About AMF

Mission Statement

The Arkansas Medical Foundation is in existence to provide for the identification and treatment recommendations of healthcare professionals who suffer from impairment, in order to promote the public health and safety and to insure the continued availability of skills of highly trained medical professionals for the benefit of the public. The activities of the Foundation shall be confined to the extension of medical knowledge, the advancement of medical science, the evaluation of the standard of medicine, all to the benefit of the public. The Physicians’’ Health Committee is formed pursuant to the Arkansas Medical Society peer review program for the detection, intervention, and monitoring of Impaired Physicians to identify and offer professional assistance to Arkansas Physicians who are afflicted with disease, such as alcohol use disorder, drug use disorder, or mental illness.

History

The AMF was created in 1996 pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated Section 17-80-201 Et seq. The AMF is a 501 c (3) corporation. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors which shall have the general management and control of the business affairs of the Foundation and shall exercise all powers that may be exercised by the Foundation under the applicable statues, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The Board may utilize the Physicians’ Health Committee, which is to be designated by the Arkansas Medical Society. Part of the funding of the Foundation comes from legislated assessment on the annual licensing fee collected by the Arkansas State Medical Board, Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners, and Arkansas Board of Podiatric Medicine.

The Arkansas Medical Society Impaired Physicians’ Committee was established in 1983. In 1987, the Committee was restructured to include only recovering physicians and its name was changed to the Arkansas Medical Society Physicians’ Health Committee. The AMF was created to help implement and facilitate the duties of the PHC. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated 17-80-208 and 16-46-105, all information and referrals of suspected impairment received by the PHC are confidential, non-public, and carefully maintained. The PHC complies with Federal and State regulations concerning security and release of protected information.

Functions of the Physicians’ Health Committee

The Arkansas Medical Society’s PHC is a peer review program which assists healthcare professionals. We help identify, arrange for evaluation and treatment, assist in their re-entry into their medical profession, advocate and monitor their recovery. The PHC is not a diagnostic or treatment program but only acts as a facilitator. Members of the PHC themselves in recovery, are located in each of the geographic areas of the state and are the facilitators of Caduceus/professional meetings held weekly in their respective areas. The second functions the act as a peer review group for the Medical Director and his functions. This allows the Medical Director the legislated immunity as long as he acts in good faith on confirmed information and without malice.

Confidentiality

Any client’s information and other public information acquired, created, or used in good faith by the Physicians’ Health Committee and the Arkansas Medical Foundation shall not be subject to discovery. All information acquired, held, and transmitted in any fashion to the Committee and Foundation will be held in compliance with Federal and State regulations. The PHC and AMF complies with Federal confidentiality regulations 42 C.F.R. Part 2

Advocacy

We encourage voluntary contact with the AMF before any licensing board actions take place. Almost half of our participants are not know to their respective boards, and complete their contracts with no board actions. For those healthcare professionals under contract that are following the recommendations of the Medical Director and PHC, as well as complying with proper documentation and payment of appropriate fees, advocacy will be granted.

Participant Monitoring

Participants are under either a Voluntary contract or a Board ordered contract. If a voluntary participant has repeat non-compliance, this may be reported to their respective licensing boards. We are required to notify licensing boards of any issues of non-compliance with respect to the board ordered participants.