Three of 19 applicants for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock have ties to the state, including one who currently works at UAMS.
The applicants are vying to replace UAMS Chancellor Dr. Dan Rahn, who announced in September that he would retire at the end of July after serving at the helm for nearly eight years. The University of Arkansas Foundation Inc. has brought on executive search firm Isaacson, Miller for a fixed fee of $180,000 to help with the search.
The firm will work alongside a 17-member search committee pieced together by University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt. The committee -- led by Dr. Jeannette Shorey, who is an associate provost for faculty and professor of internal medicine at UAMS -- will ultimately whittle the list of candidates for Bobbitt, who will recommend one of them to the UA board of trustees.
The committee is continuing to accept applications.
"While we are still quite early in the process, my hope is that we are able to continue broadening our candidate pool over the next couple of months before attempting to narrow our search to the top individuals later this summer," Shorey said. "Ultimately, the committee is committed to taking as much time as necessary to help President Bobbitt find the very best person to serve as the next leader of UAMS."
The search is one of at least 10 across the United States, said Dr. Janis Orlowski, the chief health care officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges. Children's Hospital in New Orleans and University Health Partners of Hawaii are also looking for chief executive officers, while others -- including the University of Iowa and Johns Hopkins University -- are hunting other high-level administrators.
The new chancellor will arrive as the state prepares to change eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program, called Arkansas Works, to include adults with incomes of up to 100 percent -- instead of the current 138 percent -- of the poverty level. The change needs federal approval.
Arkansas Works has increased UAMS' coffers by $65 million and helped the hospital reduce uncompensated care from 14 percent down to 3 percent, said Leslie Taylor, vice chancellor of the Office of Communications and Marketing.
The new leader will also have to navigate uncertain federal waters, as Congress considers repealing and replacing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
"Any federal or state action that results in increasing numbers of uninsured individuals would impact UAMS but also would affect the entire insurance market and every other health system, hospital and physician in Arkansas, as well as adversely affect the individuals and families who would lose health insurance coverage," O̶r̶l̶o̶w̶s̶k̶i̶ Taylor* said.
With an annual budget of $1.4 billion, UAMS employs 10,500 people, educates 3,000 students a year and oversees seven specialty institutes, including those in cancer, aging and psychiatric research.
UAMS, with its multiple campuses and sites, is the largest public employer in the state. The academic medical center has taken several steps to increase its capacity, including opening two units with 28 beds in the hospital, and opening new primary care and orthopedic sites in communities, Taylor said.
Rahn, 67, is the academic medical center's fourth chancellor and came from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He has led UAMS for nearly eight years and earns $630,000 annually, plus $13,000 for housing and a car, Taylor said. The UAMS foundation provides $270,000 in annual deferred compensation, which is set aside for retirement.
The search committee is looking for a leader who understands the importance of UAMS' unique and critical role in providing education, patient care and research, Shorey said.
"Because we are the state's only academic medical center, the chancellor at UAMS is not only a key figure on campus, but also a statewide leader with the ability to communicate with policymakers and the general public about the health care issues facing both the institution and the state as a whole," she said.
"The next leader will need to be someone who can hit the ground running to continue the organizational changes happening at UAMS, along with advocating for the institution's many outstanding programs and initiatives to all of our key external constituencies."
Metro on 05/21/2017
*CORRECTION: Leslie Taylor, vice chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock Office of Communications and Marketing said, “Any federal or state action that results in increasing numbers of uninsured individuals would impact UAMS but also would affect the entire insurance market and every other health system, hospital and physician in Arkansas, as well as adversely affect the individuals and families who would lose health insurance coverage.” The quote was misattributed in a story about applicants for the UAMS chancellor job in a previous version of this story.