Over 20% of Spending on NWA Medicare Enrollees’ Health Care Goes Outside Region

Northwest Arkansas is the fastest-growing region in the state, but with rapid growth come challenges to infrastructure, including healthcare infrastructure. In an interview with radio station KUAF, ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson says an analysis by ACHI found that of the $1.1 billion spent on Northwest Arkansas Medicare enrollees’ health care in 2019, $240 million, or more than 20%, was spent on services provided outside the region.

Thompson says this suggests that the demand for services in the region was already surpassing the capacity of the existing healthcare system even before the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information about our findings is available in our news release and on our Northwest Arkansas-focused webpage.