The Hidden Revenue Crisis in Arkansas

and the Arbitration Strategy Changing Everything

Presented by AHA and AHA Services, Inc. in cooperation with:
 

Arkansas Hospitals are losing millions in revenue every year because insurance carriers are systematically underpaying out-of-network claims - and counting on providers to not push back. 

The No Surprises Act created a powerful legal pathway for recovery, and the results are striking. On average, hospitals that engage the federal arbitration process recover 2 to 3 times their initial insurance payment. Yet fewer than 10% of eligible claims are ever disputed. 

This presentation breaks down exactly how the arbitration process works, what it takes to win, and how Arkansas hospitals can stop leaving money on the table. Whether you are managing a large health system or a community hospital, the opportunity to recovery significant revenue is already sitting in your existing claims. 

The question is not whether the money is there. The question is whether you have the right strategy to get it back.  

Faculty
Fernando Valencia, Chief Growth Officer, Callagy Recovery

Fernando J. Valencia is a national recognized educator, strategist, and advocate for independent physicians, widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on the No Surprises Act (NSA), and the federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) system. His work is dedicated to a single mission: protecting the financial integrity, autonomy, and long-term viability of physician-led medicine in an era of accelerating consolidation and systemic underpayment. 

Fernando has spent years immersed in the operational, economic, and regulatory realities facing independent medical practices. He is known for translating complex federal policy into clear, executable frameworks that allow physicians to understand not only what the law permits, but how it can be used—ethically and compliantly—to correct underpayment and restore balance in payer relationships. His expertise extends beyond theory into real-world execution, with a particular focus on how IDR functions in practice, how evidence is evaluated, and why many practices unknowingly leave significant revenue unrecovered.

As the leader of Medical Independence, a multi-state initiative uniting state and national medical associations, Fernando works directly with physicians, practice administrators, and association boards to address the structural forces threatening independent practice. Through this work, he has participated in multiple meetings with members of the U.S. Congress and Senate, advocating for stronger enforcement, timely payment, and accountability within the federal arbitration process. His approach is data-driven, nonpartisan, and grounded in fairness—focused on ensuring that laws designed to protect providers are actually enforced. 

Fernando is also the founder of the Callagy Institute of Doctorpreneurs, a physician-led organization focused on developing doctors as leaders and stewards of their practices. He is widely respected for his ability to connect policy, economics, and operations into a cohesive narrative that empowers physicians to act with confidence rather than react out of fear. An immigrant entrepreneur who built a million-dollar business by the age of twenty-one, Fernando brings a rare combination of strategic rigor, operational discipline, and moral clarity to his work. Among those who know him, he is recognized not simply as an expert—but as a committed ally to Florida physicians navigating one of the most consequential periods in modern healthcare.