HJAR Jul/Aug 2019

Healthcare Journal of ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2019 39 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com community-based providers would receive an increase in funding. These contracts still must be reviewed by the state Legislature. * An invitation to bid to provide medical ser- vices for all DYS residential facilities closed May 3, with an anticipated contract start date of July 1. * Work on a procurement for residential sex offender treatment, residential substance abuse treatment, and therapeutic group homes is ongoing. UAMS Establishes Center for Dietary Supplements Research A new center to provide regulatory agencies, industry, and the public with credible information and assessments related to the safety of dietary supplements has been established by the col- leges of Public Health and Pharmacy at the Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The Center for Dietary Supplements Research is co-directed by Bill Gurley, PhD, and Igor Kotur- bash, MD, PhD, and will provide expert opinions, risk communication, and professional and edu- cational services related to the safety of dietary supplements. Gurley is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Services in the College of Pharmacy and chairs the UAMS Insti- tutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Gur- ley has been conducting research into the safety of dietary supplements for more than 20 years. Koturbash is an associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the College of Public Health. About 70 percent of adults in the United States consume dietary supplements and 20 percent of those include herbal dietary supplements.  “Unlike conventional medications, dietary sup- plements are not required to undergo pre-mar- ket approval testing for safety or efficacy,” said Koturbash, “Thus, the potential for harm from such products is not evident until the public has consumed them.”  Dietary supplements marketed for weight loss and exercise performance enhancement are of particular concern as many of these products have been linked to severe heart and liver damage. A number of these products have already been taken off the market. One of them, OxyELITE Pro – New Formula (OEP-NF), a dietary supplement linked to a series of severe liver injuries, was the subject of research recently conducted by Gur- ley and Koturbash. “These facts make it evident that more regu- latory oversight is needed for these products,” said Gurley. “It is likely that the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act will soon undergo revisions to address the need for pre- market safety assessments of these products.” This center will be a resource for information and technical expertise on these products, while at the same time working with industry experts, regulatory agencies, researchers, and the public to deliver evidence-based, accurate information. “The center specializes in various critical issues regarding single- and multi-component dietary supplements, from conducting pre-clinical toxi- cological safety assessments to generating expert reports and scientific publications” Gurley said. The center will be housed in the College of Public Health and will maintain three core units – a Pharmacological Core, a Toxicological Core, and an Administrative Support Core. Gurley will lead the Pharmacological Core and Koturbash will lead the Toxicological Core. Oth- ers involved in the center include Mitch McGill, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the College of Public Health, providing expertise on hepatoxicity, or drug-induced liver injury; Marjan Boerma, PhD, associate professor in the Depart- ment of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, providing expertise on cardiotoxic- ity, or drug-induced damage to the heart muscle; and Joseph Su, PhD, professor in the Epidemiol- ogy Department in the College of Public Health and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Pop- ulation Sciences Program in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, providing exper- tise on the epidemiology of dietary supplements. Arkansas Department of Human Services and PASSEs Respond to Feedback, Adjust Open Enrollment and Transition Period The Department of Human Services (DHS) is rescheduling open enrollment for the Provider- led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE) pro- gram from May to October to give PASSEs more time to stabilize and grow their networks of pro- viders. This also will give families more informa- tion before they need to decide which entities will best meet their needs. The open enrollment period for November has been canceled.  This change, along with decisions by DHS and the three PASSEs to extend the transition period for client care plans and provider network rates, has been made in response to feedback from providers, families, and legislators.  Open enrollment for the PASSE program will now run from Oct. 1–31, 2019, with an effec- tive date of Dec. 1. Between now and the open enrollment period, clients can ask to change PASSEs “for cause” by calling the PASSE Ben- eficiary Support line at (833) 402-0672. Each for cause request will be reviewed by the office of the PASSE ombudsman. “For cause” reasons could include a desire to move all siblings or house- hold members into the same PASSE or lack of access to providers experienced in dealing with clients’ care needs.  All three PASSEs will extend the transition period for clients through Sept. 1, 2019. This means PASSEs will continue to pay for clients’ cur- rent plans of care as they are now, including cur- rent authorizations for services, through that date. During the coming months, PASSE care coordi- nators will meet with clients to create a person- centered service plans (PCSP). PASSEs must meet with clients before any changes can be made to a client’s PCSP. “We want PASSE clients and providers to know that we have heard their concerns, and we think these changes will help as we work through the launch of this new program. Allowing the PASSE networks to expand before open enrollment will help clients make the best choice for themselves and their families,” said Paula Stone, DHS dep- uty director of the Division of Medical Services. On March 1, 2019, the three PASSEs – Arkan- sas Total Care, Empower Healthcare Solutions, and Summit Community Care – began receiving monthly payments from DHS to manage the com- plete healthcare of their clients. In this new orga- nized care model, Arkansas Medicaid providers such as primary care physicians, pharmacists, hos- pitals, and specialty providers can join PASSE net- works, and the providers are reimbursed by the PASSEs for services provided to PASSE clients.