The Architects of Tomorrow’s Care: Part Two

Arkansas Children's Hospital's (ACH) Champions Pavilion outpatient care facility, opening in mid-2026 in Little Rock, is the next step in the evolution of pediatric care for the state, region and nation. Champions Pavilion, 157,916 square feet, will offer the child-centered approach our health system is known for and create more availability for appointments and easier access for families seeking pediatric care in ear, nose and throat (ENT), vascular anomalies, gastroenterology, urology, orthopedics, sports medicine and general surgery.  

Arkansas Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief Todd Maxson, M.D., the leader for pediatric surgery in the state, said we are building more than a space for outpatient care; we are building a holistic experience for each child, unlike anywhere else in Arkansas.    

"As an organization, we support the American College of Surgeons' surgical verification process. That rigorous process ensures you have the people, equipment and processes to care for children at all developmental and age levels. There is an advantage. The family experience is going to be better, the safety is better, the quality is better, and those things are irrefutable," Dr. Maxson said. "We're creating the only outpatient experience that maintains that level of safety, quality, experience and process in Arkansas. We have the tremendous advantage of the American College of Surgeons guarantee that this place meets all of the standards of a level one pediatric surgery center translated into an outpatient care facility that's more family-friendly, more easily accessed and efficient."    

Part two of this series highlights how medical architects Dr. Maxson, surgery, and Jennifer L. Dotson, M.D., gastroenterology (GI), will transform the new facility.    

  

Expert, pediatric-focused care 

Champions Pavilion includes three floors, focused on the above-mentioned areas of care, along with eight surgical suites (that can expand to 12) and 26 exam rooms, a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and central sterile processing for medical equipment.   

Currently, inside ACH, there are 12 operating rooms and four small procedure spaces that are unusable for surgeries. While the number of rooms in both settings will decrease, they will be substantially larger, with more room for complex surgeries requiring modern, specialized equipment.    

"Opening even one more outpatient room will increase our capacity," Dr. Maxson said. "In one of those rooms, you could schedule up to 10 to 15 cases daily, five days a week. It's pretty substantial."    

Physicians estimate that a more focused approach could increase surgical volume by 20-30% and the surgical workforce by 18%.     

Dr. Dotson, who is revolutionizing pediatric GI care, said having pediatric-trained specialists treat GI issues in children and adolescents is vital because there are pediatric-only disorders that adult-centered providers are not used to treating or diagnosing. Children are not just "little adults," she added.  

In 2023, Arkansas Children's performed 4,781 endoscopic procedures, ranking as the seventh-highest volume in the country. The most common outpatient GI procedures are upper scopes like esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopies.   

In 2023, Arkansas Children's achieved a 0.10% complication rate for GI patients after endoscopic procedures. In 2024, this rate decreased to 0.03%, showing Arkansas Children's as a national leader and scoring in the 100th percentile for this category in the last two years for the annual U.S. News and World Report rankings.   

Our medical experts are trained in pediatric medicine to address concerns now and properly prepare young, chronically ill patients for a lifetime care plan.    

"Most adult GIs are not comfortable seeing young kids. They need care tailored to their unique developmental, medical and emotional needs," Dr. Dotson said. "Champions Pavilion is designed specifically for children. It will have pediatric-trained specialists, child-friendly environments and equipment that's made just for them, like neonatal and pediatric scopes. Choosing a children's hospital or a pediatric outpatient care facility like ours means safer procedures, less stress and better outcomes for the kids and their families. Whether it's GI or the other specialties, all these things are tailored for them. I could not imagine taking my child anywhere else. I want a pediatric specialist."    

 

Shaping Tomorrow’s Care  

Two of our architects of tomorrow's care discussed their accomplishments at Arkansas Children's. They shared their expectations for Champions Pavilion.    

 

The Revolutionizer of GI 

Jennifer L. Dotson, M.D., M.P.H., a pediatric gastroenterologist and chief of gastroenterology at Arkansas Children’s and professor of pediatrics at UAMS    

Under Dr. Dotson's leadership since August 2024, the pediatric GI program has been reborn with cutting-edge programs and treatments at ACH and ACNW, like expanding motility studies at ACNW, transnasal endoscopies and establishing a pancreas clinic. Her niche is her work with inflammatory bowel disease. She is starting her certification toward transabdominal ultrasound for inflammatory bowel disease to identify inflammation, complications and responses to therapy. Dr. Dotson said she's most proud of her team's collaborative work in clinics, telemedicine services and improving access to medical care.    

"Champions Pavilion is a game changer for our pediatric GI program. Right now, we're using a shared space. A dedicated space for GI appointments and surgeries will allow us to perform more procedures like upper endoscopies and colonoscopies in a more streamlined, roomier, child-friendly setting that's more inviting for families. Our team will be able to utilize more state-of-the-art equipment and add team members. Big picture - this helps us diagnose and treat conditions quicker and with greater precision." - Dr. Dotson   

  

The Pediatric Surgery Leader   

Todd Maxson, M.D., surgeon-in-chief at Arkansas Children’s and professor of surgery at UAMS

Dr. Maxson completed his medical training at ACH in the 1990s, and has been back full-time for 16 years. In 2009, he led the creation of the state's only level I pediatric trauma center, one of only a few in the country. He said today, it is "one of the best in the country," creating a legacy of emergency care. Champions Pavilion is the next step in the best surgical care for Arkansas Children's.   

"Champions Pavilion has several key advantages to the community and hospital. From a hospital standpoint, it allows us to focus our efforts more clearly. Today, we do inpatient and outpatient surgeries in the same spaces. Our staff has to go back and forth; those are different skill sets for everybody involved. Our team does it well, but in the future, focusing on our high-acuity inpatient surgery in the inpatient operating room and being family-friendly and efficient in Champions Pavilion will improve this on both fronts. Families will notice a difference. In my opinion, it's a little bit harder to get into the hospital and the main operating room if your operation is a straightforward, outpatient surgery. The environment in our high-complexity inpatient operating room is a tougher space to navigate for outpatient surgery families. When we move it out, it's going to mean a lot to a patient and a family's experience. It decreases our wait times so families from around the state don't have to wait as long for an operation." - Dr. Maxson 

This article was written by the Arkansas Children’s content team and medically reviewed by Jennifer L. Dotson, M.D., and Todd Maxson, M.D.