For Immediate Release:
April 5, 2021
Media Contacts
Amy Webb, Chief of Communications
[email protected]
Gavin Lesnick, Deputy Chief of Communications
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Mann Leaving Arkansas Medicaid for Private Sector
Deputy Director Pitman Tapped to Step into Director Role
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Medical Services (DMS) Director Janet Mann will be leaving the role she has held for more than two years for the private sector, the Department announced Monday. Mann’s last day at DHS will be April 23.
“Janet leaves a strong legacy at DMS. Under her leadership, DMS revamped provider enrollment and launched regular rate reviews for Medicaid providers. She also led DMS COVID-19 response activities which included modifying policies to ensure services continued to beneficiaries during the public health emergency, care continuity payments for direct-care workers, and emergency response payments for Medicaid providers including nursing homes and hospitals,” said DHS Secretary Cindy Gillespie. “We are grateful for her service and commitment to Arkansans. She will be missed but she leaves DMS much stronger for her time as Director.”
Mann began serving as the director of DMS, which handles the daily operations of the Arkansas Medicaid program, including claims payments, in January 2019. Before that she served as the DHS Chief Financial Officer from November 2016 until November 2017, when she left the agency to work as Deputy Director for the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
DMS Deputy Director Elizabeth Pitman has been tapped to replace Mann. Pitman has served as the Deputy Director since September 2019, overseeing the day-to-day operations, including provider enrollment, traditional Medicaid, Arkansas Works, and other Medicaid programs. Before that, she served for almost three years as an assistant director for the DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, with a focus on programs that serve children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and day treatment programs. Pitman also was part of the team that developed the Provider-Led Shared Savings Entity (PASSE) and was instrumental in drafting the federal waivers for that program.
“Elizabeth is a strong leader who has experience with the legal, provider, and client aspects of Medicaid,” said DHS Deputy Director for Health and State Medicaid Director Dawn Stehle. “She will, no doubt, continue to make the Medicaid program stronger, more efficient so that it better serves clients and the taxpayers.”
Pitman has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Central Arkansas, a Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law.