State Association Strives to Make a Difference

State Association Strives to Make a Difference

Strength doesn’t always come in numbers. In fact, sometimes it is passion alone that can drive a small group to successful peaks. The Arkansas Physician Hospitals Association (APHA) is one such example.

Marvin Parks, APHA executive director, explains that while the association is still in its infant phase — only gathering for just over a half a year now — its three member hospitals are fiercely dedicated to making this work.

Building and growing a new association has proven to be quite the challenge, but one these physician owners have dedicated themselves to overcome — and educating their state’s legislators in the concept of physician owned hospitals is at the top of their to-do list.

Starting the organization has generated a lot of interest, according to Parks, and he says the group has already been well received by members of the legislature. He says the association is working to built rapport with other healthcare entities in the state, with key political figures, and with the community by working with other associations on numerous pieces of legislation — for example, a statewide trauma system. They also work with the Healthcare Providers Coalition.

The association members meet weekly during the legislative session and once a month outside of the sessions. Association members have taken a keen interest in the topic of transparency throughout the state. “We have been extremely well received by legislators and have spent time dispelling the concept that physician hospitals ‘cherry pick’ the patients,” Parks shares. “We communicate that our charity cases are scheduled in and do not just ‘show up’ in our ER,” he adds.

What drives the success behind the association thus far is the commitment by its three member hospitals to provide exceptional healthcare and to make sure the legislature and the community at large see those successes, Parks asserts. “Our goal is to grow the association to include more hospitals and more associate members,” he adds.

The group will be hosting a golf tournament to help grow the association’s membership, and “(we) will stay involved with our government leaders to communicate our needs with them,” Parks asserts.

He says that the best advice he can offer to other state associations — whether they are just getting started or have been in operation for several years — is that for his team, positive outcomes occur with educating government and political leaders on the successes of the physician owned hospital industry.

“What really worked for us was to give those leaders tours of our various hospitals,” he explains. “When they see our facilities, we impress them with our excellence in healthcare.”

For more information on the APHA, email Larry Tate, APHA business manager, at ljtate2@sbcglobal.net.