HJLR May/Jun 2019

Healthcare Journal of little rock I  MAY / JUN 2019 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalLR.com travelers sometimes become infected abroad but become ill with measles after entering the United States. - Low childhood vaccination rates in communi- ties in certain parts of the United States. “The MMR vaccine is very safe,” Meeks added. “In fact, the risk posed by not being immunized is much higher. The most common side effects of the vaccine are fever and mild rash.” The MMR vaccine, which protects against mea- sles, mumps, and rubella, is covered under most health plans and is readily available at medical clinics, pharmacies, and ADH local health units. Children without insurance can get the vaccine at no cost at any ADH local health unit and many medical clinics throughout the state. UAMS Establishes Institute for Digital Health & Innovation; Curtis Lowery, MD, Named Director The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has established the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, and named Curtis Lowery, MD, as its director.  Lowery is founder and medical director of the UAMS Center for Distance Health. He also served for many years as chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the College of Medicine. C. Lowry Barnes, MD, will serve as interim chair of the department while a search for a permanent chair is conducted. Barnes is chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Digital health is delivering healthcare through technology such as smart phones, interactive live video, wearable devices, and personal com- puters. It reduces the cost of healthcare and improves access for patients, especially in a rural environment like the state of Arkansas. “As we continue into the new year, I believe this new institute will better position UAMS for the future and support our efforts to serve our patients and students,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA. “We want to ensure access to UAMS through technology and more partnerships in communities across the state. Our idea is not to swoop in and pull people out of those communities using digital technology. It’s the opposite. We want to provide access so they can get care where they are.” Lowery has received numerous awards and has been recognized nationally for his pio- neering work in distance health. He has been a champion of telemedicine benefiting patients and physicians alike. He founded the Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines; Education and Learn- ing System (ANGELS); a Medicaid-funded, tele- health program for high-risk pregnancy patients; and Arkansas Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support (SAVES), a similar program for stroke patients.  In the first six to 12 months, Lowery said, a top goal of the institute will be to distribute software and technology to patients so they can take part in live video consultations 24 hours a day, seven days a week with physicians and other healthcare professionals. That technology also will make it possible for providers to collect health data from patients continuously to guide their care and reduce the need for office visits or a trip to a hos- pital Emergency Department. “The concept of home digital monitoring is where it’s all going to go,” Lowery said. “You’re going to do more things outside of the hospital and office and integrate patient care into peo- ple’s everyday lives.” For example, he said, a physician or nurse can check on a daily or more frequent basis on a patient with congestive heart failure who recently was released from a hospital to make sure her medication is being effective and taken prop- erly, avoiding a costly, second admission to the hospital. “The institute also will begin to integrate with other healthcare systems outside of UAMS to start supporting their activities, especially under- served areas like the Delta,” Lowery said. The institute can expand on existing relation- ships between UAMS and rural hospitals to pro- vide access to medical specialties that aren’t in those communities. Increased access to spe- cialists can reduce healthcare costs by reduc- ing the need to transfer patients from rural hos- pitals to larger medical centers such as UAMS, where those specialists often are more commonly practicing. “In three to five years, I hope we’re succeed- ing in using digital health technology to reduce healthcare costs while sharing in those sav- ings, delivering much more and better care to patients where they are, and improving popula- tion health,” Lowery said. These changes and other economic factors will help move toward a new healthcare model that compensates and values providers for positive health outcomes rather than the now predomi- nant, fee-for-service model, Lowery said. Such a value-based healthcare system also will compensate providers for successfully managing the health of different populations of patients, especially those with chronic health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. In turn, cost savings will be created by those outcomes and by digitally providing healthcare in patients’ homes in a way that reduces hospitalizations, lengths of stay in hospitals, and Emergency Department vis- its. Those savings will be shared with providers in a value-based healthcare system. “That’s where the trend is going,” Lowery said. “Value benefits everybody. Being connected digitally is a good thing because physicians and patients can communicate better and providers can share resources. We have the potential of operating virtual healthcare networks.” The Institute for Digital Health & Innovation will include the UAMS Center for Distance Health. Its programs, services, and staff will be integrated into the new institute. The center currently con- nects all but a few hospitals and clinics across the state with telemedicine, continuing medical and health education, public health education, and evaluation research through interactive video. Melissa Clark Named New Director of UAMS 12thStreet Health &Wellness Center Melissa Clark, PharmD, MPH, has been named the director of the University of Arkansas for Med- ical Sciences (UAMS) 12th Street Health & Well- ness Center. Since 2017, Clark has served as assistant direc- tor of the 12th Street Center. She replaces Lanita White, PharmD, as director following White’s pro- motion to UAMS College of Pharmacy assistant dean for student affairs. Clark also is an assistant professor and direc- tor of didactic education in the UAMS College of Health Professions’ Department of Physician Assistant Studies. She has a secondary appoint- ment in the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s