HJAR Jan/Feb 2024

28 JAN / FEB 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs DHS, UAMS ProgramReceives $9.5MGrant for Statewide Mental Health Initiative In an effort to increase mental health services for Arkansans, especially in rural parts of the state, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announced a $9.5 million, five- year mental health grant program. DHS partnered with UAMS, two federally qual- ified health centers (FQHCs), and the nonprofit Arkansas Behavioral Health Integration Network (ABIHIN) for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant. The funds will implement a mental health and behavioral health collaborative care model at 36 clinics and health centers across the state. This model links patients, primary care providers, behavioral healthcare managers, and psychiatric consultants. An electronic registry is also used as part of this model to track patient treatment and progress. These reforms will streamline health- care, improve coordination, and make it easier to connect patients with psychiatric services. UAMS will initially add the collaborative model at three clinics and then expand its availability at additional sites through the rest of the grant period. The FQHCs will follow a similar imple- mentation plan. The grant will also fund the creation of a plan- ning council that will work to make resources available for other primary care clinics across the state and support expanding the collaborative care model to other sites. Earlier this year, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law Act 615, which requires private insurers to reimburse collaborative care billing codes. The Arkansas Medicaid program has pro- mulgated a new manual that allows reimburse- ments for screenings and for primary care phy- sicians to submit claims for counselors providing services in their offices. Arkansas Has Among Highest Rates of COPD in the Country COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is long-term, progressive, and makes it hard to breathe. There is currently no cure for COPD, but the disease is treatable. The American Lung Association is driving attention to its recently released COPD State Briefs, which include data about prevention, diagnosis, health outcomes, and treatment of the disease for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The state briefs found that Arkansas has one of the highest COPD prevalence rates in the country. Nationally, approximately 5% of adults, or 12.5 million, people are living with COPD. In Arkansas: • 223,174 of adults have been diagnosed with COPD. • The COPD prevalence rate is 9.6%. • 2,338 people die each year from COPD. • Annual cost of COPD treatment is $295 million. • 202,540 days of work are lost each year due to COPD. The Lung Association recommends the fol- lowing actions to reduce the burden of COPD in Arkansas: • Use a validated COPD screening tool for people who may be at risk of COPD or reporting symptoms. • Confirm a COPD diagnosis using spirome- try, especially in primary care. • Use evidence-based tobacco prevention and cessation services. • Promote recommended vaccinations. • Recommend pulmonary rehabilitation, COPD education, and a COPD action plan. Arkansas is one of 11 states with the highest COPD rates and highest burden in the country. The other states are Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. COPD prevalence rates range from 3.7% in Hawaii to 13.6% in West Virginia. The COPD State Briefs were created with sup- port by the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. Learn more and view the COPD State Briefs at lung.org/COPD-briefs. UAMS Awarded $3.25MGrant for Creation of Health Career Program in Delta, South Arkansas The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a five-year, $3.25 million federal grant to support the creation of a program that will help students from 20 underserved counties in the Arkansas Delta and southern part of the state pursue careers in healthcare. The Arkansas Delta Health Careers Opportu- nity Program (HCOP) Academy will recruit and assist students from disadvantaged or underrep- resented backgrounds as they enter the educa- tional pipeline, complete health professions pro- grams, and enter the health career workforce in their communities. Academy programs will serve high school juniors and seniors, undergraduate students, and adult and nontraditional learners. The federal grant was awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Academy programs will focus on expanding the workforce in a variety of healthcare disci- plines, including sonography, dietetics, health administration, medical lab technology, mental and behavioral health, occupational and physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, radiography, and respiratory therapy. The HCOP Academy will be led by the UAMS Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in col- laboration with UAMS Regional Campuses. Other partners in the project include the UAMS College of Health Professions; the UAMS Fay W. Booz- man College of Public Health; the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, a consortium of community- based rural hospitals; and high schools, colleges, and universities in the 20 counties. The program will serve the following counties: Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleve- land, Columbia, Crittenden, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lee, Lincoln, Monroe, Ouachita, Phil- lips, Sevier, St. Francis, and Union. Critical Insight Releases Analysis on Healthcare Data Cyber Breach Critical Insight’s 2023 Healthcare Data Cyber Breach Report offered the following key findings: • Total breaches dropped 15% in the first six months of 2023 (1H 2023) compared to the second half of 2022 (1H 2022). • Individual records compromised in data breaches surged by 31% in 1H 2023 com- pared to 2H 2022. • The number of individuals affected increased from 31M in 2H 2022 to 40M in 1H 2023. • Hacking/IT incidents were the primary cause of data breaches, accounting for