Arkansas

Former Arkansas State Medical Board chairman arrested on Medicaid fraud charges

Published

1 year ago

October 10, 2023

Former Arkansas State Medical Board chairman arrested on Medicaid fraud charges

The former chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board has been arrested on two felony charges of Medicaid fraud, authorities said.

Police in Rogers arrested Brian Thomas Hyatt, 49, a Rogers psychiatrist, on Monday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. He was being held in the Benton County Jail for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office with no bond set, according to online jail records. A telephone call seeking comment from his attorney, Erin Cassinelli, was not immediately returned Tuesday.

In a statement, Attorney General Tim Griffin said Hyatt’s arrest came after a Pulaski County district court judge signed a warrant from his office.

OVER 400K ARKANSANS DROPPED FROM MEDICAID IN LAST 6 MONTHS

“Prior to Dr. Hyatt’s arrest by the Rogers Police Department, prosecutors from my office and defense counsel had already reached an agreement for Dr. Hyatt’s surrender and appearance in court. We are honoring that prior agreement and look forward to his appearance in Pulaski County court later this month,” Griffin said in a statement.

Hyatt was appointed to the medical board by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson in January 2019. He stepped down as board chairman in March and but maintained his seat on the board until May, the newspaper reported.

Hyatt denied any wrongdoing in his May 16 resignation letter.

The former chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board has been arrested on two Medicaid fraud charges.

“I am not resigning because of any wrongdoing on my part, but so that the board may continue its important work without delay or distraction,” Hyatt said. “I will continue to defend myself in the proper forum against the false allegations being made against me.”

State and federal authorities have launched investigations following allegations of fraud by Hyatt.

U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes, who represents the Western District of Arkansas, confirmed in May that agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration searched Hyatt’s office in Rogers. The attorney general’s office was contacted in April 2022 by a whistleblower from the behavioral health unit of Northwest Medical Center-Springdale, according to the affidavit used to obtain that search warrant.

HEAD OF EMBATTLED ILLINOIS CHILD SERVICES AGENCY TO RESIGN AT YEAR’S END

Hyatt had been the medical director of the unit since January 2018. His contract with the medical center was “abruptly terminated” in May 2022, according to the affidavit.

Griffin said in March that Northwest Arkansas Hospitals had agreed to pay the state more than $1 million in connection with 246 Medicaid claims based on medical evaluations, diagnoses and supporting documentation certified by Hyatt and nonphysician providers working under his control and supervision. That settlement came after an audit by the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, a state contractor, found documentation provided for the claims “did not justify or support the medical necessity requirement for hospitalizations,” Griffin said in a news release announcing the settlement.

The Office of Medicaid Inspector General suspended all payments for Medicaid services to Hyatt after determining there was a “credible allegation of fraud” against him, according to a Feb. 24 letter the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

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In addition, Hyatt faces several civil lawsuits. One, filed in March in Washington County Circuit Court, accuses him and others of unlawfully holding patients in Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s behavioral health unit “to fraudulently bill their private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or other applicable insurance coverage for alleged care and treatment that was not provided.”

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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

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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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