The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement has appointed Antonije Lazic, Ph.D., as director of research. In this role, Lazic will lead the health policy center’s efforts to develop evidence-based research that informs decision-makers and the broader research community on key health issues impacting Arkansas.

The Trump administration has announced plans for a new voluntary payment model intended to increase access to GLP-1 drugs — a class of medications often used for weight loss and the treatment of diabetes and other chronic conditions — for certain Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

In this blog post, we highlight several new state and federal health laws that will take effect in 2026 — bringing changes to coverage requirements, preventive services, and healthcare financing and delivery systems.

As winter draws near, this is a good time to take precautions against respiratory illnesses. Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity are rising in the region, and Arkansas has experienced a higher number of cases of whooping cough this year than it has in over a decade.

The percentage of kindergarten students with vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high in Arkansas and across the nation in the 2024-25 school year.

Arkansas policymakers are working to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce, but measuring success will require better data on the state’s healthcare professionals. In a guest column for Talk Business & Politics, ACHI President and CEO Craig Wilson suggests a way the state could overcome this challenge.