Top Three Flex Activities in 2009

1. Increased focus on trauma system development, including trauma center designation and trauma team development, by creating a statewide trauma system.
2. Quality improvement and financial benchmarking of CAHs.
3. Network development.

Flex Program Success Story

In 2008, five CAHs and one PPS hospital united to form a 6-hospital network covering four counties in southeast Arkansas to focus on preventive health and outreach through the use of a mobile health van to conduct screenings and prescription assistance. They have developed a workable sustainability plan and are pursuing additional partnerships to further enhance outreach in their counties.

Most Significant Achievement

Arkansas developed a Quality Improvement program in 1999 in conjunction with our Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). All CAHs submitted, and continue to submit, data regarding CAH quality indicators in the areas of heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Onsite technical assistance provided support in these designated areas. Through this program, the QIO created a patient safety website - http://www.arpatientsafety.com - to share success stories and best practices.

Flex Program Details

Location: Arkansas Department of Health
Number of CAHs: 29
Web site: http://www.healthyarkansas.com/

State Rural Health Plan
Rural Assistance Center State Resources