West Memphis, LLC d/b/a Perimeter Behavioral Hospital of West Memphis

ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS IN HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS

The AHA provides staffing services for the following groups, a connection that fosters professional growth and engagement amongst our members' employees in their various roles.

• Arkansas Association for Healthcare Engineering

• Arkansas Association for Healthcare Quality

• Arkansas Association for Medical Staff Services

• Arkansas Association of Hospital Trustees

• Arkansas Healthcare Human Resources Association

• Arkansas Health Executives Forum

• Arkansas Hospital Auxiliary Association

• Arkansas Organization of Nurse Leaders

• Arkansas Society for Directors of Volunteer Services

• Arkansas Social Workers in Health Care

• Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing & Public Relations

• Healthcare Financial Management Association

• Society for Arkansas Healthcare Purchasing and Materials Management

Stay Connected with AHA For AHA news, upcoming events, publications, and more, visit www.arkhospitals.org. There, you’ll also find a link to subscribe to our various e-newsletters.

And engage with AHA on social media:

Arkansas Hospital Association

facebook.com/ARHospitalAssn

@arkhospitals

twitter.com/arkhospitals

@arkhospitals

instagram.com/ArkHospitals

Arkansas Hospital Association

linkedin.com/company/ArkHospitals