The Arkansas Health Network (AHN) announced Wednesday the appointment of Dr. Lubna Maruf as its new chief medical officer and vice president.
AHN is a physician-led, clinically integrated network (CIN) serving Arkansas patients, providers and employers. It manages more than 125,000 patients across the state and partners with a network of nearly 2,600 providers, 27 skilled nursing facilities and 17 hospitals.
Maruf will oversee all aspects of clinical quality improvement, provider engagement efforts, performance in quality metrics across the network and provide medical leadership for AHN’s strategic initiatives.
“We’re blessed to add Dr. Maruf’s commitment and incredible expertise in the field of value-based healthcare and quality improvement to the growing work we’re doing to improve patient and provider experiences and reduce healthcare costs in Arkansas,” said AHN President & CEO Bob Sarkar in a press release. “She is truly a citizen diplomat, bringing some of the best insights and ideas in this field from around the world back here to benefit our state.”
Maruf previously served as medical director for Centene/QualChoice Health Insurance in Little Rock. She has also served as adjunct faculty for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in its residency training program. She holds a medical degree from Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, and received her internal medicine fellowship from Michael Reese Hospital at the University of Illinois, Chicago. She also has an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
In its latest performance year, AHN helped saved Medicare $12.9-million, the highest total savings of any individual accountable care organization (ACO) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program through CommonSpirit Health, a 21 state nonprofit health system that includes CHI St. Vincent, according to the release.
READ MORE: A New Era: Fayetteville’s Iconic Williams Tractor Changing Name, Location
