Established in 1951, the Arkansas Health
Care Association (AHCA) currently
provides member services statewide. The
AHCA is the advocacy group for owners of
more than 95 percent of the licensed
long-term care facilities in Arkansas.
AHCA responsibilities to members and
their facilities are to educate, inform
and represent them before government
agencies, other trade associations and
related industries.
The
AHCA works to promote the highest
quality of care for patients of
long-term care facilities, to develop
the highest professional standards for
nursing home staff, and to foster
harmony within the AHCA membership. The
AHCA strives continually, in cooperation
with the state Legislature and state
Office of Long Term Care, to improve the
quality of life in Arkansas nursing
homes.
Of the 23,000 nursing home patients in
Arkansas, 76 percent are on Medicaid.
Consumer demand for higher quality care
was the driving force behind the
cost-based Medicaid reimbursement rates
that took effect in 2001. AHCA member
facilities are dedicated to meeting this
demand by raising staff salaries, hiring
additional staff, improving facilities
and making additional investments in
direct care and care-related resources.
AHCA state headquarters are in Little
Rock, less than a block from the state
Capitol.
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