Press Release: Arkansas Forward savings reach $134.6 million

Better service. Better systems. Better experience – for everyone.

Arkansas Forward savings reach $134.6 million
Arkansas Inspector General’s Office recovers $7.3 million

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Forward has recovered $7.3 million through process improvements implemented by the Arkansas Inspector General’s Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG). Those increases bring the initiative’s verified total savings to $134.6 million.

OMIG Director of the Office of Medicaid Inspector General Samantha Blassingame completed a thorough review of internal processes for reviewing potential fraud cases to improve the quality and outcomes of investigations. These improvements allowed for $7,259,442 in additional recoveries in calendar year 2025 and are expected to prevent fraud and lead to higher savings in the long term.

“We’re grateful that by following the lead of Governor Sanders and Secretary Bragg and working closely with our dedicated partners at the Department of Human Services, OMIG helped protect taxpayer dollars and preserve the integrity of the Medicaid program,” Blassingame said.

Arkansas Forward has been one of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ top priorities. An online dashboard displays the progress the initiative has made to date and is updated as the team continues to evaluate opportunities for improvement and efficiency in reducing the burden of government expenses on our taxpayers.

Since its launch, Arkansas Forward has identified more than 300 opportunities to reduce costs and improve government services across the executive branch’s 15 cabinet-level departments. The work of the Inspector General’s Office is one example of operational efficiency and our commitment to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The Arkansas Forward Dashboard and downloadable public dataset are available here.

###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.