HJAR Sep/Oct 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2023 65 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He holds a medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree from John Brown University. Saline Health SystemNames Mercy AwardWinner for 2023 Saline Memorial Hospital recently announced that Jeannie Otts, cath lab director, has been rec- ognized as the hospital’s 2023 Mercy Award win- ner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s hospitals who exhibit compassion, dedication, and a merciful spirit. An alumna of Harmony Grove High School, Otts graduated from Baptist Medical Center School of Radiography in 1991, registered in cardiovas- cular interventional radiology. She has been with Saline Health System for about 10 years. As cath lab director, she oversees the operation of the heart station and cath lab. She also serves as the chest pain coordinator, responsible for the development, implementa- tion, and maintenance of the program for cardiac patients, as well as for achieving and maintaining chest pain center accreditation. Mercy Hospitals Booneville, Waldron Named Top 20 for Quality Two Mercy critical access hospitals in Arkansas recently were named “best practice” hospitals for quality by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. Mercy hospitals in Booneville and Waldron, Arkansas, were ranked in the Top 20 for quality. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Crit- ical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Missouri. The hospitals were recognized through the Chartis Group’s quality index, a rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across rural-relevant, process-of-care measures. Arkansas Children’s Named to U.S. News &World Report ’s Best Children’s Hospitals List The following Arkansas Children's programs are ranked on the U.S. News & World Report 2023/2024 Best Children’s Hospitals list: • Cancer (40, highest-ever ranking). • Cardiology & Heart Surgery (45). • Diabetes & Endocrinology (44). • Nephrology (34). • Orthopedics (45). • Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (31). • Urology (39). Fulton County Hospital Enters into Management Agreement with Baxter Health Fulton County Judge Kenneth Crow announced that Fulton County Hospital has signed a man- agement agreement with Baxter Health thanks in part to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding under the discretion of Gov. Sarah Huck- abee Sanders. “The governor has made incen- tives for Baxter to partner with us and to provide the management resources and expertise to sta- bilize our hospital and grow the services for our citizens,” Crow said. This decision comes after the Fulton County Hospital board voted unanimously to sign a let- ter of intent to enter into a management agree- ment with Baxter Health. The Arkansas Depart- ment of Finance and Administration recently hired consultants Alvarez & Marsal Holdings, LLC, pub- lic sector services, to help legislators decide how to prioritize hospitals’ requests for the ARPA fund- ing. The data from their analysis showed that infla- tion and staffing challenges from COVID-19 have left Fulton County Hospital in a dire financial posi- tion with limited cash, increasing debt, and at risk for closure. “The management agreement will allow Bax- ter Health to immediately begin management of Kristopher P. Magnuson, MD operations, financial management, and day-to- day operations. This will also allow Baxter Health the remainder of the year to complete a due dil- igence analysis into the specifics of a long-term agreement,” said Anthony Reed, newly appointed interim administrator of Fulton County Hospital. Washington Regional Earns National Recognition for Heart Attack Treatment Washington Regional Medical Center earned two Mission: Lifeline Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research- based guidelines for the treatment of heart dis- ease, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. Siloam Springs Regional Hospital is a Primary Stroke Center Siloam Springs Regional Hospital (SSRH) earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval as a Primary Stroke Center along with the Amer- ican Stroke Association’s (ASA) Heart-Check mark, both symbols of quality from the respec- tive organizations. Baptist Health Hospitals Earn National Recognition for Stroke, Heart Attack Care Six Baptist Health hospitals recently earned recognition from the American Heart Association (AHA) for providing high-quality care to patients experiencing heart attack or stroke. Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock earned AHA’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway earned AHA’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Baptist Health-Fort Smith earned AHA’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus with Tar- get: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabe- tes Honor Roll, as well as the Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Tar- get: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. n