Arkansas

Arrest warrant issued for doctor who once ran Arkansas state medical board

Published

1 year ago

October 9, 2023

Arrest warrant issued for doctor who once ran Arkansas state medical board

An arrest warrant alleging Medicaid fraud was filed Monday for an Arkansas psychiatrist who once ran the state’s medical board, according to a court document from Pulaski County, Arkansas, obtained by NBC News.

An affidavit filed with the arrest warrant alleges that Dr. Brian Hyatt billed Medicaid for its most expensive billing codes while he was running the locked behavioral unit at the Northwest Medical Center in Springdale, even though investigators concluded that he was rarely in the building.

It’s unclear whether Hyatt is in custody.

More than 40 former patients have also accused Hyatt in civil lawsuits of having imprisoned them against their will while he was running the locked behavioral health unit from February 2018 through May 2022.

Dr. Brian Hyatt.KNWA

Hyatt’s contract with the hospital was abruptly terminated when Medicaid fraud allegations first surfaced in May 2022. He stepped down as chairman of the State Medical Board this March and then resigned from the board altogether in May.

The affidavit lays out an alleged scheme in which Hyatt is accused of billing Medicaid for treatment he didn’t provide. The affidavit is signed by a Medicaid fraud control unit investigator for state Attorney General Tim Griffin. Griffin’s office declined to comment on the case.

A confidential informant told the attorney general’s office that Hyatt had “little or no contact with patients” and “did not want the patients to know his name,” according to the affidavit.

The confidential informant also told investigators that Hyatt’s unit allegedly used “chemical restraints when patients were not an imminent danger to themselves or others.”

Attorney Aaron Cash, who is representing dozens of clients who have sued Hyatt for wrongful imprisonment, told NBC News, “Our clients were relieved to learn the news about Dr. Hyatt’s arrest warrant and are thankful to Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work in helping find justice for the many other victims of his scheme.”

Hyatt’s civil attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment by phone or email, and a criminal defense attorney wasn’t listed in court filings. There was no response to an email and a voice mail message sent to his practice.

An attorney for Hyatt had provided a statement to Arkansas Business. “Dr. Hyatt continues to maintain his innocence and denies the allegations made against him,” the statement said. “Despite his career as an outstanding clinician, Dr. Hyatt has become the target of a vicious, orchestrated attack on his character and service. He looks forward to defending himself in court.”

In July, Northwest Arkansas Medical Center told NBC News, “We believe hospital personnel complied in all respects with Arkansas law, which heavily relies on the treating physician’s assessment of the patient, including in decisions related to involuntary commitment.”

When Hyatt began running the unit in 2018 there were 29 beds. By 2022 Hyatt had expanded the unit to 77 beds. In an interview with state investigators, Hyatt said of his interactions with patients, “I would see everybody and look in on everybody,” according to the affidavit.

But the attorney general’s office used footage from 40 security cameras to track Hyatt’s time over 46 days in the unit and found that he spent 70% of his time in his office and just less than 1% or fewer than 10 minutes seeing patients.

In April the hospital agreed to pay back $1.1 million in a settlement with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Arkansas and the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General previously confirmed an ongoing investigation of Hyatt. Agents from the DEA raided his office’s practice in May.

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Arkansas

Mizzou, Arkansas Official Availability Report Ahead of Week 14 Game

Published

5 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Mizzou, Arkansas Official Availability Report Ahead of Week 14 Game

The No. 21 Missouri Tigers enter their final regular season game with the least injury questions than they have had for most other games since the beginning of November.

But, there was a few new additions to the team’s availability report ahead of the Week 14 game against Arkansas. Below is the full availability report for the Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

This post will be updated throughout the week with new availability reports posted Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before the 3:15 p.m. kick off.

Missouri Initial Availability Report:

Note: Missouri players with injuries previously reported to be season-ending are not listed on this post.

• DB Shamar McNeil – OUT
• LS Brett Le Blanc – OUT
• OL Logan Reichert – OUT
• RB Kewan Lacy – QUESTIONABLE

True freshman running back Kewan Lacy took one carry against Mississippi State in Week 13 before exiting the game with injury. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in the week leading up to that game that he would expect Lacy to see more opportunities going forward.

Le Blanc handles punting long snapping duties for Missouri, while Trey Flint takes care of field goals and extra points. Expect Flint to slide in for Le Blanc Saturday.

Arkansas Initial Availability Report:

• DL Nico Dalliver – OUT
• DB Jaylon Braxton – OUT
• K Kyle Ramsey – OUT
• DL Anton Juncaj – DOUBTFUL
• RB Braylen Russel – QUESTIONABLE
• DB Anthony Switzer – QUESTIONABLE

Passion and Patience Fuel a Fairytale Ending to Drake Heismeyer’s Mizzou Career
Brady Cook Reflects on Legacy Ahead of Senior Day
Mizzou Receiver Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

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Arkansas

Arkansas Children's enhances care with Press Ganey partnership

Published

12 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Arkansas Children's enhances care with Press Ganey partnership

The partnership will improve Arkansas Children’s service and care for patients and their families. Credit: Vita Monart/Shutterstock.

Arkansas Children’s, a private, non-profit paediatric care organisation, has partnered with Press Ganey to improve paediatric patient experience.

Beginning 1 January 2025, this collaboration is aimed at bolstering the paediatric care organisation’s commitment to improving service and care for patients and their families.

Arkansas Children’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer Jamie Wiggins said: “We believe that every interaction with our patients is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

“By leveraging Press Ganey’s expertise and industry-leading pediatric benchmarks, we will gain valuable insights that will empower our teams to continuously improve and innovate in delivering compassionate care.”

Press Ganey will offer its patient experience and provider star-rating solutions to help Arkansas Children’s monitor feedback and enhance care quality.

The partnership will enable Arkansas Children’s to leverage Press Ganey’s AI-powered text analytics.

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This will help analyse open-ended feedback from online reviews and post-visit surveys, providing an understanding of patient and family perspectives.

The goal is to gain actionable insights that can further improve the patient experience.

Press Ganey provides experience measurement, data analytics and insights to health systems and caters to more than 65% of all freestanding paediatric hospitals.

This partnership will allow Arkansas Children’s to benefit from shared learning and innovation within Press Ganey’s network of institutions.

Press Ganey CEO and chairman Patrick Ryan said: “Families trust Arkansas Children’s to provide the highest quality care for their children.

“This partnership reflects their dedication to listening to families, responding to their needs, and innovating to create a world-class paediatric healthcare experience.”

Arkansas Children’s network includes two paediatric hospitals, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, a research institute, a USDA nutrition centre, and numerous education and outreach programmes.

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Arkansas

Homicide suspect causes barricade situation in east Arkansas jail

Published

20 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Homicide suspect causes barricade situation in east Arkansas jail

PHILLIPS COUNTY, Ark. — A suspect in a Helena-West Helena homicide caused a barricade situation Tuesday as he was being processed in the Phillips County Detention Center.

Authorities said a prisoner who was being processed at the jail was able to get hold of some type of instrument and cause harm to himself.

He barricaded himself in the processing area and pepper spray was used to subdue him.

The prisoner was taken to the local emergency room for treatment. No one else was injured.

Helena-West Helena Police Chief Vincent Bell said he doesn’t know much more about what happened at the jail, but said the inmate is connected to a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon.

The suspect was being held in connection to an incident where a man was shot dead in the doorway of O’Reilly Auto Parts in West Helena.

The shooting was the result of a disagreement that started in front of a motel, and the victim ran to the front of O’Reilly’s where he was fatally shot.

Chief Bell offered no details on a motive or the name of the victim.

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