Podcast Summary: Expanding Access and Advancing Rural Health at Arkansas Children's with Jamie Wiggins

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Host: Chris Soster
Guest: Jamie Wiggins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Arkansas Children’s
Date: February 27, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Jamie Wiggins, COO of Arkansas Children’s, as he shares strategic initiatives, lessons learned, and forward-looking priorities for Arkansas’s only pediatric health system. The conversation centers on expanding healthcare access, especially in rural communities, operational excellence, addressing the pediatric talent pipeline, and investments in research and infrastructure, notably the National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Arkansas Children's Overview

• Jamie Wiggins introduces himself as a pediatric nurse with 30 years of experience, now four and a half years at Arkansas Children’s.
• Institutional Scope:
  • Only pediatric healthcare system in Arkansas.
  • Two hospitals, five clinics, research institute, and a foundation.
  • Serves nearly 1 million children (ages 0-21) across the state.
  • [00:22] "We're the only pediatric healthcare system in the state completely dedicated to kids." — Jamie Wiggins

2. Major 2025 Initiative: Seamless Access Expansion

• System Expansion: Multi-year project across sites of care.
• Operational Focus:
  • Creating a streamlined entry ("seamless front door") for patients and families.
  • Optimizing appointment scheduling templates with providers.
  • Enhancing and integrating technology-driven access points.
  • Outcome: 200,000 unique patients seen in 2025, an internal record.
  • [01:09] “What that really allowed us to do is last year we saw nearly 200,000 unique patients, which was our most patients seen in a given year in our history.” — Jamie Wiggins

3. Lessons Learned from Change Initiatives

• Culture Change:
  • Aspirational goals are critical, but success is achieved through the engagement and empowerment of frontline staff.
  • Recognizes that operational barriers often arise from complexity and well-intended policies.
  • Stresses importance of listening at all organizational levels to simplify workflows and ease the burden on caregivers.
  • [02:07] “It happens on those interactions with our leaders and our frontline team members and our physicians and really making sure that we understand what are the barriers that have been created not on purpose…” — Jamie Wiggins

4. 2026 Priorities: Access, Workforce, and Culture of Excellence

• Hopes to Build on Access Gains: Expansion work from 2025 seen as a “tailwind” for future growth.
• Talent Pipeline:
  • Nationwide decline in pediatric subspecialties.
  • Aims to foster an appealing academic and clinical environment for providers and technical staff.
• Culture Commitment:
  • Striving for “friendliest hospital” status.
  • Focus on exceptional care and customer service across all touchpoints—acute, tertiary, and telemedicine.
  • Equipping staff with tools and autonomy to meet and exceed patient expectations.
  • [03:13] “We're really calling ourselves to excellence, to really focus on a friendliest hospital mindset… we want to make sure that we are exceeding expectations in all ways we give care.” — Jamie Wiggins

5. Rural Health: Arkansas's Unique Challenge

• Rural Demographics:
  • Over 50% of Arkansas children reside in rural communities vs. national average of 12%.
• Systemic Challenge:
  • Delivering care requires investment in community infrastructure and navigation of payer model misalignments.
  • Enduring, multi-year focus with ongoing system investment.
  • Sees operational efficiency savings as a means to fuel rural health efforts.
  • [05:01] “We have a huge calling to figure out how we can get in those communities which will require infrastructure and resources that doesn't always align with current payer methodologies.” — Jamie Wiggins

6. Strategic Vision: Next 5 Years

• Five-Year Plan Launched (July 2025):
  • Priority: Significant improvement in rural healthcare delivery.
  • Initial Focus: Chronic illness management via centralized hubs (e.g., diabetes management with remote patient monitoring).
  • Emphasis on statewide population health management for children with chronic conditions.
  • Active exploration of new projects and models to expand rural care access.
  • [06:35] “Our chief strategy officer and our strategy leadership team… will probably focus on chronic illness. How do we create hubs that will allow us to focus on the chronically ill in our state to help with healthcare management?” — Jamie Wiggins

7. Infrastructure Investment: National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness

• Expansion Project Scope:
  • $370 million system-wide investment.
  • 330,000 new and 170,000 renovated square feet.
• Opioid Center Funding:
  • $50 million from state opioid settlement, $5 million from Juul settlement.
• Mission:
  • Establish a national research and clinical base for opioid and substance use disorder impacting children, mothers, and babies.
  • Integrates research, clinical enterprise, and institute work into a single facility.
  • Construction underway; expected opening in early 2027.
  • [07:55] “It really is setting a national infrastructure for us to actually study and understand not only opioid impact on child health, but also mothers and babies.” — Jamie Wiggins

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:09] “What that really allowed us to do is last year we saw nearly 200,000 unique patients, which was our most patients seen in a given year in our history.” — Jamie Wiggins
• [02:07] “It happens on those interactions with our leaders and our frontline team members and our physicians and really making sure that we understand what are the barriers that have been created not on purpose…” — Jamie Wiggins
• [03:13] “We're really calling ourselves to excellence, to really focus on a friendliest hospital mindset….” — Jamie Wiggins
• [05:01] “Over 50% of the children that live in Arkansas live in rural communities. Nationally that percentage is around 12%. And so we have a huge calling to figure out how we can get in those communities which will require infrastructure and resources that doesn't always align with current payer methodologies.” — Jamie Wiggins
• [07:55] “It really is setting a national infrastructure for us to actually study and understand not only opioid impact on child health, but also mothers and babies.” — Jamie Wiggins

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:22] — Arkansas Children's overview and scope
• [01:09] — Key outcomes of 2025 access initiative
• [02:07] — Reflections on change management and culture
• [03:13] — 2026 priorities and organizational mindset
• [05:01] — The rural health challenge in Arkansas
• [06:35] — Five-year strategic plan and rural health focus
• [07:55] — Details on the National Center for Opioid Research and major system investments

Conclusion

Jamie Wiggins highlighted the breadth of Arkansas Children’s mission, the critical progress made towards seamless healthcare access, and the unique rural healthcare context of Arkansas. The episode details ongoing and future investments in workforce development, excellence in service delivery, and research infrastructure, painting a picture of a pediatric system deeply dedicated to innovation and equity on behalf of children statewide.