Heartland Whole Health Institute works to address Arkansas physician shortage

Bentonville-based Heartland Whole Health Institute launched Monday (June 22) a new statewide Graduate Medical Education (GME) Technical Assistance Center, released a report identifying gaps in the state’s physician training system, and outlined strategies to expand residency capacity statewide.

The effort is aimed, in part, at improving access to care in rural and underserved communities where physician shortages are often most acute, according to a news release. The report and the new Graduate Medical Education Technical Assistance Center constitute an effort to address one of the state’s most urgent healthcare challenges: the growing gap between medical school graduates and the residency training available in Arkansas needed to keep more Arkansas-trained physicians in the state.

Link here for the report, “Growing the Physician Workforce in Arkansas: A Statewide GME Strategy.”

Following are some of the report’s key findings.
• Arkansas’ state medical schools graduate approximately 430 physicians annually, but the state offers only 375 entry-level residency positions, creating a bottleneck that leads many Arkansas-trained physicians to leave the state for further training.

• Arkansas could support approximately 500 additional residency positions statewide, with the potential to generate about $705 million in economic impact associated with the addition of 500 new residents and deliver a return on investment exceeding 4-to-1.

• The state ranks at or near the bottom among peer states in several specialties, including general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and urology where it ranks seventh out of seven, and cardiology, neurology, anesthesiology, and gastroenterology, where it ranks sixth out of seven.

NEWS SCHOOLS
The report was developed in partnership with ShepsGME, the GME technical assistance and capacity‑building arm of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ShepsGME leads national efforts to develop and sustain GME in rural and underserved communities through technical assistance, research and policy knowledge.

Heartland Whole Health Institute was founded by philanthropist Alice Walton to transform traditional healthcare into a whole-person approach focused on physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. The institute works with the healthcare industry to simplify, streamline and improve care by bringing together the right people and groups to increase access, improve outcomes and reduce costs.

The bottleneck leading many Arkansas-trained physicians to leave the state for further training will face increased pressure when the first class of 48 medical students graduates in 2029 from the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, the state’s newest four-year medical degree-granting program. The Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education was formed in 2014, with its Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating its first class in 2021.

Medical school graduates must complete a residency to become licensed physicians. When they leave the state to complete residency, it weakens long-term retention and access to care, according to the release.

GROWING GAP
Physicians often practice within 100 miles of where they complete residency training. In rural communities, where recruiting and retaining physicians is often more difficult, this shortfall can mean longer wait times leading to increasingly devastating health conditions, fewer specialty services, and greater travel burdens for patients.

“At its core, this is about access to care and the workforce it takes to deliver it, especially in rural and underserved communities,” said Claude Pirtle, president of Heartland Whole Health Institute. “Arkansas is already training hundreds of future physicians each year, but our training infrastructure has not kept pace with growth and demand. This report makes the gaps clear, and the GME Technical Assistance Center is designed to help communities turn opportunity into action.”

The new Graduate Medical Education Technical Assistance Center is expected to support hospitals, health systems, academic partners, and communities interested in developing, expanding and sustaining GME programs. The center will provide guidance, planning support, and access to national expertise to help partners assess feasibility, navigate accreditation considerations, and design GME programs aligned with the area’s workforce needs, particularly in underserved and rural regions.

Through the center, communities and healthcare organizations will receive free support on program design, accreditation pathways, operational planning and long-term sustainability.

“We built this GME Technical Assistance Center based on a clear lesson from states that have successfully expanded graduate medical education: sustainable growth does not happen through funding alone — it requires dedicated leadership, technical expertise, and hands-on operational support,” said Sarah Bemis, associate vice president, policy and workforce of Heartland Whole Health Institute. “States like Wisconsin, Missouri and North Carolina have demonstrated that when these elements are in place, GME infrastructure grows stronger over time. Our commitment to improving access to care for every Arkansan is why we’re investing in a model that not only launches programs but helps ensure they succeed, scale and endure for generations.”

According to the report, more than one-third of Arkansans live in federally designated health professional shortage areas, and about 35% of the state’s physician workforce is at least 60 years old.

PHYSICIAN RETENTION
The state has 1,281 accredited residency and fellowship positions, but financing and distribution constraints limit its ability to expand this capacity. “Fragmented funding and federal caps restrict expansion even where need and infrastructure exist,” the release shows.

According to the report, Arkansas retains 58% of physicians who complete residency training in the state, with most practicing within 100 miles of where they train.

“No other physician workforce investment delivers this level of long‑term recruitment and retention return on investment,” Bemis said. “Residency expansion is one of the most effective ways to improve access to care for communities across Arkansas.”

The report examined training capacity, specialty and geographic gaps, and lessons from peer states that have successfully expanded residency training through coordinated approaches.

“Arkansas is well-positioned to expand its physician workforce by building on the strong foundation identified in the statewide GME strategy report,” said Lori Rodefeld, deputy director, Sheps GME Technical Assistance Centers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “In other states, GME technical assistance centers have helped bring partners together, support new training programs, and sustain long-term growth. With a coordinated, statewide approach that leverages existing infrastructure and opportunities across regions, Arkansas can meaningfully expand training, strengthen its health care workforce, and improve access to care.”