Title 20, Public Health and Welfare

(a) The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program shall become operational March 1, 2013, if full funding is available under § 20-7-610. (b) The Secretary of the Department of Health may suspend operation of the program if adequate funding under § 20-7-610 ceases.

(a) A prescriber who has been found by his or her licensing board to be in violation of a rule or law involving prescription drugs shall be required by the appropriate licensing board to register with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and access patient information before …

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Combating Prescription Drug Abuse Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Chronic nonmalignant pain” means pain requiring more than three (3) consecutive months of prescriptions for:(A) An opioid that is written for more than the equivalent of ninety (90) tablets, each containing five milligrams (5 mg) of hydrocodone…

(a) A hospital with an emergency department shall adopt guidelines concerning opioid prescribing in the emergency department. (b) The guidelines shall be drafted jointly by the emergency department physicians and medical staff and approved by the governing body of the hospital. (…

(a) (1) Within the first two (2) years of being granted a license in the state, a prescriber shall obtain a minimum of two (2) hours of prescribing education approved by the appropriate licensing board.(2) The education approved by the appropriate licensing board under subdivisio…

(a) A licensing board that licenses individuals with prescriptive authority shall adopt rules that are at least as stringent as the rules of the Arkansas State Medical Board concerning use of narcotics for the treatment of pain not associated with malignant or terminal illness. (…

A patient who is being treated with controlled substances for chronic nonmalignant pain shall be evaluated at least one (1) time every six (6) months by a physician who is licensed by the Arkansas State Medical Board.

(a) For a patient with chronic nonmalignant pain, a prescriber, at a minimum and in addition to any additional requirements of the appropriate licensing board, shall:(1) Check the prescriptive history of the patient on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program at least every six (…

A prescriber or licensed healthcare facility that in good faith reports a suspected drug diversion is immune from civil or criminal liability and disciplinary action by the appropriate licensing board.

(a) The Department of Health and the Department of Human Services may implement the Life Choices Lifeline Program as a statewide care program to provide direct services, support, social services case management, and referrals to individuals listed in subsection (f) of this sectio…

(a) (1) The Department of Human Services may contract with one (1) or more organizations to deliver one (1) or more of the services described in § 20-8-1001 but may not contract with an organization that:(A) Is an abortion provider;(B) Assists women in obtaining an abortion, refe…

(a) (1) The Department of Human Services shall establish the “Continuum of Care Program” for certain pregnant women and parents.(2) The department may contract with entities to operate the program.(3) The procurement of a vendor shall be done through the Arkansas Procurement Law,…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Category of services” or “health services” means home healthcare services as defined by § 20-10-801;(2) “Conversion of services” means an alteration of the category of services offered by a health facility;(3) (A) “Health facility” means a long…

(a) There is established the Health Services Permit Commission. (b) The commission shall be composed of the following membership appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate:(1) A retired or practicing physician;(2) A representative of the Department of Human Services or…

(a) The Health Services Permit Commission shall evaluate the availability and adequacy of health facilities and health services as they relate to long-term care facilities and home healthcare service agencies in this state. (b) The commission shall designate those locales or area…

(a) There is created and established the Health Services Permit Agency, which shall be under the supervision and control of the Department of Health. (b) The agency, under the administration of the department, shall possess and exercise such duties and powers as necessary to impl…

(a) There shall be a Director of the Health Services Permit Agency, who shall be the executive head of the Health Services Permit Agency. (b) The director shall be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. (…

(a) (1) A permit of approval shall not be required by the Health Services Permit Agency or the Health Services Permit Commission for any applicant to qualify for a Class B license, as provided in § 20-10-801 et seq., to operate a home healthcare services agency, if the home healt…

(a) Unless otherwise provided in this subchapter, all health facilities seeking to add new beds or perform additional home health services or to expand existing bed capacity shall apply for a permit approving additional beds or services or expanded bed capacity or services pursua…

All fees and fines collected under this subchapter shall be deposited into the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account to be used exclusively for the maintenance and operation of the Health Services Permit Agency, including any agreements to reimburse the Department of Health for cos…

(a) All projects requiring approval under the Certificate of Need Program as established by Acts 1975, No. 558, § 5 [repealed], except freestanding radiation therapy centers, shall not be instituted or commenced after April 4, 1987, except upon application for and receipt of appr…

(a) The Health Services Permit Agency shall act as a statewide health data clearinghouse for the acquisition and dissemination of data from healthcare providers, the Arkansas Medicaid Program, third-party payors, state agencies, and other appropriate sources in furtherance of thi…

(a) There is created the Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Advisory Council, which shall consist of the following members:(1) A member of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall serve as a cochair of the council;(2) A…

(1) The Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Advisory Council shall:(1) Examine the:(A) Needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias;(B) Services available in the state for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias and their family care…

(a) By October 1, 2022, and by October 1 of each subsequent year, the Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Advisory Council shall submit to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate an annual report on the status of impleme…

(a) By October 1 of each even-numbered year, the state agencies identified in the State Alzheimer's Plan shall submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate that includes without limitation:(1) The steps …

The Governor may at any time transfer all personnel, appropriations, fund balances, and authorized positions, and the powers, duties, and personnel of the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to any other designated agency of the state which meets the requirements of Pub. …

The Governor may at any time transfer all the powers, duties, personnel, appropriations, fund balances, and authorized positions of the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to any other designated agency of the state which meets the requirements of Pub. L. No. 103-230 [rep…

(1) The General Assembly finds and determines that:(1) The Division of Youth Services is obligated by law to provide appropriate care to juveniles adjudicated delinquent and committed to the division's custody;(2) The division, pursuant to judicial decrees, assumes custody of del…

(a) It is declared and found that a major problem facing medicine and the public health and welfare is the absence of an adequate program to assist in the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with congenital or acquired spinal cord dysfunction. (b) (1) It has been found that n…

(a) There is established the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission, to consist of five (5) members to be appointed by the Governor from the state at large for terms of ten (10) years and confirmed by the Senate, as provided by law. The members of the commission shall be either spinal c…

(1) The Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission shall have the following functions, powers, and duties:(1) To identify and cooperate with existing agencies, organizations, and individuals offering services to the spinal cord injured or spina bifida patient for the establishment and integ…

(a) (1) The Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission shall establish and maintain a central registry of spinal cord disabled persons. Every public and private health and social agency and attending physician shall report to the commission within five (5) calendar days after identification…

(1) The General Assembly finds:(1) That Arkansas consistently ranks among the most unhealthy states in the nation;(2) That after just one (1) year of regular walking exercise, previously sedentary smokers refrained from smoking at two (2) times the rate of those who received only…

(a) The Department of Health shall use funds from the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act, § 19-90-101 et seq., to establish the Great Strides Grant Program. (b) (1) The department shall promulgate rules to create a grant program which will allow local communities to participate in t…

The General Assembly finds and determines that there is a lack of Arkansas-specific information and data to guide officials responsible for policy decisions and that making this data readily available to decision makers is essential to the creation of effective health policy for …

(a) (1) The Director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement shall establish and maintain a program to access health data to be known as the “Arkansas Health Data Initiative”.(2) The initiative shall be administered and maintained within the the Arkansas Center for Health I…

(a) If agreed to by state agencies responsible for maintaining requested data sources, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement may have access to the agencies' information and data to facilitate operation of the Arkansas Health Data Initiative. (b) Data under subsection (a) of…

The Office of State Technology, Department of Finance and Administration, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, State Insurance Department, and all other appropriate departments, agencies, subcontractors, and officers shall promulgate rules to implement this subchap…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative Act”.

(1) The General Assembly finds that:(1) More than one hundred million (100,000,000) Americans and two billion (2,000,000,000) other humans worldwide suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively or even cured with stem cells;(2) Stem cell research has been …

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Amniotic fluid” means the fluid inside the amnion;(2) “Nonembryonic stem cell research” means medical research involving stem cells that have not been derived from a human embryo or fetus;(3) “Placenta” means the organ that forms on the inner w…

(a) (1) The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences shall establish and maintain the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank in this state for the purpose of collecting and storing postnatal tissue and fluid.(2) The Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank shall create a voluntary program…

(a) The medical director of the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank shall:(1) Investigate the implementation of this subchapter and recommend improvements in this subchapter to the General Assembly;(2) Oversee the operations of the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, including witho…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Volunteer Health Care Act”.