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Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, tells employees UAMS has turned a financial corner during his State of the University address Feb. 13. Image by Bryan Clifton

Chancellor’s State of University Reveals UAMS on Right Track with Finances, Strategic Plan

Feb. 20, 2020 | Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, shared a rosy financial picture and plenty of other good news during his State of the University address Feb. 13.

Patterson reminded the audience that the day he came to interview for the position at UAMS, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran a story that the institution was predicting a $72 million deficit that year. Last year, UAMS submitted its first balanced budget in years and finished the year $44 million in the black, he said.

“We have more than turned a corner with our financial situation,” he said.

This year, UAMS is already $11 million ahead of budget.

“We don’t get an extra helping of dessert for beating the budget,” he said. “We do this so we can take this money and put it back into our core missions — our mission to provide great patient care, our mission to be the health care educator for the state of Arkansas and our mission to do research to improve health and health care outcomes in the state.”

Patterson invited Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, provost and chief strategy officer, to the stage to give an update on the Vision 2029 Strategic Plan.

“In less than a year, we’ve already made some significant accomplishments regarding our strategic plan,” said Gardner. “We are well on our way to accomplishing our 2029 vision of being the healthiest state in the region.”

UAMS set 38 objectives to achieve under the Vision 2029 plan, and since July, UAMS has made measurable progress in 15 of those areas, Gardner said. She highlighted efforts to establish leadership roles in all areas of Northwest Arkansas, to become the employer of choice, to attain national recognition and to create a UAMS Health System, among others.

Patterson also praised efforts to spark an internal culture change at UAMS. Projects like the UAMS Kindness Campaign, the MVP of the Month, the holiday meals and the Team UAMS wall in the Central Building have all promoted the importance of teamwork, he said.

“Everything we do derives from the way we treat each other, our patients and our students, and we can never put too much time and effort into having a culture that fosters the missions we collectively share,” he said.

Patterson pointed to the increased focus on equity at UAMS. Changes such as the $14 an hour minimum wage, the 1% salary adjustment for employees and the Stocked & Reddie food pantry for employees and students are important ways UAMS is showing its commitment to equity.

“I’m proud we’ve been able to make changes to address equity across UAMS,” he said.

The chancellor also highlighted UAMS’ community and statewide focus. From efforts to expand clinical and educational services in Northwest Arkansas, to the commitment to expand Regional Campuses to more communities in Arkansas, starting with El Dorado, UAMS is a health system for all Arkansans, he said.

Patterson thanked the Arkansas Legislature for supporting UAMS’ pursuit of NCI designation, and said the first year of support looked to be about $17 million, well above the $10 million minimum that was pledged.

He also touted UAMS HealthNow, provided through the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, which offers patients access to a UAMS provider 24/7, 365 days a year, all from their phone, laptop or tablet.

“UAMS HealthNow is a convenience for those of us here, but it is a game changer for those in rural areas who may live 45 minutes from the nearest hospital,” he said. “UAMS is committed to providing health care for the entire state, which is why UAMS HealthNow is such an important service for us to offer.”

The end of the program was dedicated to a question and answer session with all of the questions coming via a new tool that allowed attendees to email their questions. Topics included the planned integration of the Regional Campuses into UAMS Health, whether UAMS would hold another TEDx conference and the master facilities plan, which includes the new energy plant, a new Radiation/Oncology building and eventually, a new inpatient tower and surgical annex.

The chancellor also gave away goodie bags to 10 employees whose names were drawn at the start of the program.