Arkansas Children’s Names Dr. Alison Ziari as Senior Vice President of Practice Plan and President of Professional Services Organization

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (March 30, 2026) — Arkansas Children’s has appointed seasoned pediatrician and physician executive Alison Ziari, M.D., M.S., as senior vice president of the Arkansas Children’s Practice Plan and president of the Arkansas Children’s Professional Services Organization (ACPSO).

In her leadership roles, Dr. Ziari will oversee the strategic management and operational transformation of hospital-based and outpatient medical practices. Her responsibilities include fiscal management, provider deployment, and the enhancement of quality metrics across the system. She will lead the ACPSO in centralizing professional revenue cycle functions — including billing, coding and payer enrollment — to provide greater coordination and support for clinicians.

“Dr. Ziari’s leadership will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our infrastructure, improve performance, and support our clinical teams in delivering exceptional care to children and families,” said Brent Thompson, Arkansas Children’s chief legal and administrative officer. “Her leadership will be vital in ensuring our systems are as world-class as the care our providers deliver every day.”

Dr. Ziari joins Arkansas Children’s with more than 20 years of leadership experience. She most recently served as chief clinical and operations officer for Swedish Medical Group within the Providence Swedish Health System in the Pacific Northwest. In that role, she supported more than 1,300 clinicians across 100 plus clinics, advancing system-wide innovations in care delivery and physician engagement.

Throughout her career, Dr. Ziari has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational excellence and physician leadership development. At Arkansas Children’s, she will work collaboratively with internal strategy and finance teams, as well as external partners including UAMS, Medicaid and private payers.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's is the only health system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes the Arkansas Children’s Golisano Campus in Little Rock, home to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), and the Arkansas Children’s Pat Walker Campus in Springdale, home to Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW). The two pediatric hospitals host 361 licensed beds, supported by a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define, discover and deliver unprecedented child health. ACH is a Magnet-recognized facility operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven pediatric subspecialties (2025-2026): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology. ACNW, the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a Level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates an inpatient unit that will expand in 2026; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.


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